Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

WILFRIED MALSCH

AMHERST, Wilfried Malsch passed away peacefully on the morning of March 12^th in his home in Amherst. He had lived 88 full years.  He leaves his wife Sally of 40 years, his daughter Elisabeth of Manhattan, her husband John and grandchildren, Annabelle and Oliver.  His son, Christian, predeceased him.  Wilfried was born in Karlsruhe am Rhein in Germany, just a ferry ride away from France.  The only person in his childhood community who owned a car was an actress who was always in a hurry, he said. World War II claimed many of Wilfried’s friends, cousins and his brother, Rolf, whom he sorely missed.  Wilfried often spoke of how relieved he was for his parents when he was captured by the Americans in Natuno, Italy.  

At seventeen he was the youngest in a prisoner of war camp, first in Alabama and then in Pennsylvania.  There he first developed his love and respect for America as a place of tremendous change and endless hope.  A constant thread throughout his life from then on was both his fear of economic depression that led to Fascism in Germany and his hatred of war in general.  He actively campaigned against the rearming of Germany and welcomed the development of the European Union.

Wilfried had a long and distinguished career as a professor of German of international repute especially in the 18^th century period known as the Goethezeit.  He received his Ph.D. from the University of Freiburg and habilitated at the University of Tuebingen, entitling him as a full professor.  After shorter appointments at the Rice University in Texas and at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, he became a professor of German in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1971. Wilfried was a scholar in the true sense of the word whose numerous and genial contributions had far reaching intellectual influence that not only became an essential study for other scholars, but often changed the direction of critical thought.  On the mundane level, Wilfried applied his ability to identify essential problems and create solutions in every aspect of his daily life from designing furniture to practical ideas about paper cups with straight sides and self-driving cars.  Finally, he really loved teaching, and he was grateful he could interact with his admiring students until he was 78 years old.  Even in ‘retirement’ his life-long avocation was his vocation, and he enjoyed embarking into new language and literary studies, most recently Tolstoy’s War and Peace.

Above all, the family was paramount for Wilfried, and he continued in the literary vein by imparting his traditions to us through story telling. He could entertain us with stories about his missionary grandfather in Ghana, Africa, who axed a snake about to strike his grandmother; about how a chapel is built within a church there in honor of Pastor Mohr who not only converted the locals to Christianity but who introduced bananas and cocoa, now essential to Ghana’s economy; about his grandfather who made a dictionary for translating Ashanti to English; about his mother who was born in Ghana but raised in the Basel mission like all her siblings sent out of Africa; about his rich childhood in a large extended, Christian family; about his mathematician father who led the fire brigade; and always again about his beloved mother who started knitting when she was four and died knitting for her granddaughter when she was 95.

He wrote in German, ‘as death is coming ever closer, I still want to continue living a little longer for the sake of my family.’   He was always optimistic and willing to fulfill his commitments to healing himself.  One often saw him first running, and then walking throughout Echo Hill, and he was an avid member of the Athletic Club. Despite his self-imposed heavy workload and disciplined work schedule, he never made a promise he did not keep to his wife and children.  No matter the adversity, he was grateful for his home and good fortune, and he repeatedly told his loved ones how happy he was to share his life with them.  They were happy as well, and our beloved husband and father Wilfried will be sorely missed.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, March 18^th at 11:00 a.m. at the Immanuel Lutheran Church, 867 N. Pleasant St., Amherst, with a reception to follow. Burial will be private. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

Michael J. Jasmin, 51, beloved son, brother, and uncle, passed away peacefully Sunday, March 10, 2013, at his home in Amherst. 

Michael loved and was loved by his family.  He was the only son of Patricia (Smith) Jasmin of Amherst and the late Norman Jasmin.  He leaves behind his loving sisters and their families:  Marion Jasmin of Greenfield, Jeanne and Ed Brzycki of Belchertown, Theresa and David Niemczura of Palmer, and Cathy and Tim West of Hadley.  Michael adored his nieces and nephews:  Dan Brzycki of Waltham, Matt and Ali Niemczura of Palmer, and Nick and Lexi West of Hadley.  He also leaves his auntie Gingy Vandomo of Granby and many cousins and extended family members. 

Michael was born in Springfield on April 19, 1961, and grew up in Southwick playing hockey and baseball in his youth.  After graduating from Southwick High School in 1979, Michael joined the Navy serving on the carrier USS Eisenhower.  He was a skilled tradesman, great with his hands and with a keen attention to detail.  He worked for years in the trades, including as a painter and a roofer.  Most recently he worked at Mission Cantina in Amherst with his good friend Sammy Kochan. 

Michael lived life at full throttle.  He was funny and fun-loving, with a quick wit.  He enjoyed being outdoors and was a sportsman who enjoyed fishing, golfing, and skiing. 

Michael was also a quiet soul.  He was an avid reader and loved crossword puzzles.  He enjoyed watching the birds at the feeders and spending time with his dogs around his feet.  He was a gifted artist, but modestly shared his drawings and paintings with only his immediate family.  Michael’s greatest love was for his family, and spending time with them, especially his nieces and nephews. 

Michael was taken from us far too young, but we are comforted by the fact that he lived a full life, surrounded by his loving family.  We will miss him every day. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, March 15, at 9:30 am at Most Holy Redeemer Church in Hadley.  A reception will follow immediately in the Parish Hall.  There will be no calling hours and burial will be private at a later date.  

Douglass Funeral Home of Amherst is in charge of the arrangements.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to MostHoly Redeemer Church, P.O. Box 375, Hadley, MA01035. 

Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

JEAN MUSHENSKI

HADLEY, Jean (Wiater) Mushenski, 96, of Hadley, passed away March 9^th. Born in Hadley on November 10, 1916, she was the daughter of the late Sebastian and Agnes (Zawacki) Wiater.

Jean graduated from the Hadley schools and worked at the Hopkins Academy cafeteria until she retired. She worked on the family farm on West Street in Hadley most of her life and loved spending time there with her family. Jean loved being outdoors and listening to polkas. She was a member of the Most Holy Redeemer Church.

Jean leaves her son, Stephen Mushenski of Wendell; daughter, Nancy Mushenski of California; sister, Audrey (Wiater) Doty of New Jersey; grandson, Michael Mushenski of Hadley; granddaughter, Jennifer (Mushenski) Percy of North Carolina; daughter-in-law Yvette Mushenski of Hadley; daughter-in-law, Theresa Mushenski of Hadley and four great grandchildren.

Jean was predeceased by her husband Stephen Mushenski; three brothers, Frank, Stanley and John; two sisters, Florence Wiater and Helen Vanasse and her son, Francis Mushenski.

Burial will be private and there are no calling hours. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

ALLEN L. TORREY

AMHERST, Allen L. Torrey, 89, of Amherst, died March 7 at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke. He was Amherst’s first town manager and later served as an Amherst selectman and as treasurer/business manager of Hampshire College.  

Mr. Torrey, then 31, was appointed as town manager in 1954. He served for 21 years, resigning in 1975 to become Hampshire College’s treasurer and business manager, a job he held until his retirement in 1990, after which he remained active in Hampshire County community activities.  

Survivors include his wife of 67 years, Sylvia Steele Torrey, of Applewood in South Amherst; three sons, David S. Torrey and his wife Katie M. Torrey of Amherst, Philip B. Torrey and wife Nancy G. Torrey of Amherst, and Allen S. Torrey and wife Kate Douglas Torrey of Chapel Hill, N.C.; a granddaughter, Sarah Mitrou and her husband Jeffrey Mitrou of Windham, N.H.; two grandsons, Alexis Torrey of Amherst and Nicholas Torrey and wife Abigail Dean of Carrboro, N.C.; and two great-grandchildren, Anna Mitrou of Windham and James Torrey of Carrboro. Mr. Torrey’s brother, Ronald G. Torrey, and sister, Marjorie Thomson, died previously. 

Born on March 18, 1923, Allen Lovell Torrey grew up in Weymouth, Mass., the youngest child of Mary Allen Torrey and Stanley Thurston Torrey. He attended Weymouth High School and graduated from Fryeburg Academy in Fryeburg, Maine in 1941. His college education at the University of Maine in Orono was interrupted by service in World War II. Returning to Orono after the war, in 1948 he became one of the first graduates of the university’s public management program. He immediately began work as town manager of Lancaster, N.H., and then Camden, Maine, before coming to Amherst, which had narrowly voted in 1953 to adopt the town manager/selectman form of local government. 

During World War II, Mr. Torrey enlisted in the Army Air Forces and received his pilot’s wings at age 20. He accumulated 1,500 flying hours in Europe during 1944 and 1945, piloting C-47s and other cargo and transport aircraft. He was stationed in England, France and Germany with the 326th Ferrying Squadron, Ninth Air Force, and received the Air Medal. He later served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and reached the rank of captain. 

Mr. Torrey first came to Amherst in 1943 as a member of the initial cohort of the 58th College Training Detachment at Massachusetts State College, an early stage in Army flight training. Later, in his public and private life, he became deeply attached to the town, its people and its natural landscape, particularly to South Amherst, where he lived for many years. He was especially dedicated to conservation and preservation efforts, and to the town’s history. Among his favorite activities was helping to put up the lights on the South Amherst Common’s holiday tree. Earlier this month, the Amherst Historical Society honored both Mr. and Mrs. Torrey with the Stephen J. Puffer Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award. 

In 1983 he was elected to the first of two terms as a member of the town Select Board and served as Amherst’s delegate on the Hampshire County Council of Governments. Mr. Torrey was also a founder and past president of the Massachusetts League of Cities and Towns and a past regional vice president of the International City Management Association. 

He was active in numerous community activities, including the Hampshire County chapter of the American Red Cross, and was a past trustee of the South Congregational Church. He was instrumental in the development of Applewood at Amherst, a retirement facility in South Amherst, and was a member of its founding board of directors. Mr. Torrey was a longtime member and past president of the Amherst Rotary Club and received Rotary’s Paul Harris Fellow Award in 1986. He was a member of the Amherst Chamber of Commerce and a director of the former Amherst Savings Bank. He was also an Eagle Scout. For decades he was an active member of the Amherst Golf Club and an enthusiastic skier. 

A funeral service will be held at the South Congregational Church in South Amherst at 11 a.m. on March 16. The service will be preceded at 10 a.m. by an interment ceremony, for family and friends, at the South Amherst Cemetery. Donations may be made to the church’s Driveway Fund.   

Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.  To sign a guest book, express condolences, share memories and read other obituaries, go to www.gazettenet.com/obituaries. 

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

John B. Walsh

HADLEY, John B. (Jack) Walsh of Hadley and South Dennis passed away March 5, 2013 after a prolonged illness. 

Jack was born and raised in Winthrop, eldest son of the late John MJ and Evelyn Walsh and graduate of Winthrop High School Class of 1953; BA in Industrial Mgmt. from University of Massachusetts Class of 1957, Phi Mu Delta Fraternity; and an MBA from Western New England College. He taught at WNEC for 7 years. He served in the U.S. Army Active Duty & Reserves 1957-1963. After 30 years of employment and loyal service, Mr. Walsh was a 1995 retiree of University of Massachusetts.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Whitworth Wing Walsh of Hadley and Farmington, ME; his brother Robert B. (Bob) Walsh of Winthrop; daughter Pamela Jassal and husband Harvinder of Acton; son Jeffrey and wife Melissa of Northampton, and son Timothy and wife Nicole of Byfield.  He was married for 40 years to the late, Helen V. Eaton Walsh, who died in February 1999.  He is loved and missed by his 8 grandchildren, Mollie Jassal; Jason, Michelle and Tyler Walsh; Rachel and Ian Ehlers; Hanna and Milia Wing.  He is also survived by two great-grandchildren.

Mr. Walsh was Master of Ceremonies for Employee Appreciation Day on the University of Massachusetts campus for many years.  He is a Hadley Lions Club member and past King Lion; member of Five College Credit Union Board of Directors; member and officer of Massachusetts State Retirees Board of Directors and Hampshire County Retirement Board; Retired State, County and Municipal Employees Assoc,; volunteer constable with Amherst Police Department; Amherst Kiwanis Club, Hadley Little League Coach; MC for Hopkins Academy Athletic banquets. One of Jack’s proudest achievements was becoming an Eagle Scout. He was a communicant at the former St. John’s Parish, Hadley, now Most Holy Redeemer Parish.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be Tuesday, March 12, at 10:00 a.m. in Most Holy Redeemer Church, Hadley. Burial will follow in St. Brigid’s Cemetery, Hadley. Calling Hours will be Monday, March 11, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the Boston Boy Scouts, Boston Minuteman Council #227, 411 Unquity Road, Milton, MA 02186; or Food Bank of Western MA, PO Box 160, Hatfield, MA  01038. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

MIRIAM VICKERS

HADLEY, Miriam (Betts) Vickers, 96, died Feb. 26^th at ElaineCenter at Hadley. Married for 66 years, Miriam was the beloved wife of Douglas Vickers, retired Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England on Sept. 2, 1916, she was the daughter of the late Herbert and Hannah (Lynes) Betts. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, March 2, at 10:00 a.m. in the West Springfield Covenant Community Church with burial following in Wildwood Cemetery, Amherst. There are no calling hours. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

Randolph Wilson Bromery was born January 18, 1926 in Cumberland, Maryland.  He was the son of Lawrence Randolph Bromery, deceased October, 1975 and Edith Edmonson Bromery, deceased March, 1947.  He was the grandson of Sarah Wilson Bromery and Ulysses Rutherford Bromery and the great grandson of Emma Wilson Black, all of Cumberland, Maryland.  He is survived by his wife of sixty five years, Cecile Trescott Bromery; his sons Keith M., Dennis R., David T., and Christopher J. Bromery and a daughter Carol Ann Thompson of Tallahassee, Florida; Amherst, Massachusetts; Ellicott City, Maryland; Lynn, Massachusetts and Baltimore, Maryland respectively.  He is also survived by eleven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.  His older sister, Bettyjane Coker lives in Lanham, Maryland and his younger brother Robert M. Bromery lives in Bowie, Maryland.  His younger brothers Lawrence E. and Phillip M. died in 2006 and 1935 respectively.

Dr. Bromery attended the Frederick Street School and graduated first in class from the same school which was renamed Carver High School in 1942.  During World War II he served with the U.S. Army Air Corps Tuskegee Airmen.  He attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. and graduated with a B.S. in mathematics and physics in 1954.  He earned and was awarded a M.S. Degree in Geology from The American University in 1962; and a Ph.D. in Geology from The Johns Hopkins University in 1968.

He was an Airborne Exploration Geophysicist and a Supervisory Research Geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey from 1948 to 1967.  At various times, he served as a mineral resource consultant to several West and Central African countries primarily with the Kennecott Copper Company.  He was a special honored guest to the Presidents of Liberia, Republic of the Cameroons, West Africa and Malawi, South Africa and he was elected honorary member of the Liberian Geological Survey.  As a member of the Boards of Directors of The Exxon Corporation and The Singer Company, he traveled extensively in the Far East, Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and China.

Dr. Bromery recently served as Interim President of Roxbury Community College and served as President of Springfield College from 1992 to 1999.  Dr. Bromery served at The University of Massachusetts in numerous positions prior to retirement in 1992: Commonwealth Professor of Geophysics, Chairman of the Department of Geology and Geography, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Chancellor of the Amherst Campus, Executive Vice President of The University of Massachusetts System and a retired Commonwealth Professor, Emeritus.  He served as Chancellor of the Board of Regents for Higher Education under Governor’s Dukakis and Weld and served as Interim President of Westfield State University from 1988 to 1990.

As a leader in the business community, Dr. Bromery served as a member of the Boards of Directors with the Exxon Corporation, NYNEX/Bell Atlantic Corporations, New England Telephone Company, Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company and The John Hancock Life Insurance Company.  He served as President of Weston Geophysical International Corporation and the Geoscience Engineering Company, a jointly owned geological and geophysical consulting business.

Dr. Bromery was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Awards from Howard University and The Johns Hopkins University.  He is the recipient of nine honorary degrees from colleges and universities around the world, including The Johns Hopkins University and was named honorary president of Soodoo Women’s University located in Seoul, Korea.  Dr. Bromery is a Senior Fellow. Fellow ad member of numerous professional Societies and served as the first African-American President of the Geological Society of America in 1989.  President George W. Bush appointed Dr. Bromery to membership on the President’s Committee on The National Medal of Science.  He has published many articles on science and education in several professional journals.

While serving as President of Springfield College, he was the recipient of several prestigious community service awards including; Eyes on the Prize Award in 1997 from PBS Channel 57; Community Builder Award in 1996 from the Springfield Urban League; the distinguished Pynchon Award in 1993 from the Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts; Human Relations Award from The National Conference in 1997; the Distinguished Citizens Award from the Pioneer Valley Council of Boy Scouts in 1992; the Chancellor’s Medal and Honorary Alumnus Award from The University of Massachusetts in 1996; Lifetime of Excellence in Education Award from the Massachusetts Legislative Black Caucus in 1996; and Key to the City of Seoul Korea from the Seoul Metropolitan Government and an Award from the Governor of Hokkaido, Japan.  Dr. Bromery’s picture was featured on the front cover of the Business Monthly Magazine of Western Massachusetts.  In February of 1997, he was honored by the National Academy of Sciences as one of the nation’s outstanding Black Scientists and his portrait was hung in the Hall of The National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Bromery and his wife moved to Brooksby Village in Peabody, Massachusetts.  Prior to that they had lived in Amherst, Massachusetts where he was involved in several activities with the University of Massachusetts including serving as founding member of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst Foundation and also served as chair of the Advisory Committee to the Newman Center at the University of Massachusetts.  He continued to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees of The Johns Hopkins University and a member of the Corporation of The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Calling hours will be held on Wednesday March 6, 2013 from 4 – 8 PM at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst. A memorial service will be held  at The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, at a later date.   Please No Flowers, donations may be made to, Bromery Endowment Fund for the Du Bois Center, Umass Amherst Libraries Development Office 154 Hicks Way Amherst, MA 01003-9275.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

Freda M. (Rustemeyer) De Pillis

AMHERST, Freda Mae (Rustemeyer) De Pillis passed away on Feb. 23, 2013. She was able to live at home until May 26, 2012.

Freda was the third of the four daughters of Julia (Bogler) Rustemeyer and Ferdinand (“Fred”) Rustemeyer. She was born on the family farm on Pointers Creek in Linn, Osage County, Missouri on Aug. 27, 1924.

She attended a one-room schoolhouse on Pointers Creek.  After graduating from Linn High School in 1942 Freda moved to St. Louis where she worked in various jobs until the spring of 1947, when she signed a two-year contract to work for the U. S. occupation forces in Tokyo, Japan, processing payroll.

Always a voracious reader and keen of mind, her experience in Japan deepened her desire for education.  She decided to apply to the College of the University of Chicago and was admitted in 1949. She met her husband there, whom she married in 1952.

Freda graduated with a BA from the College and an MA in psychiatric social work. She had a varied career in hospitals, psychiatric institutions, and family counseling agencies in Chicago, Philadelphia, New Haven, and Northampton. She spent most of her career at the Northampton agency, Children’s Aid and Family Service. She specialized in marital counseling, and adoption. After retirement she was volunteered for Not Bread Alone (a community meal program), Tapestry (a community-based non-profit family planning and reproductive health services provider), and taught English to immigrants and visiting academic spouses. She also served in Amherst Town Meeting.

Freda was a feminist, beginning in the 1940s when she was denied training in animal husbandry in rural Missouri because she was a girl. She was less interested in feminist ideology than concrete equal rights. She cheered when she saw the first woman linesman climbing a telephone pole.  She opposed America’s role in the war in Vietnam, joining the weekly peace vigil on the Town Common in Amherst.

Freda kept a journal from age eleven until no longer able.  These she transcribed and they are now part of the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.  

Freda is survived by her husband of 61 years, Mario S. De Pillis Sr., and their sons, Vincent B. De Pillis (wife Kristin Bedell) of Seattle, with granddaughters Lydia and Sophia; Mario S. De Pillis Jr. (wife Anne H. Walton) of Amherst with grandsons Alexander A. (“Rex”) De Pillis and Rafael; and Alexander F. De Pillis (fiancée Debra Pinsof) of Montpelier Vermont; and her older sister Dorothy of St. Louis, Missouri. Her sisters Marcella and Mary Ellen predeceased her.

The family thanks the caregivers whose compassion and care provided her the best possible quality of life during her last years.

A memorial service will be held Douglass Funeral Service in Amherst on Sunday March 10 at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to the Amherst Senior Center, 70 Boltwood Walk, Amherst, MA 01002. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.  

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

Lady Barbara (as she was known by some) graduated from Washington Irving High School in NYC and later attended Park College in Missouri. She studied music composition at Juliard Night School, played piano, guitar and possessed  the ‘voice of an angel‘. 

After enlisting in the WAVES (Woman Accepted in Volunteer Emergency Service) where she served as a Link Training Instructor during World War II.

She attended and received a BA in English from Columbia Teachers College, New York City. In her long life, Barbara held a variety of interesting positions including working as an editor for the College Board.  She also worked in special education and as an ESL (English as a Second Language) instructor and homemaker. She had a love and knowledge of music, nature and literature. Both she and her husband Jerome were active in causes of social justice including civil rights, antiwar activities and environmental concerns. She and Jerome were members of the Jewish Community of Amherst and Barbara was a member of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America.

She was laid to rest this past Tuesday February 21st at the Jewish Community of Amherst, Cemetery in Shutesbury, MA. Any donations in Barbara’s memory should be made to the: Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) and/or Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America.

Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.