Richard Robert Sawicki of Granby passed away Tuesday 4/11/2023 at home after a short illness.

Born June 21, 1939, in Northampton, to Chester (deceased) and Anna (Mish) Sawicki (deceased).

Richard graduated from Hopkins Academy in 1957.  Richard began his career in the Coast Guard, stations on the Cape, serving 4 years being honorably discharged in 1963.  Richard settled in Amherst and began his family.  Moving to Pelham in 1963 and resided in Pelham until 2015. 

Richard worked many different jobs throughout his life with the last employer being Warner Brothers Construction, where he remained until his retirement after 44 years.  During Richard’s earlier years he enjoyed camping with his family and friends on the Cape, fishing, and spending time with his two sons. 

In 1989 Richard met Cheryl Stone and they were married on June 30, 1990.  They enjoyed 33 years of marriage, creating loving memories with their families, as well as 33 years of camping and fishing in Maine with friends.  Richard spent many Saturdays’ golfing at the various golf courses in the Amherst area.

Richard is survived by his wife Cheryl, son Scott (Denise) of Shutesbury, Christine Dejlitko of Meriden, CT, Amy (Paul) Gravell of Meriden, CT, Kelly Parziale (Marlinda) of Elizabethtown, KY. Grandchildren, Kevin (Jessica) Sawicki of Milford, Sean (Rebekah) Sawicki of Winchendon, Erin Sawicki of Shutesbury, Christian Sawicki of NY, Cody & Connor Wilczak of Meriden, CT, Katlynn & Madison Parizale of Elizabethtown, KY, Gavin Parziale of MO, and Isabelle Gravell of Meriden, CT.  Great-Grandchildren Madison and Emileigh Sawicki of Chicopee and Luke Sawicki of Winchendon.  He is also survived by his brothers-in-law Greg Stone of Belchertown, Gerald Young of Ludlow, Cleon “Buzzy” Booth of Pelham and Ernest Booth of Northampton.  As well as several nieces and nephews. Richard will be missed for his great smile, contagious laugh, and his gentle and kind personality.

Richard is pre-deceased by his parents, his brother David Sawicki and his son Richard R. Sawicki, Jr.

At the request of the family there will be no calling hours.  A graveside service will be held at Valley Cemetery located at North Valley Road, Pelham on June 3, 2023, at 11:00 with a reception being held at the Belchertown VFW immediately following the cemetery service.

Please consider donating in Richard’s name to the American Kidney Foundation at http://secure.kidneyfund.org.

Bradlee Ewing Gage, Jr. who was much loved and is now deeply missed by a multitude of heartbroken family and friends, passed on calmly and at peace in hospice care on April 8, 2023. Born July 22, 1955 to Bradlee E. Gage, Sr. and Elizabeth “Betsy” Allen Gage, he was the first twin son born – brother Bill arrived four minutes later. The twins joined their older sister, Nancy.

Brad grew up in Amherst, MA and was a 1973 graduate of Amherst High School where he played and lettered in football and track. He received a business degree from Ithaca College in 1977 where he was the social chairman and then President of Pi Lambda Chi Fraternity.

After college, Brad went into sales for the U.S. Line Company and 40 Up Tackle, two family owned businesses started by his father. Brad was an astute businessman who went on to be an accomplished manufacturer’s sales representative in the fly fishing industry. New England was the territory he covered and he knew it well. Friends lovingly called him “Back Roads Brad” because he could tell you directions for anywhere you wanted to go. He proudly represented Sage, Redington and Rio products and Tibor Reels for over 34 years to fly fishing shops large and small throughout the Northeast. Humble and modest with incredible diplomacy skills, Brad could talk to anyone about anything and find common ground. This trait enabled him to make strong connections with people from all walks of life.

An avid fly fisherman from a young age, Brad fished both fresh and saltwater. He made a yearly trip to Cobb’s Pierce Pond Camp in New Portland, ME – waters he fished with his father and brother for over 50 years. His true passion was saltwater fly fishing and many a summer’s day was spent with Brad chasing the tides – a particular feat was a 36 inch striped bass caught on the Merrimack River.

In 1985, Brad met the love of his life, Rose – they married in 1991. Daughter Mackenzie was born in 1995. The family loved to travel and explore the world together with many trips overseas including destinations off the beaten path. A place closer to home that had special meaning to Brad since a young age was Rockport, MA. As a young child his family summered at his maternal grandparents home there. Brad loved a good beach day spent with the Boston Globe followed by steamers, lobsters and an ice cold Rolling Rock while watching the Red Sox.

Brad was predeceased by his parents and is survived by his wife of 32 years, Rosemarie “Rose” Cleary Gage, his beloved daughter Mackenzie Allen Gage of New York City, his sister Nancy Gage Torrey and husband Philip, twin brother Bill Gage and wife Anne, extended family as well as many nieces and nephews. In addition to his family, Brad was fortunate to have many lifelong friendships that spanned decades.

Per Brad’s wishes, burial will be private. A service of remembrance will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, should you be so inclined to make a donation in Brad’s memory, consider the Pierce Pond Watershed Trust, P.O. Box 5660, Augusta, ME 04332-5660, a place near and dear to Brad’s heart where many happy memories were made and he felt strongly about its preservation. Or, take a kid fishing and introduce them to the joys of the great outdoors and the conservation practice of catch and release.

Memorial Guestbook can be found at www.douglassfuneral.com

Katherine A. Sargent

March 13, 1940 – February 20,2023

      Katherine (Kathy) Sargent has passed away at the age of 82. Born Katherine Ann Doktor in Cushman in 1940, she was the daughter of Anna and Francis Doktor, and the second oldest of four children. Kathy attended the Amherst schools, graduating high school in 1958. An avid sportswoman, she excelled at athletics and played for the girls’ basketball team. After high school she earned a nursing degree from the Worcester College of Nursing in 1960. Kathy then continued her education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst studying art, painting, and illustration. Here she met her future husband, Theodore (Ted) Sargent. The couple married in 1966, settled in Leverett and raised two children.

     Kathy was a gifted artist, illustrating scientific papers and textbooks including “Genetics: Human Aspects,” by Arthur P. Mange and Elaine Johansen Mange, and her husband Ted’s 1976 book “Legion of Night: The Underwing Moths.”  Kathy also had a full career of nursing, working for many years at the University Health Services at UMass.

     Kathy’s real love was fabric art and quilting and she was a long-time member of the Pioneer Valley Embroiders Guild and the Hands Across the Valley Quilting Guild. Her elaborate quilts incorporated embroidery, painting, and beadwork, and depicted scenes of nature, wildlife, and landscapes of much-loved places from her travels. She had a strong interest in natural history and love of nature which was evident in all her work. From her home in Leverett she established ‘The Woodland Studio,’ and this is where many of her finest creations came to life. Her quilt “Shades of Night” includes the five species of underwing moths from Ted’s research and is now in the permanent collection of The Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University, joining Ted’s complete entomological research and collections.

     Kathy leaves her son, David, daughter Meryl, and four grandchildren, Elliot, Lydia, Ethan, and Theo. Kathy requested no funeral, however donations in her memory can be made to the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell MA. (www.neqm.org).

Memorial Guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com

Katherine Sargent

     Katherine (Kathy) Sargent has passed away at the age of 82. Born Katherine Ann Doktor in Cushman in 1940, she was the daughter of Anna and Francis Doktor, and the second oldest of four children. Kathy attended the Amherst schools, graduating high school in 1958. An avid sportswoman, she excelled at athletics and played for the girls’ basketball team. After high school she earned a nursing degree from the Worcester College of Nursing in 1960. Kathy then continued her education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst studying art, painting, and illustration. Here she met her future husband, Theodore (Ted) Sargent. The couple married in 1966, settled in Leverett and raised two children.

     Kathy was a gifted artist, illustrating scientific papers and textbooks including “Genetics: Human Aspects,” by Arthur P. Mange and Elaine Johansen Mange, and her husband Ted’s 1976 book “Legion of Night: The Underwing Moths.”  Kathy also had a full career of nursing, working for many years at the University Health Services at UMass.

     Kathy’s real love was fabric art and quilting and she was a long-time member of the Pioneer Valley Embroiders Guild and the Hands Across the Valley Quilting Guild. Her elaborate quilts incorporated embroidery, painting, and beadwork, and depicted scenes of nature, wildlife, and landscapes of much-loved places from her travels. She had a strong interest in natural history and love of nature which was evident in all her work. From her home in Leverett she established ‘The Woodland Studio,’ and this is where many of her finest creations came to life. Her quilt “Shades of Night” includes the five species of underwing moths from Ted’s research and is now in the permanent collection of The Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University, joining Ted’s complete entomological research and collections.

     Kathy leaves her son, David, daughter Meryl, and four grandchildren, Elliot, Lydia, Ethan, and Theo. Kathy requested no funeral, however donations in her memory can be made to the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell MA. (www.neqm.org).

William J. Manning died on March 4, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was 81 years old. A scientist, teacher, author, gardener and a world traveler, Bill was also a devoted husband and father to his wife, Arlene, and sons, Michael and Stephen.  

Bill was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1941, the middle child of William J Manning Sr. and Lilian Jakeway Manning. He had two sisters, Emily and Susan, both of whom preceded him in death. Bill was a good student, worked a part-time job at the local drugstore and credited his paternal grandmother for sparking his lifelong passion for plants and trees. 

After graduating from Michigan State University, Bill moved to Newark, Delaware where he earned a PhD from the University of Delaware. He first met Arlene in the summer of 1966 when she worked a summer job in his research lab; they married in 1969 and soon moved to Massachusetts after Bill started as a professor at the University of Massachusetts. After seven years of living in Lexington and working in Waltham, Bill transferred to the Amherst campus in 1977 and has been an Amherst resident ever since. 

Bill was a biologist and plant pathologist by training and spent decades studying the impact of air pollution on plants. He maintained greenhouses and set up monitoring stations at places like Mount Greylock, Mount Washington and the Quabbin Reservoir. He once drove a Uhaul truck full of pine tree seedlings from Tennessee to Amherst so he could use them for experiments. He also worked for more than 10 years in Central and Eastern Europe surveying the valleys and slopes of the Carpathian Mountain Range looking at the impact of air pollution on trees. In retirement, he researched and wrote a book about urban trees and air pollution. 

In addition to his work at UMass, Bill was also an editor at Environmental Pollution, a scientific journal, for over 20 years; for part of that time he served as the editor-in-chief. In this role he worked extensively with other editors and scientists from around the world and hosted multiple international research conferences.

Bill was an enthusiastic traveler who strongly believed in the value of getting out and seeing the world. He frequently collaborated with scientists around the world and was a mentor to many international researchers. His work allowed him to visit over 30 countries, including Italy, Poland, Mexico, China, Japan, Korea, France, Switzerland and Australia. After he retired, Bill and Arlene visited Germany six times to visit their son and grandchildren while they were living there. Their favorite destination, without question, was England, with the Lake District region the place they returned to over and over.

England was also the destination for two family sabbaticals, one in 1975 and one in 1981. During the first sabbatical Bill and Arlene spent time visiting Europe while sleeping in their VW van (with two young children!); during the second sabbatical the family was based in Lancaster, England and visited Scotland, Ireland, Wales and London. Later, back in the United States, Bill took the family on driving tours of national parks and later logged hundreds of miles on the road while visiting his sons during their college years. 

Bill was always happy to be outside working in the yard and in his garden. Over the years he transformed a bare acre of land by planting numerous fruit trees, a wide variety of Japanese maples, flowering shrubs, evergreens of all sizes, a large vegetable garden and innumerable tulips and daffodils. He would spend hours every year spreading a mountain of mulch, one wheelbarrow at a time.  When he wasn’t in the yard, he could often be found sitting in a favorite chair with a book; he amassed a large personal library and had an impressive ability to recall the details of nearly everything he read. 

Bill was also a member of Grace Episopal Church in Amherst for over 40 years, both as a congregant and for a time as the junior warden. He believed it was important to contribute to the community around you; in later years he volunteered at the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and was a supporter of the Kestrel Trust Land Preservation. 

Bill is survived by Arlene (his wife), sons Michael (and his wife, Dionne) and Stephen (and his wife, Lis) and by three grandchildren, Gabe, Owen and Quinn. He will be greatly missed and we are all grateful for the full life he had and shared with us. 

In lieu of flowers, any donations to the Kestrel Trust or to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts would be welcome. A memorial service will be held at a date later this spring. Memorial guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com

Dror Shmerling, 63, beloved husband, father, saba, brother, and friend to his community died on March 4, 2023 in his home in Amherst, MA just four weeks from his birthday after a brief five month battle with cancer. His generous spirit, laughter, and optimism will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Born in Jaffa, Israel in 1959, Dror spent his early years appreciating the water in any way he could – water polo, water skilling, swimming, and enjoying the ocean on his family’s small boat. After serving three years in the Israeli Defense Force, he graduated from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in computer science in 1986.

He married his beloved wife of 40 years, Shirley, on July 22, 1986 and they moved to Amherst, MA, USA where Dror earned his Master of Business Administration degree at University of Massachusetts Amherst. After graduating in 1989, he worked for ATT/Lucent in Hartford for several years until they moved to Randolph, New Jersey. It was there that the family welcomed their first son Matan (in 1995) – who Dror got to share his love of outdoor activities with; including soccer and biking.

Dror’s entrepreneurial spirit came out in a variety of ways. He was always looking to join new projects and find exciting ideas to work through as a way to find solutions for the puzzles each  new one would hold. He worked in a variety of roles for both corporate and start up projects while continually developing connections – both personal and professional – in his community.

Whether he was coaching recreational youth soccer, biking seven times in the Pan MA Challenge to fundraise for cancer research, or just playing with his family, Dror’s laughter was a central feature for all. When Adi joined the family in 2000, Dror continued to develop in his role as a patient and devoted father – seeking to love each of his family members in the way that matched what they needed best.

In 2002 Dror and Shirley moved back to Amherst with their beautiful family and shortly after Dror began to teach a core course in business and technology at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. In this role as instructor and mentor, he reached a large contingent of undergraduate students and graduate teaching assistants – combining his business knowledge with his joking manner and care in a way that helped each along on their own journeys.

In 2015 Dror became manager of a popular local business which benefited greatly from his business acumen, as well as his care and attention for his co-workers and customers. Because of Dror’s spirit of giving and care – many colleagues, friends, and his family sought his advice, wisdom, and support during their own challenging times.

In 2018 Dror was overjoyed to become saba – grandpa – to his grandson Brady. Spending time with Brady added even more joy to the time he already loved spending with his immediate and extended family. Dror will be remembered as a supportive husband, patient father, and loving family member who always had time for those in his life.

In addition to family and his business pursuits, Dror was an avid biker, enjoyed glass work and wood working. Even in these last few months he was looking for ways to share with others in his life. Dror’s generous and supportive spirit meant that he enjoyed life and looked to help anyone he could. His laughter and optimism carried him even until the end.

Dror is survived by his wife Shirley Shmerling (Amherst, MA); his two sons Matan (and Alisha) Shmerling (Townsend, MA) and Adi Shmerling (Amherst, MA); his grandson Brady Shmerling (Townsend, MA); his sister Zipi (and Avi) Brunn (Israel); and brother Ruby Schmerling (Amhest,MA); his nephew Omri Brunn (Israel), his niece Tamar Brunn (Israel), and his nephews Micah and Oren Schmerling (Amherst, MA).

Services will be officiated by Rabbi Benjamin Weiner and held Thursday, March 9, 2023, 11:00 am at the JCA Cemetery (222 Leverett Road, Shutesbury, MA). Shiva Hours of visitation will be held at 23 Bayberry Lane, Amherst, MA on Thurs. March 9: after the service to 8:00 pm; Fri. March 10 11:00 am to 3:00 pm; Sat. March 11 6:00-9:00 pm; Sun. March 12 11:00 am to 2:00 pm and 5:00-9:00 pm; Mon. March 13 11:00 am- 2:00 pm and 4:00-8:00 pm; and Tues. March 14 11:00 am-2:00 pm and 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Flowers for the service can be sent to Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst, MA (413.253.3407) or to the family at 23 Bayberry Lane, Amherst, MA.

Much admired by his constituents and colleagues for his intellect, broad vision, hard work, and attention to detail, Olver devoted himself to progressive causes and to supporting progressive candidates. On the occasion of his retirement from the U.S. Congress in 2012, the Boston Globe wrote that Olver had a reputation for being “low key and media shy.” Yet he was not afraid to step up and speak out when the occasion demanded it. As his colleague U. S. Rep. Richard Neal put it, “He was happy to tell you he disagreed with you.” But, added Neal, Olver also exercised the much-needed give-and-take skills of a legislator.

Olver had the tall, elegant appearance reminiscent of a member of the British royal family, but his was a distinctly non-royal background. Born Sept. 3, 1936, and raised on a farm in Beach Lake, Pennsylvania, he tended cows with his father while his mother ran a boarding house. He graduated from high school at 15 and from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at 18, completing a master’s degree in chemistry at Tufts, with an MIT doctorate at age 24. He taught chemistry at UMass Amherst for eight years, resigning in 1969 to enter politics as a state representative. In 1972, he was elected to the state senate, and in 1991 he won a special election to succeed U.S. Representative Silvio O. Conte, who died in office. In both 1972 and 1991 elections he flipped the seat from red to blue, reflecting changing party preferences in western Massachusetts.

Olver’s commitments were firm, steady, and progressive. He believed in using diplomacy rather than military force in international disputes, consistently voting against increased funding and deployment for military operations. He co-sponsored a bill to introduce universal health insurance. On the question of abortion, he was solidly pro-choice. He supported efforts to reform immigration laws to allow entrance to qualified immigrants, convinced also that undocumented immigrants should be offered a pathway to citizenship. He was arrested twice in front of the Sudanese embassy in protests against the Darfur genocide. U. S. Rep. James McGovern, who in 2006 was arrested with Olver, called his colleague “a person of integrity who has shown that standing up for what you believe is not only the right thing to do, it’s good politics.”

On both the local and national scene, Olver worked to keep water clean and forest and agricultural land free from development. His first congressional district, covering most of Western Massachusetts, was primarily rural, although it also comprised the cities of Holyoke, Pittsfield, Fitchburg, Leominster, Gardner and North Adams, as well as the academic communities of the Pioneer Valley. There, he worked to help improve the economic conditions of his constituents. One result, the Northern Tier Project, brought new business initiatives, investments, collaborations, and training programs to communities along the Route 2 corridor, many of which have endured over the last 35 years. When Olver described his hopes for the project in 1984, staff member and longtime friend Michael Kane asked if there was a plan or strategy for the project. Olver replied, “I want you to figure it out.” Other colleagues and staffers describe similarly high expectations, with staffers expected to do the original work and bring it to Olver to help implement.

On the other hand, Olver did plenty of that shoe leather work himself. As Jon Klein, a former top staffer on Beacon Hill and Capitol Hill put it, “John always showed up. He was everywhere in that sprawling congressional district. Trying to find and solve that next problem.” Said Kathleen Merrigan, former Olver campaign manager and later U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, “John did not miss a parade, a spaghetti dinner at the Italian American Club, a local Democratic Town Committee event. He was just everywhere – not to give the big speech, but to listen, observe, and ultimately to serve.” Patricia Lee Lewis (Pat Sackrey), chair of the former Hampshire County Commission, Olver’s district director in his early years in Congress and his close friend to the end, said of him, “John had the highest degree of personal integrity of anyone I have ever known.”

Efforts to improve infrastructure, in particular transportation, were key parts of Olver’s political career. “There’s probably not a transportation project in the state that doesn’t have John Olver’s fingerprints on it,’’ said McGovern. Former state representative, the late Steven Kulik, has described the areas of Olver’s work that he most admired: the federal designation of the Westfield River as the state’s first Wild and Scenic River, the advancement of broadband to rural communities, community health centers and development corporations, strengthening the region’s agricultural economy, and supporting transportation projects of all kinds. “These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to John’s legacy of leadership,” Kulik said.

Married for 55 years to Rose Richardson Olver, a professor of psychology and the first tenured female professor at Amherst College, John was a devoted family man, spending time with his daughter Martha, a librarian in the Holyoke Public Library, whenever he could. He was an outdoorsman, enjoying hiking, rock-climbing, gardening, and tennis. His retirement coincided with redistricting that eliminated his congressional district, but also with his wife’s diagnosis of ovarian cancer. She died in 2014.

After retiring from politics, Olver continued to work for causes he cared about. He worked with local land trusts, the Kestrel Trust and the Mount Grace Land Trust, to preserve critical land for conservation. UMass gave him an honorary degree in public service in 2014. He had advocated for a high-rise building on the university’s Amherst campus to be built of wood rather than steel. That building, the largest academic contemporary wood structure in the country, was named the John W. Olver Design Building in 2017.  

Olver is survived by his daughter, Martha Jane Olver, of Amherst, his daughter, Cary Plumer Frye of Virginia, his son, Douglas Plumer of New York City, his grandson, Marshall Plumer of New York City, and several nieces and nephews.

Special thanks are due to John’s devoted caregivers from Comprehensive Home Care, VNA Hospice of Cooley Dickinson Hospital, and Barbara Perman and her staff at Moving Mentor of Amherst.

A memorial service will be held at the John W. Olver Design Building on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus, Sunday afternoon, April 16, 2023. Douglass Funeral Service is in charge of ­­­­­­­­­­­­arrangements. To leave your name in the guest book or forward this obituary to others, please go to www.douglassfuneral.com. Burial will be private at Wildwood Cemetery in Amherst.

Contributions in John’s memory in lieu of flowers may be made to:  Amherst Survival Center, Food Bank of Western MA, Greenfield Community College Foundation, Holyoke Public Library, Hitchcock Center, Kestrel Land Trust, Manna Community Kitchen of Northampton, Mt. Grace Land Trust, Safe Passage, Tapestry, Miss Hall’s School in Pittsfield, Rose Olver Student Research Fund at Amherst College, or the organization of your choice.

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Note: This obituary was written and contributed by Marietta Pritchard of Amherst.

Flipping open the morning paper to the obits section, “Who died?” Lou would say in a Russian accent, bearing a wry grin, channeling the spirit of his grandfather, Zadie.

Louis M. Wigdor, 72, of Amherst, died peacefully on February 16, 2023. His wife, Helena Donovan, and son, Ariel Wigdor, were at his side. Sole proprietor of the Wig & Pen blog (https://wigpen.blogspot.com), Lou spent 40 years at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst working as a business writer, editor, and comedic fixture at the Isenberg School of Management. 

In his spare time, Lou frequented local coffee shops, bookstores, and record stores in the Amherst and Northampton areas. He lingered at Amherst Coffee or Woodstar Café reading and chatting. Lou was a regular at the former site of Rao’s Coffee and Share Amherst. There, he would gather with friends to dish out stories and doses of his trademark eccentricity, a hot coffee and fresh pastry nearby. He stopped by Mystery Train Records and Turn It Up! to chat and flip through CDs. Lou often dropped by to see the Gladus at Ren’s Mobile and to check in on longtime friend Henry at The Old Book Store.

Born July 31, 1950, Lou grew up in Worcester, MA, with his mother, Beatrice Wigdor, whom he loved immensely, and his father, Dr. Leo Wigdor, with whom he shared a warm and playful relationship. His father owned a dental practice. His early interests included boxing, baseball cards, stamp collecting, and humor – from Laurel and Hardy to MAD Magazine. In his late teens, Lou spent summers in Washington, D.C. with his aunt Sylvia and uncle Bill, who inspired his interest in literature and the arts. Lou became an avid reader, esthete, and unorthodox scholar.

Lou’s gig with higher education began in the late 1960s at Worcester State University. He created a discography for the university’s library and helped organize movie nights by renting art films for the Y-Not Coffee House, a local folk venue. Music, from jazz, to classical, to international, was a cornerstone of Lou’s persona. He experienced Woodstock in 1969. Lou later attended Greenfield Community College before completing a bachelor’s degree in anthropology at UMass Amherst. He spent a year at Rutgers University as a doctoral student in anthropology.

Unenthused with academe, Lou returned to Amherst where he met Helena. They married in 1985. At the University of Massachusetts, Lou worked on research for the business school and was hired full time in 1980. There he made a profound impact as the school’s communications director and institutional historian. Lou single-handedly wrote and edited the Commonwealth, a quarterly alumni magazine published for several decades. He described encounters with brilliant minds such as Steve Wozniak, Nassim Taleb, Richard Thaler, and many others. Remarkably humble, he cared deeply for the people around him.

After four decades at the Isenberg School of Management, in 2021, Lou retired. He spent time with family and friends, enjoying books and entertainment, going on excursions in nature, and making the occasional trek to Montréal, a favorite city. 

He leaves his wife, Helena Donovan, his son, Ari Wigdor, both of Amherst, as well as cousins and many friends.

A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Feb. 24, at Westview Cemetery, 520 Bedford St., Lexington, MA. Shiva services will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 26 through March 2 with visitation from 2 to 4 p.m. For location, contact the Jewish Community of Amherst. Details for a memorial celebration in the spring will be forthcoming. A scholarship in Lou’s name is being set up at the Isenberg School of Management.