Nancy Fairchild Esty, age 86, died at her home in Amherst, MA on July 7, 2020. The daughter of Harry Fairchild and Dorothea Dorman Fairchild, Nancy was born on April 28, 1934 at her home in Upper Montclair, NJ. According to her brother Jack, Nancy was lovingly placed in a dresser drawer, which served as her makeshift cradle.

Nancy graduated from Wilmington Friends School in 1952 and earned her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College in 1956, majoring in Political Science and Russian. While at Mount Holyoke, her courtship with Amherst College student and future husband Charles Esty flourished, including picnics and outings at the Esty family home in the Notch in Amherst, conveniently located between both colleges.

Nancy and Chuck lived in Simsbury, CT when their four children were young. Both parents were active in the life of the community, volunteering for scouting, sports and church. In 1975 they moved to Wolfeboro, NH to serve as resident faculty members at Brewster Academy. Nancy taught Latin, Geography, and English as a Second Language and also served as a dorm mother.

In 1985, Chuck and Nancy returned to Amherst, where she was again an active volunteer for church, gave rides for seniors, volunteered in the library, and taught English as a Second Language at Amherst High School. In 1994 Nancy and Chuck retired to Bristol, RI, where they enjoyed sailing and tennis. Following Chuck’s death, Nancy spent several more years in Bristol before returning to Amherst once more, becoming a resident of Applewood Retirement Community in 2012.

A fierce and competent competitor in tennis, badminton, paddle tennis and cribbage, Nancy was known for her sharp wit and unexpected zingers. She was a voracious reader and a lifelong learner. This eclectic knowledge helped her complete the crossword puzzles she loved and fill in the blanks in conversations with arcane information.

She is survived by her brother, Jack Fairchild, and her four children: Catherine Esty Wejchert of Byfield MA, Robert Esty of Rocky Point NC, William Esty of Ithaca NY, and Thomas Esty of New Gloucester ME, as well as seven grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Charles Esty on November 18, 2004.

Due to the Covid pandemic, plans for a memorial service will be made in the future. Those wishing to honor her life may make a donation in her memory to Wilmington Friends School, 101 School Rd., Wilmington, DE 19803 or a charity of your choice.

Rodney W. Gray, 80, of Belchertown passed away June 29, 2020 from complications of a major stroke. He was surrounded by his family.
Rodney was born in Worcester and grew up on a farm in Amherst. He is predeceased by his parents Rodney & Edith Gray of Amherst and daughter Lynn Gray Carroll of Virginia.
Rodney is survived by his wife of 58 years Eleanore (Wentworth), daughters Pam (Kevin) Rockwood of North Brookfield, MA and Sheryl (Chris) Upchurch of Palmer, MA. His brother Robert (Amy) Gray of Amherst. His grandchildren Kerri, Robert, Katelyn and Kyle. And one great granddaughter Isabella Lynn. He also leaves several nieces, nephews and cousins.
Rodney was a graduate of Amherst Regional High School in 1958. He worked as a carpenter and built the house the family lived in for the past 50 years. He was a teacher at Amherst Regional High School and Pathfinder Vocational High School in the 70’s and an Electrical Engineering Consultant for the remainder of his career. He was involved in designing a printed circuit board that went to the moon in a space shuttle.
Rodney’s hobbies included Ham Radio (WA1DVU), ancestry, flying, making guns, and working on old cars/trucks. He still owned his 1938 Chevy truck that he bought in 1956 and got back on the road in 2013. He held his pilot’s license at one time and enjoyed flying his Yankee Grumman airplane. He also made a gun for, and presented it to, Johnny Cash. He also enjoyed listening to classic country music right up to the end.
Funeral services will be private for the family. The public will be welcome at a graveside service at South Amherst Cemetery located at 1205 South East Street Amherst MA at 11:00 AM Tuesday July 7, 2020.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Rodney’s name to the CAA Research Center (Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy)
Make checks payable to: “Massachusetts General Hospital – Fund 028184”
Massachusetts General Hospital
Development Office
Attn: Elizabeth Barberio
125 Nashua Street, Suite 540
Boston, MA 02114-1101

Douglas Johnson, 78, passed away on Friday, June 12, 2020, at his home in Tucson, AZ, two months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was born on March 19, 1942, New Britain CT, to Ralph Johnson & Doris (Bergman) Johnson. In 1954, the family moved to Framingham MA where he grew up.

Doug graduated from AIC and received a Master’s Degree in Psychology from Springfield College. In his 20s, he taught at Northampton Junior College and Greenfield Community College, and in the summers, worked as a Life Guard at the DAR State Park in Goshen MA, where he was affectionately known to colleagues and visitors as “the Old Guard”. Later, he worked as a counselor at Riverside Industries and went on to become an Administrator at Belchertown State Hospital before it closed.

Doug was a longtime Amherst resident. He was an avid reader and active hiker. climbing Mt. Katahdin and the White Mountains, solo or with his brother-in-law, John Tyler. With his family, he hiked in Quabbin, went up Mt. Toby, and trekked across many other trails in the area. He moved to Tucson AZ in the mid-90s, where he worked at Canyon Ranch.

He leaves three sons: Gabriel Johnson (Kyoto), Nathaniel Shippey (Amherst), Nicholas Tyler (NYC), his brother Dick Johnson and family (Maine), his former wife Susan Tyler (Amherst), and his partner Jennifer McIntyre (Tucson).

Due to the pandemic, there will be no services. A private celebration of his life will take place when his family reunites in 2021. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his name can be made to: Craig’s Doors Shelter, 434 North Pleasant Street, Amherst 01002; or to the North Amherst Library Development: Book Fund, Jones Library, 43 Amity Street, Amherst MA 01002.
Memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

On June 20, 2020, James H. Frasier passed away at The Arbors at Amherst surrounded by his loving family. He was 86 years old.
Jim was born in Springfield, MA but grew up in Moorestown, NJ. At the age of 17 he enlisted in the Navy and served in the Persian Gulf on the USS Greenwich Bay as a Radioman. Later in life he became an avid ham radio operator. His station, K2ANJ, transmitted from antennas that he built in his backyard. Upon his discharge from the Navy, he attended college at Davis & Elkins in W. Virginia and Fairleigh Dickinson in NJ where he completed his bachelor’s degree. Jim married Laura, his wife of 61 years, on September 6, 1958, and they moved to Newton, NJ where they raised their children, Debbie and Stephen. He lived in Newton for 56 years and was an active member of the community as a Cub Pack leader, a Big Brother, and a Sunday School teacher at the First United Methodist Church, where he sang in the choir for over 50 years. He was also a longtime member of the Sussex County Oratorio Society.
Jim will be remembered for his mild manner and quirky sense of humor. He loved outdoor activities including running, camping, and hiking. He took his family on many camping trips across the US. He was an avid motorcyclist, commuting daily to Picatinny Arsenal where he worked as an electrical engineer until his retirement in 1994. In his retirement, he backpacked long sections of the Appalachian Trail. He and Laura also enjoyed many trips to foreign destinations with Elder Hostel and Road Scholar programs. In 2019 they relocated to Amherst, MA to be closer to family, and they attended the Wesley United Methodist Church in Hadley.
Jim is survived by his wife Laura, his daughter Debbie and her husband Drew of Martinez CA, his son Stephen and his wife Eliza of Amherst, MA, and grandchildren Erica, Stephanie, Lucy, Oscar, and Brennan. He is also survived by his sister Ruth.
A celebration of his life will be held at a future date when such gatherings may be held.

Paul Lamont Dubé of Amherst, MA, formerly of Marshfield Hills, MA and West Paris, ME, passed away in Amherst, MA, on June 21, 2020, at the age of 95. Paul was born in Quincy, MA on June 1, 1925 to the late Herman P. Dube and Viola F. Dube. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Nancy S. Dubé (nee: Spiers), as well as his children; Paul L. Dubé, Jr. (Pamela) of Raleigh, NC; David C. Dubé, (Elaine) of Fort Wayne, IN; Marcia J. Hilton (Stephen) of Norway, ME; and Nancy D. Doubleday (Jim) of Pelham, MA. He is also survived by six grandchildren, Andrea E. Dubé (Tom Hill) New Orleans, LA; Michael T. Dubé (Bianca), Garner, NC; Jeffrey M. Dubé (Katie), Apex, NC; Amy C. Dubé, Finley, OH; Casey J. Hilton (Joseph Sayer) of Boyds, MD; and Kelley F. Hilton (David Rich) of Potsdam, NY, Also, his sister Viola E. Iungerich, of Encino, CA and sister-in-law Midge L. Dubé of Norwalk, CT. He was preceded in death by brother Richard S. Dubé and brother-in-law Russell Iungerich.
Paul was raised in Quincy, MA and was a 1943 graduate of Quincy High School. He was a veteran of World War II enlisting immediately upon high school graduation, at the age of 17, into the U.S. Navy. He went on to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education from Bridgewater State College and was a lifelong educator. This included teaching college physics at Wentworth Institute for 13 years, as well as working at Braintree, Scituate, Upper Cape Cod Vocational Tech and Brockton high schools. He culminated his career as the founder and long-term director of the New Start School, an alternative high school located in Westwood, MA.
As a member of the Rural Lodge A.F. & A.M, Quincy, MA. Paul was a Mason for 72 years. Paul had a variety of interests including sailboat racing, flying and horses. As a member of the Quincy Yacht Club, as well as the Satuit Boat Club, he participated in sailboat racing in Quincy and Scituate Harbors. While in his early sixties he earned his pilot’s license and was a member of the South Shore Flying Club. As a lifetime horse enthusiast Paul’s interests included Welsh Ponies, show horses, and horse driving. While living in Marshfield Hills, where he and Nancy raised their four children, there were always horses and ponies, along with several goats, in their barn and backyard paddock. So, they named their home Panadama Farm. In retirement Paul and Nancy, plus the horses, moved to a 160-acre farm in West Paris, ME where he continued pursuing his interest in horses by building riding rings and trails. This became the second Panadama Farm. He continued to own horses until moving to Amherst.
On a future date a Memorial Service will be held in the Marshfield Hills area. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Maine Animal Protection Society, MSSPA, PO BOX 10, Windham, ME 04082 or www.msspa.com.

Juanita Louise Rios, 91, passed away June 12, 2020 at home in Hadley, Massachusetts.
Juanita was born to John Archibald Gerome and Laura Lewis on March 15, 1929 in Springfield, MA. Juanita was the ‘rock’ of her family. She loved family gatherings. We children remember the picnics, fishing, card playing and of course the eating. Laughter was one of the best parts of our family gatherings. We lovingly teased our mom on these occasions, and she was such a good sport. Juanita liked to cook, play cards, go antiquing and travel. She continued to cook and entertain her family every year until her health started to decline when she was 87.
Juanita was preceded in death by two daughters, Ella Frame and LaVerne Howard. She is survived by five children: Marsha Johnson, Marcella Wilson, Robin Howard, Sabra Mont, and Pedro Rios Jr., two sisters; Helen Oliver, Rosa Jolly and a brother, Billy DeMeres. She leaves12 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
Please join us for a memorial service to celebrate the life of Juanita Louise Rios. We will come together on July 15, 2020 at Douglass Funeral Services 87 North Pleasant St., Amherst, MA 01002 at 10:00A.M. to remember our wonderful mother, grandmother, sister, and friend who will be greatly missed. Please bring your fondest memories of Juanita to share with family and friends.
Because of COVID-19 social distancing the funeral service will be limited to immediate family members only.

On June 12, 2020 Glen Gordon, loving husband and father of three daughters, passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 88.
Glen was born on November 16, 1931 at Unity Hospital, Brooklyn, New York. He was the third child of Sylvia and Samuel Gordon. He received his undergraduate degree from New York University with a major in Accounting and soon after enlisted in the Air Force. Upon finishing his time as an airman, he went directly to the University of Chicago to get his masters degree and PhD in Political Science. He met his wife, Nelly, at the University of Chicago. They married on December 22nd, 1959 in Mexico City.
Glen started his life in Academia at Michigan State University. In 1964, the family moved to Amherst and he joined the Political Science department at the University of Massachusetts. He became chairman of the Political Science department in 1975. In 1984, Glen became Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences. He served fourteen years as Dean and three years as University Provost. He retired after 38 years at UMASS. In 2003, in recognition of his contributions to the university, the newly built Political Economic Research Institute building was named in his honor: Gordon Hall. Even with such impressive achievements, he always said his greatest accomplishment was his three girls.
Glen was a person who highly valued his family and friendships. He loved spending time with his grandchildren, Alicia, Nathaniel, Robert and David. He cherished reading Harry Potter with David. Glen also loved the sun and the beach. He spent many summers vacationing with his family on the Cape and in Mexico.
Glen loved music. He was an exceptionally talented pianist and adored performing in the Valley Light Opera’s Gilbert and Sullivan productions. He also loved baseball and his beloved Red Sox. When growing up, baseball was something over which he and his father developed a strong bond. This love of sports was also the core of his relationship with his daughter Dina. On Sundays, he was always working on the New York Times crossword puzzle. He was an avid reader and loved a good mystery.
Glen is survived by his loving wife Nelly; his three daughters Vivian, Elena (Dina) and Lillian and their spouses (Gil, Ed and Fernando); and his four grandchildren Alicia, Nathaniel, Robert and David. His sense of humor, decency, fairness and intelligence will be greatly missed.
A celebration of Glen’s life will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations in Glen’s memory may be made to the Valley Light Opera, https://www.vlo.org or a charity of your choice. Those wishing to sign Glen’s online guestbook may do so at https://douglassfuneral.com.
His family would also like to thank his doctors and nurses at the Yawkey Cancer Center at Mass General Hospital, Dr. Ross Middler from Valley Medical, Dr. Newsome and the nurses at Cooley Dickinson Hospital, the nurses and staff from Overlook VNA and his close friend and former student Doug Telling.

Ana Dolores Grist, age 93, passed away on Wednesday, June 10, 2020 after struggling to recover from hip surgery after a fall. She was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina to the late Enrique D’Almonte and Ana Prieu on February 17, 1927.

She grew up in Argentina and spent much of her youth in the town of Adrogué and had a passion for education, reading and for keeping things organized. She received a Masters of Library Science degree from University of Buenos Aires in Argentina. She later worked as a librarian at the Museum of History in Buenos Aires and as a Professor at the University in the School of Library Science in literature and philosophy.

She spoke often of her family and friends who she missed dearly after she moved to the United States around the age of 33, to take a job with the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. Amid the cherry blossoms and at a work outing to a Washington Senators baseball game, escorted by a gentleman from the National Park Service, she met her late husband, John Grist, Jr. She went on to start a family that she never really expected. She and her family moved from Arlington, VA, to Little Neck, NY and eventually settled in Amherst, MA, where she raised her children with that same focus on education and care.

She returned to work as a librarian at the Clark School for the Deaf in Northampton, MA and visited her family in Argentina when she could. She enjoyed trips to Wells and the coast of Maine and loved the ocean. She enjoyed gardening, flowers, birds, and just being outside in the sun. After retiring, she enjoyed her condo life and left an impression with everyone she met, whether it was the manager at CVS or the people she met at the hospice store in Amherst where she volunteered into her late eighties. She eventually moved to Salem, NH to be in assisted living when she turned 90. She continued to charm people with her collection of gestures and faces and her Spanish accent that never left her. She will always be remembered by people for looking lovely and being put together in an elegant way whether she was going to the grocery store or walking down the hall. She will be dearly missed by the many people whose lives she touched.

Ana is survived by her daughter, Cecilia Lund and husband Tom, her sons, Alex Grist and Paul Grist and wife Heidi, and the grandchildren she cherished: Danielle, Christopher, Dianne, Jacob, Julia, Alee and Alexander, and step grandsons, Brayden and Keagan, and all her loving family members in Argentina.

“Lamento muchísimo la partida a la casa del Padre de Tía Chiche, abrazo de corazón a corazón a toda la familia Grist- D’Almonte”

There will be a private family service at the Douglass Funeral Home in Amherst, MA on Friday, June 26th, followed by a public graveside service at the North Amherst Cemetery at 1PM. As a reminder, please wear a mask and adhere to social distancing guidelines at the cemetery. For anyone wishing to honor her memory, please send flower donations to the Douglass Funeral home, Amherst MA for the service or make a donation to the Fisher Home Hospice shop or the library of your choice.

John (Jack) E. Dunn, 73, of Amherst, passed away on June 10, 2020. He was born on December 15, 1946 in Malden, Massachusetts to Bernice (Allen) and William Dunn. After earning his Bachelor’s Degree from Northeastern University, Jack started his career as a journalist for a local Boston paper. Jack was a lifelong avid musician and lover of music, especially dixieland jazz. He was the drummer in multiple bands over the course of his life; most recently, the South End Jazz Band. Jack’s love of music is what originally brought him to Western Massachusetts when he decided, with his beloved brother Bill, to purchase and convert a lackluster Sunderland restaurant into what became one of Western Massachusetts’ most iconic musical venues of the 70’s and 80’s – the Rusty Nail. Jack was just 26 when he bought the Nail, and successfully ran the premier blues club for 13 years. The Nail booked national acts such as John Lee Hooker, James Brown, The Ramones, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The Nail was also committed to promoting local Western Massachusetts talent such as Fat, Clean Living, and NRBQ. One of Jack’s most memorable moments was booking his musical idol, Buddy Rich. The Nail is also where Jack met his wife of 44 years, Joan (Lloyd). Together, they welcomed their two daughters, of whom Jack was immensely proud. His devotion to family ultimately led Jack away from the Nail and into a 30 year career as an investment broker, with his longest tenure held at A.G. Edwards in Springfield. When Jack retired in 2011, he purchased an RV and enjoyed taking trips with his family to new places in the U.S. Jack was a dedicated father and “poppy,” and enjoyed doing anything that involved spending time with his children and grandchild. Jack leaves behind his wife, Joan; his two daughters and their partners, Allison Dunn and John Nidzgorski and Lindsay and Jared Thomas; and granddaughter Hannah Quesenberry.
There are no calling hours. There will be a private burial at Saint Columba cemetery in Newport, Rhode Island. The family will hold a memorial celebration later this year. In lieu of flowers, it is suggested memorial contributions be made to the Amherst Survival Center, 138 Sunderland Road, Amherst, MA 01002. To send a message of condolence or to share a memory, please visit www.douglassfuneral.com.

James Lawrence Pratt Jr. of Belchertown died May 31, 2020 at the age of 57. Jimmy worked with his father, the late James Pratt Sr., at James’ car dealership College Town Auto Sales. He was a skilled mechanic and car enthusiast like his father. He always enjoyed his morning coffee break and spending time with the family pets. Jimmy was raised Catholic and it was an important part of his identity.
He is survived by his brothers Michael and Vincent, and his three sons Clayton, Michael, and James Pratt III. Jimmy was close to both of his parents who predeceased him. He is likely reuniting with them now.
Friends are invited for a gathering of remembrance on Sunday June 7th, 3:00PM at 1131 Federal St, Belchertown.