John F. Murphy, Jr. ’47

MurphyJohn F. Murphy, Jr., 87, of Milton, formerly of Northampton, died Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014, at the Colonial Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Weymouth.

Born March 16, 1927, in Northampton, he was the son of the late John Francis Murphy and Margaret Mary (Hayes) Murphy. He graduated from Northampton High School in 1945 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy the same year. He was honorably discharged as a Seaman First Class and received the World War II Victory, American Area and Asiatic Pacific Area medals. He attended Williston Academy and St. Michael’s College from 1947 to 1949. He graduated from Boston College Law School in 1952.

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Susan Glesmann ’62

GlesmanSusan Jane Glesmann, 69, of Conifer lost her hard-fought battle with brain cancer on Oct. 11, 2014.

Susan was born and raised in Holyoke, Mass. After graduating from Northampton School for Girls in 1962 and receiving a bachelor of science degree in nursing from the University of Massachusetts, she moved to Denver to work in the crisis unit at Fort Logan Mental Health Center and in the emergency room at Denver General Hospital as a psychiatric nurse.

Her strongest lifelong passion was the care, protection and support of animals both domestic and wild – the abandoned, starving, mistreated and voiceless among us.

She not only adopted 25 animals but also supported many animal causes, volunteered her time at local shelters such as the Intermountain Humane Society and the Evergreen Animal Protective League, and spent many vacations volunteering at national shelters such as Best Friends and Kindness Ranch. She was an unsung angel to the animal community.

Susan’s survivors include her sister, Carol Baker, and her husband, Peter; her brother, Ted Glesmann, and his wife, Jeanette; and her maternal uncle, Arthur Robertson. She also leaves a very large number of “the best friends ever,” who cared for her tirelessly for the six months during which she suffered.

Susan brought joy to so many and will be remembered for her caring, compassion, thoughtfulness and laughter.

John Costello ’41

Picture1John Joseph Costello, Jr., 93, formerly of Northford, beloved husband of the late Nancy Gere Costello, loving father, grandfather, great grandfather, and dear friend, died peacefully, Sunday, October 19, 2014 at Talmadge Park in East Haven.

John was born October 5, 1921 in Springfield, Mass, a son of the late John J. and Loretta Bradley Costello. He was a graduate of Williston Academy, Easthampton, MA and Syracuse University.

John was a Manufacturer’s Representative working most of his life with scopes, tools, and gun manufacturers.

A life-long member of the NRA, he was an avid sportsman and gun enthusiast. He was an active North Branford Rotarian and for many years an usher at St. Monica Church.

He is survived by a son, John J. Costello, III and his wife Patricia, of Garland, ME; a daughter, Elizabeth C. Buonocore and her husband Gary, of Guilford; five grandchildren, Janette (Todd) Schiavi, Sarah Buonocore, Jason (Dominica) Costello, Sean LeTarte, and Thea (Alan) Douglass, and ten cherished great grandchildren. He also leaves his very special friend and long-time companion, Amellia Zaehringer, of Northford; a brother-in-law, George LeRoy, of Cape Cod, and several nieces and nephews. John was predeceased by a brother, Robert Costello, and a sister, Barbara LeRoy.

Susan Glesmann ’62

GlessmannSusan Jane Glesmann, 69, of Conifer, Co lost her hard fought battle with brain cancer October 11, 2014.

Susan was born and raised in Holyoke, Ma. the daughter of the late Edward and the late Maryon Glesmann. After graduating from Northampton School for Girls in 1962 and receiving a BS in Nursing from The University of Massachusetts at Amherst, she moved to Denver to work at the Crises Unit at Fort Logan Mental Health Center and moved on to Denver General Hospital Er where she worked as a psychiatric nurse for 30 years.

Her lifelong passion was the care, protection and support of animals both domestic and wild….the abandoned, starving, mistreated and voiceless amongst us.

She not only adopted 25 animals over her short life she also financially supported many animal causes, volunteered her time at local shelters such as The Intermountain
Humane Society and the Evergreen Animal Protective League and spent many vacations volunteering at national shelters such as Best Friends and The Kindness Ranch. She was an unsung angel to the animal community and set an example for all by her actions.

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Aileen Cramer Katz ’43

CramerAileen G. Katz, age 86, of Tremont Street in Concord died Friday, June 13, 2014, at the Concord Hospital.

She was born in New York, N.Y., on April 19, 1928, daughter of the late Frederick and Elisabeth Cramer. Aileen was a stay-at-home mom while raising her six children.

She is survived by her children, Michael Katz of San Antonio, Texas, James Katz of Bedford, Mass., Deborah Slavitt of Myrtle Beach, S.C., David Katz of Montpelier, Vt., Andrew Katz of Lake-in-the-Hills, Ill., and John Katz of San Francisco; siblings Lillian Randall of Milton, Mass., Erich Cramer of Frederica, Del., Elisabeth Weissbach of Granby, Mass., and John Cramer of Needham Mass.; and many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Nancy Mason Barnes ’43

Nancy MasonNancy (Mason) Barnes, age 88, of Westport, died May 30, 2014.

She was the wife of the late Frederick R. Barnes. Born in Fall River, a daughter of the late Dr. William and Nancy (Campbell) Mason, she spent her youth in Fall River, lived in New York City for several years and Darien, Connecticut for 30 years. She summered in Westport all her life until moving there permanently in 1984.

Mrs. Barnes was an Administrator for Darien High School for 13 years, retiring in 1984. Prior to that she taught pre-school children at several area schools including St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Nursing School.

She was a graduate of Northampton School for Girls and the former Miss Elliotts in Boston.

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Donald Cutting ’53

CuttingDonald W. Cutting, 79, of Honolulu, an architect and a Connecticut National Guard veteran, died in Honolulu.   The family had known for months because he had a terminal illness. He was active up to two days before he died, though certainly progressively less active.

He was born in Massachusetts and graduated from Williston Academy in 1953.  Don loved his Williston experience and the friendships he made. Over the years, he “dragged” his wife to several reunions and some of his Williston friends became her’s as well.

He is survived by wife Merrill W., daughters Sarah Cutting Mills and Colby E. Van Alen, and five grandchildren.

Honorable (Ret.) Joseph R. Welch ’53

joseph welchThe Honorable (Ret.) Joseph R. Welch of Plymouth, MA, a former Massachusetts Trial Court Judge known for his fairness and optimism, died on October 11, 2014. He was 79. Gov. Michael Dukakis appointed Judge Welch to the bench in 1990. He retired from the bench in 2004. Born in Randolph, MA, he was a graduate of Williston Academy in 1953 and Bates College in 1957. He served as a gunnery officer on the USS Hawkins DDR-873 of the 6th Fleet, U.S. Navy for 3 years. He earned his law degree at Boston College Law School in 1963.

He joined the law firm Welch & Welch in Randolph and began many years of public service from 1964-1990, including Town Moderator of Randolph. He served as an assistant district attorney in Norfolk County from 1968-1975 trying many felony and murder cases. Judge Welch was a past president of the Norfolk County Bar Association. In 1980, he was the founder of the Norfolk Bar Advocates program representing indigent defendants in all the courts of Norfolk County serving as president Pro Bono until 1990. He was the first jury judge at the Quincy District Court. He was the founder, executive director and general counsel for the Randolph Housing Authority for many years. As past President of the Mass. Heart Association and Vice President of the N.E. Chapter of the American Heart Association, he received the Paul Dudley White award in 1993. Judge Welch was a longtime member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and a retired Commander in the US Navy Reserve.

He is survived by his wife Barbara (West), two sons, George N. Welch, MD of NY City, Joseph R. Welch Jr, Esq. of Hong Kong, a daughter Breena W. Holmes, MD of Middlebury, VT. His legacy is left in Sam, Nick and Jane Holmes and Claire, Cate and Jack Welch, his six grandchildren. His wise voice will be missed.

Margaret Munsell Palmer ’37

Munsell palmerMargaret Munsell Palmer, 94, of Randolph, died Wednesday, September 11, 2013 at Gifford Medical Center in Randolph, VT.

She was born on March 5, 1919 in Springfield, MA; the daughter of Samuel and Florence (McKenna) Munsell. She graduated from Springfield Classical High School and Connecticut College for Women.

She was married to Donald F. Palmer in Springfield, MA on July 25, 1941. He passed away in 2003.

She lived in Trenton, NJ, Moorestown, NJ, and Wellesley, MA, until moving to Randolph in 1991. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Moorestown, Wellesley Hills Congregational Church, and Bethany Church of Randolph. She was an avid Boston Red Sox fan, and enjoyed church activities, P.T.A., Junior League, reading and travel. She is best remembered as a woman of faith, and as a loving mother who enjoyed family gatherings.

Survivors include her daughters, Margaret P. Stiles of Plymouth, IN and Anne P. Strother of Old Greenwich, CT; sons, Donald F. Palmer of Drexel Hill, PA, David M. Palmer of Randolph and Richard L. Palmer of Ventura, CA; 8 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren; and a nephew. In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her sister, Ruth Downs.