William T. Murphy, Jr. ’65

William Thomas Murphy, Jr., 72, of New Canaan, CT passed away peacefully on January 26, 2020 after a year-long battle with cancer, his loving family by his side. Bill was born in Providence, RI to the late William Thomas and Martha Otto Murphy. He was a loyal friend to many and devoted husband of Nancy E. Edmonds. He possessed an enthusiasm for life, a gentleness of spirit, and a deep love of family.
Bill attended Lake Forest Academy where he developed his love for springboard diving and graduated from Williston Academy in 1965.
He was a graduate of Harvard College, Class of 1969. While at Harvard, he was considered by his coach to be one of the best divers the team had ever had. He received an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1972. Bill enjoyed a long and varied career in advertising, sales, and marketing, ending his career selling real estate in New Canaan.
Bill was an all-around athlete who both loved and excelled at any sport he tried, whether it was in the pool, on the courts with a racquet in hand for paddle, tennis, or squash he was known for his enthusiasm and sportsmanship. But his true passion was the game of golf. A former member of The Country Club (Brookline, MA), Pine Valley Golf Club, Woodway Country Club (Darien, CT), and a current member of The Kittansett Club (Marion, MA) his knowledge of the game was encyclopedic and his respect for the rules and integrity of the game was unwavering. He was a formidable opponent, a supportive partner, and an astute coach. He loved everything about the game, the architecture, the history, the lore and the crazy colorful clothes!
In addition to his wife Nancy, he is survived by his children Alison L. Murphy of New York, NY, Lindsay (Justin) Murphy Barr of Highlands Ranch, CO and William (Catharine) Thomas Murphy, III, of Atlanta, GA, and three grandchildren Sloane and Berkeley Barr and William T Murphy, IV. He is also survived by his former wife Cynthia Wilkinson. He was predeceased by his brother Peter Otto Murphy.
A Memorial Service to celebrate Bill’s life will be held February 15, 2020 at the Congregational Church in New Canaan CT, 23 Park Street, at 11:00 followed by a reception at Woodway Country Club.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Bill’s memory can be made to Lake Forest Academy Advancement Office, 1500 W. Kennedy Rd., Lake Forest, IL 60045. www.lfanet.org/give. Please indicate your gift is in memory of Bill Murphy ’65.

Gerald P. Ryan ’64

Gerald “Jerry” Paul Ryan, of Branford, CT, died peacefully at his home on March 31, 2019 after a courageous battle with ALS. He was 72. Jerry was born on September 27, 1946 in Bristol, CT to his parents, Philip and Helen (Papa) Ryan. Jerry was the loving husband of Janet (Suhre) Ryan for over 42 years. He is survived by his son, Michael Ryan (Brianna) of Austin, TX, and daughter, Paige Shank (Jonathan) of Hingham, MA. He is also survived by his brothers, Philip William Ryan (Jill) of Branford, CT and John Ryan (Karen) of Philadelphia, PA. Jerry is also survived by grandsons Dylan and Benjamin Shank and Luke and Crosby Ryan as well as many nieces and nephews.

Jerry graduated from Tufts College and Suffolk Law School. Prior to his retirement, Jerry was an attorney in New Haven and most recently Branford practicing real estate law for over 40 years. Jerry was a fanatic sports fan rooting the Yankees, Giants, Celtics, Bruins, UConn Huskies and Yale Bulldogs traveling the country to cheer on his teams and having attended over 30 Super Bowls throughout his life. But his greatest love was his wife, children and grandchildren whom he adored. Jerry will also be missed immensely by the large number of friends he collected throughout his life.

Visiting hours will be on Thursday evening, April 4, 2019 from 4-7 p.m. at the Clancy-Palumbo Funeral Home (Clancy Funeral Home), 43 Kirkham Ave., East Haven. Family and friends are invited to meet and attend a Celebration of Life on Friday, April 5 at 10 a.m. in the Branford Congregational Church on the green at 1009 Main Street, Branford. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the ALS Therapy Development Institute (300 Technology Sq., Suite 400, Cambridge, MA 02139) or the Guilford VNA Community Healthcare and Hospice (753 Boston Post Rd., Suite 200, Guilford, CT 06437).

Stanley L. Gedney III ’48

Stanley L. Gedney III, Age 90, of Pearl River, NY passed away on January 9, 2020 in Saddle River, NJ.

Ganz (his nickname bestowed in childhood by his sisters) was born in Orange, NJ to Marion and Stanley L. Gedney, Jr. on February 12, 1929. He attended Clifford Scott High School in East Orange, NJ before graduating from Williston Academy in Massachusetts in 1948. He went on to earn a B.A. from Lehigh University and graduated in 1952. Throughout his academic career, his true love was athletics. He was a gifted athlete and a true three season standout in football, basketball and baseball. One of his most treasured memories was being a member of the 1950 undefeated Lehigh Football team. Included in this great season and the one that followed were dominating wins over Lafayette College.

After graduation, he served his country in the 101st Airborne and ultimately in the Counter-Intelligence Corps of the Army during the Korean War. After the war, he worked in sales for many years starting at Phelps Dodge Copper Corporation before finding his avocation doing estate planning at New York Life from which he retired at the age of 65. He then went on to deliver flowers for Johnston’s Florist in Dobbs Ferry, NY delighting many customers across Westchester County with his singular rendition of Happy Birthday until he was 88 and health issues caused his second retirement.

An active member and VP and President of the Hendrick Hudson (District 3) School Board for many years, his real passion was working with youth baseball. He was instrumental in forming a succession of teams that brought competitive baseball to the Town of Cortlandt for youngsters after Little League. These teams participated and excelled at the Babe Ruth, American Legion and semi-pro levels.

Memorial donations may be made to Good Samaritan Hospital, 255 Lafayette Avenue, Suffern, NY 10901 to which the family is eternally grateful for their warmth and compassion during his final days. A private funeral service was held. A celebration of his life will be held in February. Suffice it to say that this was a man who lived for his loved ones. All of us who loved him were loved back immeasurably by this very special man. As he said many times to each of us – “I love you more than you know.” We were blessed to have him in our lives and are happy and grateful that he has found peace while he lives on in our hearts and memories.

Constance Barowsky Rathbun ’65


Constance “Tancey” B. Rathbun, 69, of Stonington, Conn., passed away on Monday, Jan. 23, 2017. Born April 4, 1947 in Holyoke, Mass., she was the daughter of the late Alfred and Constance Louise (Koegel) Barowsky.

Tancey graduated from Sullens receiving her Associate’s Degree and enjoyed her work as a secretary for Payne Camera. She was an avid reader and cherished her privacy. Most importantly, she was a loving mother and will be missed by those who knew her.

She leaves her son, Joshua L. Rathbun and his wife, Desiree; her granddaughters, Makenna H. and Morgan R. Rathbun; her brother, Frederick K. Barowsky and his wife, Georgette B., of Holyoke, Mass. and their daughter, Candace, of Holyoke, Mass.; along with several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, Jan. 30, at 11 a.m. at the Buckler-Johnston Funeral Home, 121 Main St., Westerly, R.I. Calling hours will be held from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the funeral home before the service. Burial will immediately follow the service at River Bend Cemetery in Westerly. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.

William C. Keeney ’54

William C. “Bill” Keeney, 84, of East Lyme, CT, passed away Jan. 17, 2020. He was born Feb. 14, 1935, in New London, the son of the late Edwin and Blanche (Kenyon) Keeney. In 1958, Bill served in the United States Army Intelligence Corps for two years, and served three more years in the U.S. Army Reserve. He attended New London High School and Williston Academy; and was a graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in political science. He worked at Georgia-Pacific for over 20 years, rising to general manager of the bag division. After leaving Georgia-Pacific, Bill became an entrepreneur, eventually returning to his home state of Connecticut. He purchased the longtime local dry cleaner, Shalett’s, which he successfully ran for over 21 years. Bill’s longtime friend Frank Londregan was instrumental in the purchase of Shalett’s.

Bill is survived by his wife Beatrice (Bindloss); his daughters, Lisa Davne (Sanford), Arden Freeman (David) and Megan Keeney. He also is survived by his grandchildren: Wesley Freeman, William Miller, Clarke Freeman and Hayley Freeman.

Bill loved the Boston Red Sox and could be seen on most summer evenings watching the Sox out on the deck overlooking Banning Cove. One of his happiest days was when the Red Sox broke the “curse of the Bambino” and brought home a World Series Championship. Bill’s career at Georgia Pacific took him many places around the country, to towns both small and large. He made friends easily at all of his stops and most of them remained lifelong friends. His grandchildren’s fondest memories were spent as first mates to Captain Papa on his boat cruising the Niantic River.

Calling hours will be from noon to 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, with the funeral following afterwards at the Flanders Baptist and Community Church, located at 162 Boston Post Road, East Lyme.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Flanders Baptist Church in East Lyme. Thomas L. Neilan & Sons East Lyme Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.

James G. G. May, Sr. ’62


James G. G. May, Sr. of Hypoluxo, Florida, formerly of Buffalo, New York, passed away on October 26, 2019 at age 75.  Beloved husband of 46 years to the late Michele (née Georger) May; loving father of Michele “Mimi” (Thomas Jr.) May Weidemeyer and James “Jamie” G.G. May, Jr.; dearest brother of Henry (Joan) May IV.

Mr. May was a United States Navy Veteran.

The family will be present Saturday, June 13, 2020 from 2-4 p.m. at Amigone Funeral Home (Delaware Chapel), 1132 Delaware Ave., Buffalo, NY where a Prayer Service will be held at 3:00 p.m. Family and friends invited. Interment to be held privately.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Jamie’s memory to The Nichols School, 1250 Amherst Street, Buffalo, NY 14216.

David P. Montague ’57

Col. David Perry Montague US Air Force retired, art and craft collector, patron of the fields of classical music and opera, died Sunday, November 17, 2019 at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital, Clinton, MD. He was 80. The cause of death was a massive heart attack, said his wife Clemmer Montague. The Montagues are residents of Fort Washington, MD.

The Montagues, both US Air Force officers, moved to Fort Washington on assignments. Colonel Montague was a student at the Johns Hopkins School of International Studies in international economies. He then moved to the Defense Intelligence Agency as an international relations specialist where he was chief of the briefing team for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After this assignment, he moved to the Air Staff, followed by a final assignment at the DIA as chief of the Director’s Staff Group. He retired in 1985.

Mr. and Mrs. Montague were involved in art and craft support organizations until his demise. He was a member of the board of directors of the former Friends of the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Having interests of studio and functional craft, they joined the James Renwick Alliance, (JRA), then a support group for the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery. He went on to help establish a Distinguished Artist Lecture Series for JRA, inviting artists to Washington, DC, for demonstrations and a lecture at the Renwick Gallery. He was president of the James Renwick Alliance from 1998 to 2000 when JRA created a formal relationship with the Smithsonian American Art Museum. He was also a current member of the board of trustees of the Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts, Newcastle, ME. The Montagues were early supporters of the Washington Concert Opera, and he served on the board of directors of the Guild for Washington Concert Opera and the WCO board of directors.

Mr. Montague’s life was devoted to the celebration of man’s creativity of the world of art and music. Nothing was more pleasurable to him than to sit in front of the stereo to listen and study an opera; and he loved to solve crossword and Ken-Ken puzzles. He was an avid duplicate bridge player and love walking with his dog Figgy.

Mr. Montague was born in Worcester, MA and his family lived in Southbridge, MA. He is a magna cum laude 1961 graduate of Yale University, has a MS from Auburn University, AL, and is a graduate of the Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute. He married Clemmer Slaton in 1972 at Maxell Air Force Base, Montgomery, AL, before moving to Fort Washington where they both completed military service and retired.

Survivors are his wife of 47 years Clemmer Montague, and a sister Emily Scharman of Cape Canaveral, FL, brother-in-law Jessie Benjamin Slaton and his wife Anna, sisters-in-law Rebecca Slaton Lee, Ella Fitzbag and her husband Dean, Linda Johnson and her husband Mickey, several nieces and nephews, great and great-great nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Washington Concert Opera, 2437 15th Street NW, Washington, DC, 20009 www.concertopera.org or Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts, www.watershedceramics.org 19 Brick Hill Rd, Newcastle, ME 04553.

A memorial service is planned for December 14 at 2 p.m. at the Grace Lutheran Church, 10928 Indian Head Hwy, Fort Washington, MD 20744.

Alfred Carlton Gilbert III ’65

On Saturday, June 1, 2019, Alfred Carlton Gilbert III, who we all knew as Fred, or if you saw his car in town, ACG3, left us peacefully and quietly, with his wife, Joan, by his side after losing a long battle with cancer.

Fred was born June 28, 1946, in Hamden, CT, to Alfred C. Gilbert Jr. and Jean Tibbetts Gilbert. He was the second of four children and the oldest son. Always proud of his ACG3 name, he honored his family history. His grandfather, AC, invented the Erector set, and Fred remained a member of the AC Gilbert Heritage Society until his death.

Fred enjoyed a typically outdoors childhood in Hamden, which formed the basis of his love of the outdoors. He attended Williston Academy and Norwich University and served two years in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.

A champion swimmer from a young age, he went on to be a powerful force at Norwich,
breaking and holding many records there for decades. His butterfly was a beautiful thing to
behold.

After his discharge from the army, Fred settled in the Mad River Valley and made his life
and home here for 47 years. A carpenter by vocation, he built both of his Valley homes along with countless places in The Valley, creating his beloved Sugar Pail Hill home, nurturing bountiful gardens, cutting timber for heat, having the companionship of several dogs and critters and living the life of a mountain man. His door was always open to friends and family and epic parties just grew around him. Home was his joy and the great outdoors was his passion.

Fred and Joan married in 1999 and continued his tradition of friends, family critters,
bounty and love. They later determined they were better friends than spouses but remained
married and close friends.

One of Fred’s greatest gifts was his sense of civic duty and giving. He hiked and
maintained the Long Trail and was a lifelong volunteer, serving on the Green Mountain Club’s board for several years. He was instrumental in creating the Mad River Path, built bridges, maintained trails and was on their board. Later he gave his talents to planning commissions and conservation commissions in both Fayston and Waitsfield.

Fred is survived by his wife, Joan Bartlett Gilbert; his sister, Julie Gilbert Trail and Shan
Trail; brother, John Gilbert and Ali Gilbert; brother, David Gilbert and Kathy Gilbert; several
cherished Gilbert and Tibbetts cousins, nieces and nephews; and Bartlett in-laws.

His father, Alfred C. Gilbert Jr., and mother, Jean Tibbetts Gilbert, passed away before
him, as well as many close friends that he also considered family.

A memorial service will be held and announced for Fred here in the Mad River Valley at
a later date this summer.

Contributions to Fred’s memory may be made to the Green Mountain Club, 4711
Waterbury Stowe Road, Waterbury Center, VT 05677, or the Mad River Path Association, 4601 Main Street, Waitsfield, VT 05673.

Richard C. Aquadro ’47

Richard Conz Aquadro, born to Virginia Conz and Mario Aquadro on July 17, 1926 in Northampton, MA, passed away peacefully on December 30th, 2019 surrounded by his loving family sharing great stories in a time of sadness. Richard, better known as “Dick”, grew up in Northampton, MA and graduated from Northampton High School in 1944. He entered the NAVY in December 1944, serving in World War II until 1945. Richard went to Williston Academy after the NAVY for a post graduate year then enrolled in Norwich University. He finished his education at MIT graduating in 1952 with a degree in Civil Engineering. Richard then married the love of his life, Marie Lawler and started not only his professional career with Perini Inc., but also his family with his first three daughters being born in Boston. He returned to Northampton in 1954 joining his father and brother in the family construction business, Aquadro & Cerruti, Inc, and rounded out his family with a son and daughter. Today as you drive through Northampton and the surrounding communities you will see some of their work from Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Smith College, Amherst College, Hampshire College, various elementary and high schools, municipality buildings, and projects on the UMASS-Amherst campus. Richard was well-respected throughout the industry and considered fair and honorable by everyone from the tradespeople, to the vendors, to the subcontractors to the engineers, to the architects and to various owners of the many buildings he helped to construct. Richard’s strong bond for his community was strengthened during his tenure serving on the Board of the Northampton Co-Operative Bank, currently known as Greenfield/Northampton Co-Operative Bank. He joined the Board in 1972 becoming the Chairman in 1976 and retired from the Board in 2007.

Richard enjoyed skiing with family and friends regularly at Berkshire Snow Basin, and those around him fondly remember him for his beloved ski vacations across the globe. When his family was young, they spent many summers on the shores of Cape Cod with friends. He loved to travel with Marie and bring anyone along that wanted to go. During his later years, he cherished his time in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, where he developed new friendships and opened his house to many visitors. He was an avid reader, especially enjoying historical biographies of political figures. His love of learning never stopped, and he kept up on with the latest technology and was always aware of current affairs, especially pertaining to financial markets. Not to mention, he evolved with the social media era, and his accidental Instagram posts will be greatly missed.

He had intimate bonds with each of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren that each will take with them ahead into life. He was genuinely proud of each one of them and kept up with their lives and education, supporting them always.

He is survived by his wife of 68 blissful years, Marie Lawler Aquadro ’45, and his five children Elizabeth Kouri ’70 and husband Kevin of Naples, FLA, Alison Gleason and husband Daniel of Leeds, MA, Kimberly Sapienza and husband Thomas of Chelmsford, MA, Richard D. Aquadro and wife Sabra of Northampton, MA, Jennifer Egan and husband James of Walpole, MA. He has thirteen grandchildren: Kevin, Daniel, Kristen, Bryan, Aileen, Christine, Timothy, Courtney ’11, Andrew, Anthony ’15, Ania, Natalie ’17 and John. Seven great-grandchildren: Sapphire, Theodore, Declan, Parker, Genevieve, Elizabeth and Marie. He is also survived by his brother Robert Aquadro of Florence, MA. The two brothers worked side by side creating one of the top General Contracting companies in Western MA. He was predeceased by his brother, Francis Aquadro and sister, Gladys Aquadro Stiles.

A funeral will be held at Our Lady of the Hills Parish, 173 Main Street, Haydenville, MA on Monday, January 6 at 10:00 am followed by a burial at Assumption Cemetery, Route 9/Haydenville Road, Leeds. Calling hours will be held from 1:00 – 5:00, Sunday, January 5, at CZELUSNIAK FUNERAL HOME, 173 North Street, Northampton, MA.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Our Lady of the Hills Parish, PO Box 277, Haydenville, MA 01039-9703, Our Lady of the Elms College, 291 Springfield Street, Chicopee, MA 01013 or to Northampton High School Virginia Aquadro Scholarship Fund (checks made out to the City of Northampton), c/o Northampton High School, 380 Elm Street, Northampton, MA 01060.