Remembering members of the Williston Northampton community

Christopher S. Diamond ’64

Christopher S. Diamond, 76, of Steamboat Springs, CO, died peacefully in his home on January 12, 2023, a perfect bluebird day and fittingly, the 60th anniversary of Steamboat Ski Resort. Chris was born in Danbury, CT, but spent his childhood in Easthampton, MA. Chris graduated from Williston Academy in Easthampton, where he proudly warmed the bench for Williston’s undefeated 1964 football team. After Williston, Chris attended Middlebury College on scholarship. He served as the social chair and cook for his beloved fraternity, Alpha Sigma Psi, also remembered fondly as “the slughouse.” Chris graduated from Middlebury with a commission from ROTC and he received his notice to report for active duty in January of 1970, interrupting his masters from UMass Amherst. He served in Vietnam with the US Army as a first lieutenant and became platoon leader in a joint unit formed between the Army of the Republic of Vietnam and the 510th Signal Company. As a result of his service in Vietnam, he was awarded the bronze star and commendations. Upon returning from active duty in 1972, Chris completed his master’s at UMass. His interest in academics waning, Chris took a role as the assistant to Killington Mountain Resort founder Preston Smith. In 1977, he became the general manager of Mount Snow in West Dover, VT. Chris would go on to hold multiple leadership positions for S-K-I Ltd. and American Skiing Company before assuming the role of managing director at Steamboat Ski Resort in 1999. He continued his career as president and chief operating officer of Steamboat Ski Corporation until his retirement in 2015. During his career, Diamond also served as chairman of the National Ski Areas Association and of Colorado Ski Country USA. In 2013, he was recognized with an NSAA Lifetime Achievement Award, and he was inducted into the Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame in 2017. After retiring, he consulted with resorts ranging from the Sun Valley Company to Schweitzer. He also became an award-winning author, writing two books (Ski Inc. and Ski Inc. 2020) chronicling the resort business and his career in it. Chris served on numerous boards in the Yampa Valley including the Routt County Airport Advisory Commission, the Steamboat Chamber (past president), the Yampa Valley Community Foundation, the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, and Strings Music Festival. In addition to Chris’ passion for skiing and the ski industry, he was an avid cyclist and sailor. He took up sailing in his 20s and went on to compete successfully nationally and internationally. Chris is survived by his wife of 44 years Eileen Diamond; his sister Barbara Diamond; his two children Keenen Diamond and wife Mandy, and Elizabeth Diamond and husband Peter; and his two grandchildren, Kaden and Makayla. Chris was preceded in death by his father James Diamond, a World War II veteran who landed on Omaha Beach; and by his mother Mary Diamond, a social worker who played a lead role at Children’s Aid and Family Services in Northampton, MA. Chris was a beloved father and husband, a faithful friend, a thoughtful leader, and a true visionary in the ski industry. The family will hold a celebration of life at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Strings Music Festival or to the Boys and Girls Club of Northwest Colorado.

Marlin G. Howard ’63

Marlin G. Howard, 78, of Enfield, CT, beloved husband of Karen (Schlanger) Howard, passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by family on Sunday, January 15, 2023. Born in Huntington, WV on August 31, 1944, he was the son of the late Dr. Arthur Howard and Minna (Galewski) Howard and grew up in Johnstown, NY. He attended high school at Williston Academy, graduated from Yale University, class of 1967 and received his MBA from the University of Michigan in 1969. He moved to Enfield in 1970 where he raised his family. Marlin worked as a Certified Public Accountant and Financial Planner, retiring just in November 2022. He had a great sense of humor that got him in and out of trouble over the years. In his earlier years he enjoyed playing racquetball and pool competitively. He had a passion for working and connecting with his clients, but more than anything he had a love for his family and loved spending time with them and vacationing with his children and grandchildren. Besides his wife of 56 years, Karen, he is survived by 2 loving daughters, Stephanie Howard and her husband Benjamin Beck of Boston, MA, and Amy Howard Andrews of Matthews, NC; his pride and joy, his 3 grandchildren, Hannah Andrews, Sarah Andrews, and Ellen Beck; 2 siblings, Barry and Ronda Howard; 5 nieces and 1 nephew. A Celebration of Life Service will take place on Friday, January 20, at 3:00 PM at Leete-Stevens Enfield Chapels, 61 South Rd. Enfield. Memorial donations may be made to Enfield Fire Fighters Association, 200 Phoenix Ave, Enfield CT 06082.

Harvey E. Goldberg ’71

Harvey Goldberg, beloved father, grandfather, son, brother, husband, uncle, cousin, and friend was tragically struck by a car and killed while out walking in his neighborhood on January 5, 2023. A friend to all, Harvey was a kind and loving soul, devoted to his family and friends, full of humor and contagious laughter. He had many and varied intellectual interests and had an unusual gift for listening.

The son of Albert and Judith Goldberg, Harvey grew up in Holyoke Massachusetts, attended public schools there through eighth grade, and then spent his high school years at Williston Academy in Easthampton, Mass, where he was the editor in chief of the school newspaper. He attended and graduated from Yale University, where he studied philosophy and economics, and where he sang in the famed Yale Russian Chorus. He later earned a second undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and his interest in computers and computer technology became the focus of his early career.

After working for a number of years in the Boston area, Harvey moved to South Florida, where he lived until his death. In Florida he continued working as an electronic engineer until he gravitated to working with family business interests. There he met his wife, Cindi Goldberg (Tresser), and they were married until she pre-deceased him.

Harvey maintained his lively intellectual interests throughout his life as an avid reader of nonfiction books, periodicals, and documentaries- especially around history, economics, and current events. He had a love of music and especially opera, and he was a world traveler. But family was his greatest interest of all. He was beloved by all for his warmth, sense of humor, dry wit and humor, and his interest and helpfulness. Universally, upon hearing the tragic news, the reaction was some version of “Harvey- one of my very favorite people in the world.”

Harvey is survived by his daughters, Stephanie Goldberg and Mara Feil; his son-in-law Brian Feil; his brother, Steven Goldberg ’70; his sister in-law, Sandee Blechman; his sister, Michelle Marcus; his brother-in-law Robert Sherman; and his nieces and nephews Abby Goldberg (Scott Hechinger), Maryl Sackeim (Alex Sackeim), David Goldberg, Seth Marcus (Dayna), Jaimee Wold (Ryan); his grandchildren Clay and Dakota Feil; and his grand nephews and nieces Jonah Hechinger, Cooper and Rami Sackeim, Ava and Aven Wold, and Leighton Marcus. He is also survived by his cousins Louise Citron, Debbie Goldberg and Seth Waxman, and Janet and Richard Greenfield; Stephanie’s partner Jake; and his companion, Pam Kagan. He will be sorely missed by all.

Funeral Services and Burial for Harvey will be held 2:30pm, Sunday, January 8, 2023 at IJ Morris at Star of David of the Palm Beaches, 9321 Memorial Park Road, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33412.

John A. Ernst ’62

In loving memory of John A. Ernst of Brookhaven, GA, his family is saddened to announce his sudden passing on November 11, 2022 at Emory St. Joseph’s hospital. A man of deep Christian faith, John lived a full life guided by John 13:34 “Jesus said, ‘Love one another even as I have loved you”.

John was predeceased by his parents, Anne and Arthur Ernst; and sister, Judith Ernst. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Suzanne Ernst; and three children, Mayor John A. Ernst, Jr. (Monica Vining) of Brookhaven, Elizabeth S. Ernst of Brookhaven, and Timothy J. Ernst (Bobbi) of Chamblee. John is also survived by his sister, Barbara Plezia (Norman) of East Aurora, New York; four grandchildren, John A., III (Jack), Evan, Norah and Ellie Ernst; and numerous in-laws, nieces, nephews and cousins.

Visitation and Vigil will be held on Thursday, November 17 at H.M. Patterson and Son Oglethorpe Hills Chapel in Brookhaven from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM with the Vigil beginning at 7:30 PM. A Funeral Mass is planned for Friday, November 18 at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Brookhaven at 1:00 PM followed by inurnment and reception at Moylan Hall. Gifts may be made in John’s memory to the St. Vincent de Paul Society Conference at OLA Church, 1350 Hearst Drive, NE, Brookhaven, GA 30319, or to the charity of your choice.

Jill Shortlidge Drabek ’51

Jill Shortlidge Drabek died peacefully, surrounded by her family in her home in Seattle, Washington on December 22nd, 2022.

Jill was born on February 19th, 1934, in Port Deposit, MD to Raphael and Helen Shortlidge.

She spent her early life in Keene, NH. The family ran the Hill Camp and Camp Marienfeld in Chesham, NH where she was a counselor with her siblings each summer. She attended Keene High School and later graduated from the Northampton School for Girls.

She graduated from Smith College in 1955, after spending her junior year abroad in France where her love of everything European was established. She visited Europe again many times during her lifetime and always continued studying French. After graduation she took a job working for the CIA in Washington, DC where she met her husband, Jaroslav “Jasha” Drabek. They married in 1960 and raised their family in New York.

After her husband’s death in 1992, she returned to New Hampshire, settling in Peterborough and was an active member of the community, working first at Beech Hill Hospital in Dublin and finally at Harrisville Designs from which she retired in 2012.

Upon her retirement, she made the most of her time; walking the trails with her beloved dogs, visiting the Peterborough library, practicing Yoga, being of service in the recovery community, knitting, avidly reading, and enjoying time with friends and family who will forever miss her wisdom, patience and wit.

She is survived by her three children: Jan Drabek (Kathy) of Seattle, Washington, Amy Drabek of Bedford, New York, Christine Drabek of Cape Elizabeth , Maine , her three grandchildren: Raphael and Karl Drabek and Chloe Siddons and her Cocker Spaniel, Beanie.

Marc L. Goldstein ’69

Marc L. Goldstein, 72, of Delray Beach, FL, passed away peacefully on Jan. 1st, 2023 in the arms of his loving wife and best friend Janine Goldstein. Marc was the son of the late Selden Goldstein and Iris Krintzman. He was born and raised in Longmeadow, MA and attended Williston Academy and the University of Vermont. He had a successful career in the water purification industry before retiring to Florida. Marc is also survived by his sister Marjorie (Barry) Berg, nephews Zachary (Michelle) Berg, Jeremy (Rachel) Berg, grandnephews Joseph Berg and Jesse Berg and grandnieces Leslie Berg and Blake Berg. Marc was predeceased by his step-father Edward Krintzman, his brother Steven Goldstein, and his brother-in-law Gary Geoffroy. He is also survived by his brother-in-law Glenn (Jennifer) Geoffroy and nieces Danielle, Rachel, Nicole and Alexa. He will be missed by his faithful companion Bandit. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM on Sunday January 8th at the Ascher-Zimmerman Funeral Home in Springfield, MA with burial in Beth El Cemetery. Shiva will be observed at the family home in Delray Beach, FL on Tuesday January 10th from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The family requests donations in Marc’s memory be made to the Janine, Marc, and Steven Goldstein Scholarship Fund, c/o National Council of Jewish Women, 1160 Dickinson St., Springfield, MA 01108.

Kathleen A. Horton ’52

Kathleen A. “Kate” Horton, 87, passed away peacefully on December 11, 2022 at Penacook Place in Haverhill, MA. Born in Boston on March 24, 1935, she was the daughter of the late Justin B. and Estelle M. (Lessor) Horton. Kate graduated from Northampton School for Girls and continued her education graduating from Vassar College and Columbia University. Kate moved to Manhattan where she began a long and exciting twenty-five year career as a travel agent for American Airlines and American Express. This experience afforded her the opportunity to travel throughout the US and Europe, with Paris being her favorite destination. Kate relocated to Haverhill to be close to her family and worked as a Senior Analyst at Lucent Technologies for twenty-five years before her retirement. Kate spoke fluent French, and enjoyed participating in drama groups, art organizations, and classical music. Kate’s close group of friends include Dorothy “Dottie” Moskal and her husband Danny, Priscilla Bellairs, Shirley Provencher, Jean Moskal, Tasha Moskal of whom she was very proud, Marty Moskal, with whom she enjoyed playing trivia. Kate always remembered her late friends Joan Ladd and Barbara Baldwin, both accomplished artists, and her cat, Diva. Arrangements under the direction of Dole, Childs & Shaw Funeral Home, 148 Main Street, Haverhill will be private. Donations in Kate’s memory may be made to the Patient Activity Fund, c/o Penacook Place, 150 Water St., Haverhill, MA 01830.

Charles E. Jabri ’83

Charles Enver Jabri, of Springfield, Massachusetts, passed away on December 15, 2022 at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton. Son of the late Marwan Jabri and Mary Lee (Sands) Jabri ’55, Charles was born April 10, 1965 on Staten Island, New York. Growing up in Longmeadow and East Longmeadow, he graduated, in 1983 from the Williston Northampton School, Easthampton, and attended the University of Massachusetts and the University of Minnesota. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Western New England College, Springfield. Charles was active in the alumni associations of WNEC and Williston Northampton School and gave of his time to the Boys and Girls Club and Shriners Hospital for Children, both in Springfield, and the Holyoke Soldiers Home. He was also a long-time supporter of the Springfield Library and Museums Association. He leaves a cousin, Walter Pinto, and his wife Pamela, of Cobalt Connecticut; cousins of the Jabri family in Aleppo, Syria, the Elchelebi family in Melbourne, Australia, and Cafazzo family in Maine and Connecticut; and dear friends the Joseph Dennis family of Enfield, Connecticut. Gracious thanks to the staff at Capuano Home Care, East Longmeadow, for their caring services the past many years and for the attentive and compassionate care of the Nurses and Doctors at Cooley Dickinson. A private burial will be held at the Founders Cemetery of Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. There are no calling hours. Byron Keenan Funeral Home of Springfield is attending to arrangements. Memorial donations may be made to the Boys and Girls Club of Springfield, 481 Carew St, Springfield, Ma 01104 or Shriners Hospital for Children, 561 Carew St, Springfield, MA 01104.

Dalton F. McClelland, Jr. ’48

Dr. Dalton Finley McClelland, Jr. shuffled off his mortal coil on Saturday, December 3, 2022. He passed at peace and without pain, surrounded by family, just shy of his 92nd birthday.
His message: In Dalton’s final years, you may have heard him say we need to “put an end to all war” and “get on top of climate change.” All his life he was adventurous and inquisitive. Anyone who met Dalton became a friend, and he was generous to a fault. He worked and hoped for peace and to live a life of service, and to do his part to provide health care as a human right for all.
Life: He was born December 30, 1930 in Madras. India, where his father served as secretary for the International YMCA. In 1945, at age 14 he came to the United States, studied at Williston Academy in Easthampton, Massachusetts, then on to college at Oberlin and ultimately attended medical school at Case Western Reserve in Ohio. In the years between high school and medical school he served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, stationed in England. He moved to the southwest to practice medicine first at the Presbyterian Mission Hospital in Embudo, NM, then at the Eastside Community Health Center in Denver, CO. After returning to New Mexico, to Española for a brief stint in private practice, he loaded up the Volkswagen van in 1973 with wife Beth and 6 children, and took a job at the new El Rio Neighborhood Health Center. There are a multitude of stories in the intervening years-some happy, some sad, during which time he became an active member of Southside Presbyterian Church and eventually a regular at the U.S. federal building on Friday afternoons, protesting US intervention in Central America, and other wars and aggression. He was also a devoted Red Sox fan, but in all other sports he would inevitably root for the “underdog”. When he retired from El Rio in 2001, he began a life of activism and volunteering with Samaritans, Clínica Amistad, Veterans for Peace, Women in Black, and countless others.
Survivors/Legacy: Dalton is predeceased by his parents, Dalton Finley McClelland, Sr. and Maud Kelsey McClelland, and his sister and brothers Marion Cramer, Harry and William McClelland, and his beloved daughter Amy Lynn McClelland. He is survived by his nine wonderful grandchildren, and by his children Jody Elizabeth Wilkens, Andrew Christopher McClelland, Karen Denise Cameron, Margaret Kay McClelland, Deborah Jean McClelland and Lee Ann Chamberlain, and numerous dear nieces, nephews and sisters in-law. He also leaves behind a multitude of friends and admirers. In his final years he lived independently at the Fountains at La Cholla community, where many will remember him fondly.
Memorials: In person celebration of Dalton’s life will take place in the early part of 2023, at a time and place yet to be determined. In the meantime we ask that you share memories here, and go out into the world and do something that reminds you of him (a nice hike in the desert, making a new friend, sitting down to a delicious meal with loved ones, something to make you or others smile).
Gifts in his memory: In lieu of flowers please consider contributing to Clínica Amistad, Casa María, Tucson Community Food Bank, Veterans for Peace-Jon Miles Chapter, Pima County Public Library, or any organization you feel embodies the Dalton that you knew & loved.

Austen Eadie-Friedmann ’02

Austen Eadie-Friedmann, beloved husband, brother, son, and friend, died at his home in Thompson, Connecticut on December 1, 2022 after a hard-fought three-year battle with ALS. He was 39. Autumn was his favorite season, and he was happily able to experience one last colorful changing of the leaves in the home that he loved so much before his passing.

Born in New York, Austen spent his formative years in New Jersey, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Massachusetts, where he attended the Williston Northampton School. In 2006, he received a degree in history from Tufts University and worked for law firm Proskauer Rose before receiving a Master’s in Human Resource Management from Rutgers (2012). Most of his subsequent career was in human resources for the pharmaceutical industry, at Bristol Myers Squibb in New Jersey and London and Alexion in Boston, with a brief foray into luxury fashion at Chanel in New York.

It was at Tufts where he met and fell in love with his partner of 17 years, William (Billy) DeGregorio, 36, a fashion historian. The two formed a civil union in 2012, and married in 2017.

His peripatetic childhood laid the groundwork for a passion for travel and history that he would nurture for the rest of his life. As a teenager, he did charity work in Honduras and studied abroad in Spain (where he picked up a stomach flu and a lifelong antipathy for manchego). He saw all but two of the United States and 12 countries, including the UK, Belgium, Latvia, Poland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Turkey, Egypt. Some of his happiest moments were vacations spent with Billy on Cape Cod.

Diagnosed with ALS two days before his 36th birthday, Austen’s ability to travel and ardent professional ambition came to a sudden end, as the disease quickly robbed him of mobility. The disease cheated him out of the long career he had envisioned, but he chose to transition to patient experience at Alexion, bringing the clarity and compassion defined his professional demeanor to patient and caregiver advocacy. Towards the end of his life, when daily remote work became impossible, he volunteered his expertise to nonprofits organizations like I Am ALS and EverythingALS, where he served as an industry consultant.

Austen was a man of contrasts: decorous but irreverent; haughty and formal, but with a dark and often dirty sense of humor that delighted his friends. Human resources executives are not often the most popular members of an organization, but Austen’s mixture of clarity, calm, and compassion made him so. He was often the go-to man for the dreaded task of firing, not because he enjoyed it, but because he communicated with kindness and honesty. Afterwards, those on the other side of the desk would often thank him. He deeply regretted that at precisely the moment where he was entering his stride professionally, he was obliged to shut down his hopes of a more illustrious career.

It was his prosaic determination in the face of ALS that disarmed those accustomed to a more Pollyannaish attitude towards terminal illness. He often said that he did not consider his life a tragedy, though his loved ones may have felt differently. While he knew that ALS was a cruel and unfair fate, his mantra was “It is what it is,” a characteristically matter-of-fact perspective that helped him navigate the emotional rollercoaster of the disease. He even asked that one of his favorite songs, drag queen Alaska’s “It Is What It Is,” be played at his memorial service to remind those in attendance that his life was neither a catastrophe nor a triumph; it simply was what it was: full of love, laughter, and a heaping dose of cynicism.

One of Austen’s most fervent personal dreams was to own a house. In 2020, after a long search, he and Billy purchased the historic Alpheus Russell house (built ca. 1795) in remote Thompson. In the following two and a half years, they enlarged their collection of art and antiques, of which Austen thoroughly enjoyed directing the arrangement, even as he lost bodily function. His eye for the placement of pictures and objects was always spot on, and it gave him enormous pleasure to create a home for Billy and the couple’s beloved cat, Lily, whom the two had adopted in 2008.

Never a religious man, Austen instead worshipped the pantheon of great divas of the twentieth century. He appreciated the melodrama of Dinah Washington, Nina Simone, and Diana Ross, and the sheer raunchiness of Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, and drag queens like Alaska and Willam. (He and Billy never missed a season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.) Late in life he developed an abiding passion for Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, much to his husband’s delight. He particularly enjoyed the latter’s “Someday” and “Prisoner,” while a video of Houston performing “How Will I Know” live in 1986 became a sort of mood enhancing drug, watched periodically in order to make him smile.

His love of strong female characters extended to films and television as well. Kirsten Scott Thomas and Maggie Smith in Gosford Park (his favorite film); Rosalind Russell and Coral Browne in Auntie Mame; Bette Davis in All About Eve, Anjelica Huston in The Witches: these performances were near and dear to him always. He loved quoting lines from Russell in particular: “Does this make me look like a Scarsdale midge?” “The problem of labor in India is gargantuan,” and “Agnes, I wonder…”

Austen loved the finer things in life, particularly fine dining and wine. While the pandemic put a sudden halt to the former, he could enjoy wine until quite recently. When he was no longer able to eat or drink, much of his will to live quietly dissipated.

Austen is survived by his husband Billy; father Craig Friedmann ’71 of Reston, VA, mother Alexandra Eadie-Friedmann of Waterford, CT; sister Anna Friedmann of New York; and kittens Mariah and Whitney. Lily predeceased him in May of 2022. A private memorial is planned for the spring. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the organizations Austen championed most: Compassionate Care ALS, Death with Dignity, and the Nature Conservancy.

It is what it is, but it will never be the same.

Remembering members of the Williston Northampton community