Guy V. Dyer, Jr., 91, passed away peacefully at home on April 18, 2018 in Bloomfield, CT. Born in Hartford on July 9, 1926, he was the son of Guy and Ruth Dyer. He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Harriot (Fuller). He is also survived by his two daughters Julia Dyer of Unionville, Helen Hastings and husband Kenneth Manthey of Haddam, and son John Dyer of Lady Lake, Florida. He leaves 3 grandsons, Benjamin Hastings, William Hastings, and Matthew Dyer Walsh. He was predeceased by his sisters, Lois Pascal and Ellen Burt.
Guy resided in West Hartford for most of his life. He attended Hall High School and Williston Academy. Guy graduated from Nichols College after serving in the US Navy during WWII on the Intrepid Destroyer Pacific, USS Black (1944-1947). He was a member of the Wyllis 99, St. John’s Masonic Lodge of CT. Guy loved to sing and he sang in the University Glee Club. He was a former member of the Hartford Barbershop Group and later sang with the West Hartford Squires. Guy was employed by Shawmut National Bank and after retirement, worked for Imagineers Property Management Company in Hartford for many years. He was a member of Immanuel Congregational Church.
Guy will be remembered for his wonderful sense of humor and devotion to family and friends. He was an avid sports enthusiast who loved to golf, ski, play tennis, and sail. Guy was a big Yankees’ and UCONN Women’s Basketball fan. He enjoyed travelling and especially loved spending winters at their home in Florida.
Tag Archives: Williston Academy
Donald A. Burnett ’49
Donald Burnett of Longmeadow, MA, died Tuesday April 3rd, 2018. Born in Springfield, MA to Henry and Ellen Burnett, he attended Springfield schools before finishing at Williston Academy. In 1953, he earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Hobart College. After graduating, Don served in the Army for 3 years. Don had a passion for automobiles and making people happy leading him to pursue a career as an automobile salesman. He enjoyed 40 years as a Sales Manager at Clyde Chevrolet Buick in Rockville, CT. Don was an active member of St. Andrews Episcopal Church. Predeceased by his siblings, Henry Burnett, Wallace Burnett, & Marion Roberts, Don is survived by his loving wife Virginia Ann and their four children Jeffrey (Lisa), Sally, Steven (Maggie), and Scott (Kathy). “Grandy” will also be missed by eight grandchildren Elizabeth and Logan Burnett, Andrew and Connor Marr, Hannah and Alexa Burnett, and Emily and Molly Burnett. The family wishes to extend a special thanks to the staff at Wingate in East Longmeadow.
Paul R. Smith ’62
Paul R. Smith of Lakeville, MN, (age 73), an avid runner for many years, jogged through heaven’s gates on April 3, 2018 to meet his beloved Jesus. His family, celebrating his wholeness after an 11 ½ year battle with Alzheimer’s Disease, includes his loving wife of 50 years, Sally Kilander Smith, and their children Heather Dawson (Brian), Holly Speratos (Jason), Hilary Moorlach (Brian), and Luke Smith (Katy), and his thirteen grandchildren: Torrey, Jake, Leah, Zach, Anna, Max, Ben, Matt, Adam, Luke, Charlie, Nathan, and Isaac, and his sister, Emily Fitz Randolph. He is preceded in death by his parents, Charles Randolph Fitz Smith and Jeane LaGrone Smith, and his sister Kay Delle Koch.
Martin C. Goldman ’43
Martin C. Goldman (“Bozie”), of Swampscott, MA, passed away January 17, 2018 at age 91. Married for 66 memory-filled years to Maxine (Rosenbaum). Loving and proud father to Nancy and Steve Walter of Swampscott, Betsy and Dan Rooks of Marblehead, Bob and Jose Goldman of Lynn, and Jeff and Judi Goldman of Swampscott. Grandfather and cookie thief to Joshua and Rebecca Rooks, Sam and Asher Goldman and Camila Paiva and Godric Laird, Danielle, Alexa and Jake Goldman, Melissa (and Mark) Richards and Michael (and Cindy) Walter. Father-in-law to Barbara Goldman. Son of the late Charles and Marion (Leavitt) Goldman, brother to the late Bob Goldman and Harris Goldman, brother-in-law of June Goldman and Carolyn Goldman, uncle of James Goldman, Joan Finn and Charles Goldman. Esteemed North Shore lawyer, lifelong resident of Swampscott and efficient Moderator of Town Meeting for 21 years. Past board member and president of both Temple Emanu-El and the Jewish Community Center of the North Shore. Booster of all things Swampscott, especially the schools and sports programs.
Francis X. Balanda ’60
Francis X. “Frank” Balanda, 75, of Southbury, CT died suddenly Friday, March 9, 2018 at home. He was the husband of Joyce (Johnson) Balanda.
Frank was born April 4, 1942 in Waterbury, the son of the late Clarence and Alvera (Zuraitis) Balanda. He was a graduate of Williston Academy in Easthampton, Mass., and of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa. He was also a U.S. Army Veteran.
Frank worked as a juvenile probation officer for the State of Connecticut until he retired. He also worked many years as a dispatcher for Heritage Village.
Frank was an avid reader and loved tennis and spending his winters in St. Simons Island, Ga.
Besides his wife, he leaves his two children, Kate Balanda of Southbury and Kenneth Balanda of Naugatuck, and a special cousin, Joan (Shobrinsky) Rose of Waterbury.
Robert H. Moore ’52
Robert Hilliard Moore, 84, of East Falmouth, MA passed away on Friday, March 9, 2018 at the Falmouth Hospital. He was born in Winchester to Robert L. and Dorothy (Hilliard) Moore.
Bob was a graduate of Williston Academy and attended Boston University. He served in the United States Army and then went on to attend Employers Insurance School in Boston. He worked for Paul Peters Insurance Agency for over 40 years.
Bob was a charter member of the Elks and was on the board of directors for the Falmouth Co-operative Bank for over 20 years. He also was one of the founding fathers of Falmouth Youth Hockey, and a lover of the ocean and the Mountains, his favorite pastime was boating.
Bob leaves behind his 4 sons: Bobby and Linda Moore of Sandwich, David and Cathy Moore, Paul and Laura Moore, and Tom and Trish Moore, all of Falmouth; his 8 grandchildren: Marissa and Nicole Moore, Brandon, Jordan and Rachel Moore, Brittney, P.J. and Marianna Moore; and his siblings, Steven and Rick Moore. He also leaves his first wife, Sally Peters, and his second wife, Janet Moore and her children, Brad and Kristen Fish. He was predeceased by his sister, Sheila.
Basil A. Petricca ’50
Basil August Petricca, the former CEO of Petricca Industries, and founder of Unistress died on March 7th at the age of 86 in Pittsfield, MA.
Basil “Rick” Petricca, born October 2nd, 1931 in North Adams, MA was the son of Basilio Augusto and Rose Mancuso Petricca. He graduated from Williston Academy in 1950 and Tufts University in 1954. He later served in the U.S. Army, stationed at Ft. Belvoir, VA.
Rick started his business career as a child, raising and selling chickens and eggs to help support his family. When his father died unexpectedly in 1962 Rick stepped into a leadership role in the family business and dedicated himself to its success and growth. Rick was an entrepreneur by nature and loved to make deals. Over the years he founded or acquired over a dozen businesses ranging from pre-stress concrete to telecommunications and travel.
Rick was a communicant of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church and St. Marks Church and attended mass every day. In 2007 he was honored for his years of service to the church with indoctrination into the Bishop’s Circle of Stewards. He was also involved in numerous civic and charitable organizations, more than the family can remember, but among his favorites were: The Boys and Girls Club; Berkshire Healthcare Systems; The Berkshire Museum; The Berkshire County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association; UNICO; and The Catholic Youth Center.
He will be remembered by his family and friends as a man of boundless energy and enthusiasm who always had time to hear and help with anyone’s problem. No matter how large the family grew he made every child feel special. His sense of humor helped us all accept his passing but he will always be in our hearts, thoughts and prayers.
He leaves his beloved wife and best friend of 61 years, Rosaland Bishop Petricca and five children, Perri Petricca (Michelle Thorpe-Petricca), Richard Petricca ’76 (Priscilla), Gregg Petricca ’79 (Lisa Dachinger), Tina Petricca ’82 and Cara Carnevale ’89 (Marc). His grandchildren, Adam, Grady, Leah, Charlotte, Lauren, Richard, Jr., Nicole, Curt, Jennifer, Nathan, Cole, Ryder, Nicholas and Tyler. His great grandchildren, Makayla, Alanna, Roman, Milania, Victoria, Harrison, and Elle. He is survived by his brother Robert Petricca (Lyn). Rick was predeceased by his brother Peter, sister Virginia and granddaughters Talia and Alora Grace.
Robert T. Onkey ’69
Robert Theodore Onkey age 67, of Norwalk, CT, passed away on February 5, 2018 at his home. Robert was born in Bridgeport, CT on September 28, 1950. He was predeceased by his parents Robert Lee and Gladys Mary (Kost) Onkey as well as his brother, Peter Thomas Onkey.
Robert spent his earlier life on both sides of the U.S. / Canadian border. Robert attended Williston Academy in Easthampton, MA and then completed his undergraduate studies at the University Of Western Ontario. He became a magazine journalist in Toronto, Canada and later went on to combining his passion for SCUBA diving with his career to form his own company offering Commercial Diving services. Bob, as he was known to most, loved the water and was happiest whether he was in it, on it or under it. Robert was a kind, loving, compassionate person who loved animals as much as he did people. His cat Sammy was his final companion. Despite life’s challenges, he never lost sight of the people that were most important in his life. Robert was as unique an individual as a person can be and he will be greatly missed by the many, many people whose lives crossed paths with his.
Survivors include his step-mother, Janet Onkey, and numerous cousins.
Edward W. Wrobleski ’51
Edward W. Wrobleski, 86, of Easthampton, MA, passed away Feb. 21, 2018 at the Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton.
He was born in Northampton, July 20, 1931, the son of the late William and Mary (Bednarz) Wrobleski. He was educated in the Easthampton schools, was a graduate of the Williston Northampton School, Class of 1951, and later earned his Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Class of 1957.
Mr. Wrobleski was a Korean War veteran serving as a Corporal in the US Army. He was employed for 37 years as an Engineer for the FM Global Protection Mutual Insurance Co., based in Chicago, IL. Edward was a communicant of the former Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, presently the Our Lady of the Valley Parish in Easthampton. He was a member of the Dalton-LaVallee American Legion Post #224 in Easthampton.
Edward was predeceased by his sisters Anne Green and Sally Parzych, and Phyllis Barber and his brother William Wrobleski Jr.
Roger H. Sherman ’45
Roger H. Sherman, formally of Williamstown, MA, 91, passed away on February 5, 2018 at Melech Hospice House in Tampa, FL. He was born to Frederick and Isabel Sherman on January 2, 1927, in North Adams, MA.
While attending Williamstown Elementary School, Roger lived with his parents on Moorland Street in Williamstown. After elementary school, Roger attended Williston Academy. Roger returned to Williamstown High School after his sophomore year as a result of his father’s passing. Roger obtained a waiver from his senior year in high school to enlist in the Navy at the end of World War II and served on the USS Theodore E. Chandler Destroyer until being honorably discharged from the Navy in 1949.
Upon returning to Williamstown, Roger entered the drafting program at General Electric in Pittsfield. Roger later met KayJanet Andrews and they were married on October 12, 1957.
As a longtime resident of Williamstown, Roger worked many years for General Electric and Sprague Electric and later opened Roger’s Card Gallery. After the business closed, he briefly worked for Hunter Machine Company in North Adams before relocating to Stuart, FL to work for Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Company. After his retirement from Pratt and Whitney, Roger moved to Tampa, FL to be closer to family.
Roger’s main hobbies were stamp collecting and golfing. While in Williamstown he was a member of the Taconic Golf Club and the Williamstown Lions Club.
Roger was predeceased by his parents. He is survived by his four children: John (Kelly) Sherman of Hancock, MA, Wendy (Ernesto) Jimenez of Houston, TX, Keith (Minerva) Sherman of Carlsbad, CA, and Jay Sherman of Williamstown, MA, and six grandchildren, Andrew, Christina and Michael Jimenez, Cassondra and Blake Sherman, and Chantal Sherman. He is also survived by his sister Mary (Ken) Harris, his cousin Alice Sherman Wheeler, his ex-wife Kay Janet Sherman, one niece, Christie and one nephew, Jeffrey.