Cynthia Brokaw Burt, of Wolfeboro, NH, passed away on November 10, 2016.
Monthly Archives: March 2017
John R. Bruno ’50
John Robert Bruno, of Whispering Pines, NC died peacefully Saturday, March 18, 2017.
John was born the day after Christmas, 1930, in Paris, France, to Germaine and Sylvan Bruno. Germaine and Sylvan were French born, but naturalized American citizens. John’s two older siblings, Evelyne (deceased) and Phillip (Clare) were also born in France. When John was four, the Brunos returned to America and lived in Scarsdale, N.Y.
In 1950, John graduated from Williston Academy in Easthampton, Mass., and in 1954 received his bachelor’s degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. While at Penn, John was captain of the soccer team, and an All-American. In 1953, he was voted the outstanding team player. John was a natural athlete who also played a great game of tennis.
After college, John joined the Army. He was an artillery officer at Fort Sill, Okla., after graduating from OCS. He went on to be an instructor at the school. After serving for four years, John left the Army and moved to New York City where he started a career in advertising. His favorite account was the U.S. Army.
In NYC, John met Joan Mallett. They were married 55 years ago this May in the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. They lived in NYC until their son, J. Robert Bruno Jr. ’81 (Teresa) was a year old, when they moved to an old farm house in Stamford, Conn. Elizabeth Bruno Hyer (Ken) and Gigi Bruno (Jeff Heisner) were born while they lived in Stamford. In 1970, the family moved to Rochester, N.Y., where John worked for the Rumril-Hoyt advertising agency. Besides advertising, John did sales and marketing for a number of Rochester area companies. For several years, he also was publisher of a group of local newspapers in the Finger Lakes Region. Sailing on Lake Ontario was a favorite pastime for John during the Rochester years.
In 1999, John and Joan retired to Whispering Pines. John enjoyed volunteering for Meals On Wheels and was on the board of the Department of Aging. He also served on the Board of Adjustments in Whispering Pines. Touring the country back roads of Moore County on his 1979 Honda motorcycle or sailing his Sunfish on Pine Lake were a relaxing way for him to spend an afternoon.
Wherever he was, John enjoyed greeting and talking with people. Whether at the Reservoir Park or Walmart, he was friendly with all and will be remembered for his good sense of humor.
John always loved dogs. However, when he and Joan were married, cats entered his life and he learned to love them too. There was always a mix of animals in the house, from Siamese cats to Great Danes.
“Bops” will be missed by his three grandchildren, “Woody” Bruno (Kristin), Michael and Ally Wood, and by his entire family.
George E. Bria ’34
George E. Bria died March 18, 2017. He was 101.
He is survived by his second wife, Arlette Philippous Brauer, son John Bria of Pound Ridge, NY, daughter Judy Storey of Columbia, MD, two grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
To read about George’s life and his career as an Associated Press newsman, please visit:
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/03/18/us/ap-us-obit-bria.html
Murray S. Silin ’40
Murray S. Silin, 94, of Acton, MA, formerly of Brookline and Newton, on Sunday, March 5, 2017. For 65 years, the devoted husband of Brenda (Ginsburg) Silin. Loving father of Diane Krasnick and her husband Marty, Joe Silin of Portland, OR, and Amy Silin Freas and her husband, Chris Freas of Seattle, WA. Cherished grandfather of Aaron and Benjamin Krasnick and Toby and Maile Silin Freas. Dear brother of Phyllis Sisson and the late Esther Levenson and Bernice Silin.
Janet Hinds Saunders ’48
Janet Hinds Saunders, 83, of Cumming, GA died on July 1, 2013 at Northside Hospital Forsyth. Born in Northampton, MA she was the daughter of the late Gailon and Ruth Hinds. Janet is survived by her beloved husband, Alfred Saunders of Cumming, GA; sons, Jeffrey Charles (Allison) Saunders and Stuart Alfred (Leigh Ann) Saunders; and much-loved grandchildren, Will Phillip Saunders, Elaine Saunders, Haylie Rose Saunders and Abigail Leigh Saunders.
Theodore B. Patchen, Jr. ’42
Theodore B. Patchen, Jr., 94, passed away on February 19, 2017. He leaves his wife of 70 years, Connie (Butwell) Patchen; daughters Laine Roundy of Woodbury CT, and Corinne Martin of Peru, MA; three grandchildren, Marguerite McNaughten of Chesterfield, VA; Russell Martin of Windham, NH; and Pam Martin of Dublin, PA; and two great-grandchildren. He was born in New Haven, CT, and raised in Torrington; son of Theodore Patchen Sr. and Maude (Lasher) Patchen of Waterbury, CT. He attended Torrington High School, then Williston Academy, graduating in 1942. Afterwards, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, where he served as a Captain and navigator on a B-24 bomber during World War II. They flew 26 sorties, and were shot down on April 8, 1945 while targeting a railroad bridge at Vipitano, in northern Italy. He and the surviving crew members were captured and then walked to Moosburg prison camp, south of Munich. He was a POW until liberated by American soldiers at the end of the war. Ted Patchen returned home, married, graduated from Wesleyan University in 1949, and raised a family. He worked for the Traveler’s Insurance Company for over 30 years in Philadelphia, Manchester, NH, and in Hartford, CT. He built a summer cottage at Lake Wallenpaupack in PA, and the family spent summers there for over 30 years. He loved sailing, music and enjoyed nature immensely.
James D. Whitney ’49
James Douglas Whitney 83, died at home June 10, 2014 with Nancy, his wife of 59 years, at his side. He is survived by their sons, Douglas Carter Whitney, Keith John Whitney and James Apel Whitney; their wives, Jeanne Benda Whitney, Jeanne Aulgur Whitney and Laura Scheerer Whitney and five grandchildren, Eva Aulgur Whitney, Sophie Jane Whitney, August William Whitney, Christopher Douglas Whitney and Conrad George Whitney. He is also survived by his younger brother, Dr. Peter Julius Whitney and his wife, Sally Wheeler Whitney. His unique sense of humor and magnanimous disposition will be missed by all who knew him. He was a loving and devoted husband, a caring father, and doting grandfather. He leaves behind a lifetime of happy memories and a caring spirit that he passed on to those who loved him. He was born June 30, 1930 and attended Bucknell University where he met his wife Nancy. He served briefly in the Army and married shortly thereafter. He attended the University of Buffalo Law School and passed both the Arizona and New York State bar. He moved to Arizona where he worked in the Cochise County Attorneys’ Office in Bisbee, Arizona and private practice before joining the United States Attorneys’ Office in Tucson, where he did the work that he loved the most. Although he left the United States Attorneys’ Office for a few years, he was able to return and finish his career there. In the course of his legal career, he presented oral arguments before the United States Supreme Court and the other Federal Appellate Courts. He loved reading, the occasional round of golf, practicing his trombone, and enjoying the beauty of his ranch in Southern Arizona. He will be deeply missed.
Jean Fowler Winsor ’50
Jean (Fowler) Winsor, 84, of Newport, the Florida Keys and Ft. Myers passed away surrounded by her family on Saturday, June 6, 2015. She was predeceased by her husband of 62 years, The Reverend Edward S. Winsor. Born in Westerly RI on February 11, 1931, she was the daughter of the late Wells and Esther Fowler. Jean graduated from Wheeler and RI College and taught first grade in the Portsmouth Schools for twenty years.
Jean was a lifetime member of the Newport Yacht Club. She was an experienced yachtswoman. She met the love of her life, Edward, while sailing in Weekapaugh, RI and they continues their lifelong love of the water, sailing from Nova Scotia to the Florida Keys into their seventies. Jean was a political activist, past president of the Newport National Organization for Women in the 1970’s, an active member of the Ft. Myers Democratic Club, and a strong and tireless advocate for the poor, volunteering at meal sites wherever she resided.
Jean’s lifelong commitment to the church gave her strength, energy and spiritual fulfillment that she shared generously with all she met.
Jean leaves behind her daughter Susan and her children Gordon, Amy-Elizabeth and Sarah; son Frank, his wife Theresa and their children Andrew and Daniel; daughter Elizabeth and her son Samuel Slesinger; son Gregory, his wife Barbara and their children Meredith, Mitchell and Maxwell; great grandchildren Nathin Johnson, Mylee Santos and Abigail Winsor; and sister-in-law Anne Doskow of CA. Jean was predeceased by her sisters Bickey Pile and Barbara Rossell.
Arden Tinti Nicoli ’48
Arden Nicoli, formerly Arden Tinti, from the well-known Tinti family of Agawam, left this life on October 16, 2015. Arden learned the art of cooking through the Tinti’s family restaurant and some of her specialties were Macarungs, spaghetti and tuna, tortellinis, along with her famous cheesecakes, cream cheese brownies and apple pies. A Barnard graduate, Arden taught middle school at West Springfield Jr. High. Arden spent the last part of her life, owning and operating “The Golden Peacock” on Sumner Ave, a vintage resale boutique. An eternal woman of style, she channeled that into her store, with a passion for tag sales and finding the ultimate treasure. She had a collection of antique cocktail purses and vintage tea cups. She was a gifted soprano opera singer and performed at St Michael’s church, East Longmeadow of which she was a member. She raised her children in Longmeadow giving them not only a gifted life but a life with a special mother, indeed. The family traveled to Italy and Canada and spent their summers in Cape Cod. She loved rummy cube and reading and will be remembered for her gentle, nurturing and loving nature. She will be greatly missed by her children; her daughter, Dawn from San Diego; and Mark from Westfield, his wife Michelle and daughter, Molly Rose. Arden and her family would like to thank the staff at Redstone Nursing Home for being so amazingly helpful and caring during her last days here.
John I. Marshall, IV, ’96
John Irwin Marshall IV, 39, of Lake Bluff passed away unexpectedly on March 5, 2017. John was a graduate of Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, Massachusetts and completed his studies at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Most recently, he was a devoted employee at Bernie’s Book Bank in Lake Bluff. John was an avid guitar player and had a great love for music and fishing. Beloved son of John I. (Andrea) Marshall III and Frederica (the late Thomas D.) Hoyt; cherished brother of Samantha (Barrett C.) Davie; loved uncle of Ford Robert, Taylor Frederica and Carolyn Ely Davie; fond step-brother of Craig Palmer, Joshua Hoyt, Amy Knowlton, Darcy Hoyt, Peter Hoyt, Phoebe Volla and Nathaniel Hoyt.