Walter H. Clemens ’47

Walter Clemens passed away peacefully on April 2, 2021, after a long illness; he was 92. At his passing he was surrounded by his daughters and one of his devoted caregivers. He was the only child born to Beth Keeney Clemens and Arnold Walter Clemens in New London, Connecticut on October 28, 1928. Walter graduated from Bulkeley School and Williston Academy before attending Yale University.
At Yale, Walter was a divisional major in economics and psychology, he played one year of freshman football and three years of varsity football under coach Herman Hickman, in the position of left tackle. He was selected and played on the North side of the 1950 North/South Shrine game in Miami, Florida on Christmas night. In 1950 he was also awarded The New Haven Gridiron Trophy as the outstanding player to appear in the Yale Bowl and was the first Yale football player selected to play in the Senior Bowl Game on January 6, 1951 in Mobile, Alabama.
Upon graduating Yale in 1951, Walter joined the Marines and was sent to Paris Island, South Carolina, and was later stationed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. On Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 1951, he married Margaret (Peggy) Dwyer. Walter was devoted to Peggy and their marriage lasted 63 years until Peggy’s death in 2015. Walt was honorably discharged from the Marines in 1953.
Walter spent almost 40 years in the insurance brokerage business. He started with The Travelers and then moved on to Johnson & Higgins, at the time, the largest privately held international insurance brokerage and benefit consulting concern in the world. Walt remained at J&H for the rest of his career. He was Chairman of the California Corporation and served as one of three Executive Vice Presidents of the parent company.
While Walter enjoyed many activities in his retirement, including traveling, golf, and swimming, his greatest pleasure was to spend time with family.
Walter leaves behind, his three children: Mark William Clemens ’71 (Kimberly), Marybeth Clemens Anicich, (Greg) and Susan Clemens; three grandchildren, Kathryn Anicich Elze, (Derek) Laura Nicole Cowan, (Alvin), and Michael Gessner Boileau, (Laura); and four great grandchildren, Dakoda Addison Elze, Emma Kaye Elze, Stella Rose Cowan and Maximillian Meyers Boileau.
A celebration of life will be held at St. Perpetua’s Catholic Church on July 29, 2021, at 11 a.m. Donations can be made in Walter’s name to hospiceeastbay.org or mailed to Hospice of the East Bay, 3740 Buskirk Avenue, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523.

David Howells III ’67

David Howells, III, 72, passed away suddenly on Saturday, June 5, 2021. Born in Troy, NY, he was the son of the late David Howells II and Elizabeth McBride Howells. He was a graduate of Williston Academy in Northampton Massachusetts, St. Lawrence University, and the University of Albany. He was a longtime resident of Niskayuna, NY. David was married for 47 years to Janice Mazzochi Howells. He is survived by their two sons Brian D. Howells (wife Laura) of Milton, MA and Derek M. Howells (wife Kate) of Millersville, MD; his beloved grandchildren Evelyn, Sydney, Caden, and Hadley; and his sister Lynda B. Howells (wife Claire) of Randolph Center, VT. David worked as a planner, project team member, and grantsman for the Eddy Health Heath System in Albany, NY. He most recently served as the Director of Planning for Northeast Health. Concurrent to his planning duties, David held numerous positions in operations as the administrator of the Eddy Memorial Geriatric Center, Director of the Home Aide Services of Eastern New York, and Senior Planner for the Eddy PACE Program as well as numerous Eddy Visiting Nurse Association programs. He enjoyed skiing, golf, and classic cars. He was a member of the Porsche Club of America. Following his nearly 40 years of supporting the Eddy / Northeast Health / St. Peter’s Health Partners growth, David joined the Board of Directors of the Albany Guardian Society, a program to foster all aspects of an age-friendly community. Private services will be held for the family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in David’s memory to: Eddy Memorial Geriatric Center, Resident Activity Fund, at 2256 Burdett Ave., Troy, NY 12180 or The Albany Guardian Society’s educational programs, 14 Corporate Woods Blvd., Suite 102, Albany, NY 12211.

Judith Schwartz Berg ’56

Judith Berg died on December 10, 2020 at the age of 82. Judy was born in Fall River, MA, daughter of the late Joseph Schwartz and the late Lillian (Baskin) Schwartz, both of Fall River; and sister of the late E. Robert Schwartz. She leaves behind her daughter, Paula Berg and granddaughter, Lila Berg, of Wayland, MA, and her son and daughter-in-law, Steven Berg and Cynthia Scuderi, of Portsmouth, NH. As a child, Judy loved singing, art and social events. She received her teaching degree from Bridgewater State College when her youngest child was four, beginning a thirty -two year career as an elementary special education teacher in the Fall River Public Schools. She was beloved by her many students and will be remembered as a patient, dedicated and stable presence. Judy volunteered for many years for the Samaritans, where she worked the suicide prevention hotline. She was a loving and present daughter, mother and grandmother. After she raised her children, Judy enjoyed sharing many great years as a foster mother to one of her former students. Judy was fun-loving, carefree and loved to travel. She was a caring friend and trusted confidante to many, enjoying many deep and lifelong friendships. Judy lived in the moment and embraced every day. Judy was most happy with the time she spent with her granddaughter, Lila, whom she loved with her whole heart and soul. A Graveside Service will be held at 12noon in Temple Beth El Cemetery, 4620 N. Main Street, Fall River, on December 11, 2020, all are welcome. A celebration of Judy’s life will be held when it is safe to gather in person.

Susan Bray Walker ’48

Susan Bray Walker of Scarsdale, NY, died on April 2, 2020 at White Plains Hospital.

Mrs. Walker was born Jan. 21, 1930 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Edward Emmett Bray and Margaret Mary Keane Bray. She graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and worked as an advertising copywriter for McCann-Erickson Inc. in New York City before marrying her husband John and raising their family in Scarsdale.

An enthusiastic civic volunteer, Mrs. Walker served on the board of The Arc Westchester Foundation for many years, served as president of the Westchester Smith College Club, president of the Scarsdale chapter of the American Field Service, president of the Scarsdale Parent-Teacher Association, treasurer of the Town and Village Civic Club and served on several committees for the village of Scarsdale.

Her family said Mrs. Walker was an extraordinary advocate for people with disabilities, and those she worked with remember her as a woman whose quiet voice never failed to raise matters of importance. Her family remembered her as dedicated to the love and well-being of her family. They said she took great pride in the accomplishments of her children and grandchildren and loved and supported them all unconditionally.

Mrs. Walker is survived by her husband, John David Walker; her two sons, David Bray Walker and his wife Elizabeth of Greenwich, and William Alexander Walker and his wife Amy Walsh of Brooklyn; her five grandchildren: Anne, Catherine and Sarah Walker and Henry and John Walker; and her brother, David Bray, of Sag Harbor and Greenport, New York. She was predeceased by her daughter, Elizabeth Grace Walker.

Mrs. Walker will be laid to rest at Greenwood Union Cemetery in Rye. In light of the ongoing public health emergency, there will be no in-person service prior to the burial. A memorial celebration of her life will be scheduled at an appropriate time in the future.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be mailed to the Arc of Westchester, 265 Saw Mill River Road, Hawthorne, NY 10532 or online at arcwestchester.org.

John S. Konheim ’61

John Konheim passed away on Sunday, May 30, 2021, the day before Memorial Day, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at the age of 78. John was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Bud, and by his wife Lynne (Taylor) Konheim, and his wife Jane (Sampson) Konheim. He is survived by his partner-in-life Anne Ekstrom, his dear family-by-choice Michelle Wood and her children, his loving sisters Barbara Kolb and Jane Kasov and his loving niece and nephews and their families and by certain people he regarded as family. John was generous in his love and concern for others. Throughout his life he collected people in a loving embrace. He did everything he could to aid or befriend them, and the people who were closest to him had that quality too.

He was given a good start in life by parents he always greatly admired, learned to achieve just by being one of four children in a home that was a busy hub, and was given a fine academic and spiritual education at Williston Academy in Easthampton, Massachusetts. He explored New York City when he was on vacation from Williston, mingling with and getting to know the work of all the many people who interested him.

He began to draw quick sketches with a Rapidograph pen, in art class. Soon he could quick-sketch entire scenes such as weddings or buildings such as a Japanese temple. (Visit konheim-art.com for a gallery of sketches from all over the world and his artist autobiography.) Fifty years later he could be seen amiably and routinely sketching folks in their friendship or family groups on a local Florida beach, or, now as a tourist, sitting and sketching the street scene in Saigon where children gathered round to see him work.

For college he chose a New York school, Columbia, his father’s alma mater, and studied while pursuing a wide variety of interests or working. John often drove a cab, once in a blizzard when there were no cabs out at all, he proudly told a nephew. An activist for student social rights at Columbia, he got coverage from Gael Greene of the “Times.” In his travels abroad in the Sixties, he acted boldly in Berlin when he saw help was needed to get friends out to the West. John was not risk averse when it came to stepping in quickly to help and often achieved dramatic successes.

In 1968, a few years after graduation, he joined the Army, went through training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma and completed a tour of duty in Vietnam. Already proficient in French, he applied himself now to acquiring Vietnamese language and dialect quickly and ultimately got to interview Montagnard children and record their music near where he was stationed. He also made audiotapes of battles, (for example: YouTube – Konheim – Vietnam Battle Field Audio November 1969). He and Lynne (Taylor) announced their engagement via a joint audiotape from Vietnam and Michigan, which they sent to parents and family around the U.S.

John lived in Columbus, Ohio and worked as an insurance broker/agent for many years. It was a great job for him, involving assessing risk and helping people. For fun, he and Lynne belonged to a friendship group that took lessons in social dancing at their gatherings. They also invited people onto their houseboat on the long, narrow reservoir near their home. They were deeply connected to Lynne’s family as well as his over the years.

As volunteers in Columbus, Ohio he and his wife hosted opera singers from all over who were engaged for rehearsals and performances in Columbus. As part of their hosting foreign economic visitors to Columbus, they visited Cuba with an economic mission from Columbus. On their last day in Havana, John was detained for sketching his hotel, the Hotel Nacional de Cuba. Luckily, he found a business card in his pocket (from a finance minister he’d just met with) to show the police, and they then whisked him out of jail in time to make the plane home. Lynne and John continued to take foreign trips accepting the risks that go with it.

When John lost his first wife, he was brought low but did not give up on life. In time, he met Jane. They celebrated their wedding with a crowd of friends and family on board a ferry that picked them up from their dock, cruised the Intracoastal in Fort Lauderdale, and at the end of the evening started to catch on fire a little bit. But all was well; he and Jane had many happy years together and moved permanently to Fort Lauderdale. He embraced her family, and she embraced his wide circle of friends in Fort Lauderdale and Columbus as well as his siblings and families. Together they created art, exhibiting with art societies in Columbus and Fort Lauderdale. Jane did a fine painting of John’s beloved cat Cristal, a beautiful white cat, smart enough to learn to ride on John’s bike to the delight of onlookers as John rode daily around Fort Lauderdale.

John found himself bereft when Jane passed away suddenly. His ability to move forward and reclaim life was never more striking than in these years. With time, he went out and about. He served as president of his co-op organization, worked at his insurance business innovating a way to do health insurance economically for the buyer. He joined Single Sailors and met Anne Ekstrom, who served as Vice Commodore of the sailing association. She was an inspiration to him. John and she found new happiness together. They traveled to Italy; they went on a cruise to Colombia. John bought a sailboat and daringly sailed it up from Miami running aground along the way. After that he worked on it till both he (the captain) and the boat’s auxiliary electric motor were shaped up and ready to go out through the Intracoastal and into the ocean, and, of course, guests could come aboard.

As John grew older, he found a way to connect with his much older brother Bud: He called him every day to talk. Bud said at lunch with a cousin a few years ago that he found John’s loyalty remarkable and moving. For John there were no tests to meet when it came to love. There was only love. As his sister Barbara said of him, John made the world a better place because he lived in it.

Dana E. Whitcomb ’65

Dana Eugene Whitcomb, 74, of Lawton, Oklahoma passed away Thursday, May 13, 2021 at his home on Fort Sill.
Dana was born September 21, 1946 in Holyoke, Massachusetts to James R. and Velma M. Whitcomb (Boucher). He graduated from the Williston Academy and then attended and graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.
He enjoyed watching his favorite teams, the Cleveland Browns and Indians. He also enjoyed traveling and spending time with his family and dog Gunner.
Dana is survived by his son, Dana Whitcomb, II and wife Tyi; daughter, Krista Banks and partner Jerry Wilkins; four grandchildren, Christian L. Banks, Jordan N. Banks, Shaela Duncan and Dana E. Whitcomb, III; brother, James R. Whitcomb and sister Meredith Whitcomb. Dana was preceded in death by his parents.
There are no services planned at this time.

James A. Ubertalli ’48

James Arthur Ubertalli peacefully departed this life Thursday, May 27, 2021 at his home with his family by his side. Born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, November 4, 1928, the son of James “Jack” and Christine (Demers) Ubertalli, he attended Holyoke Public Schools and Williston Academy, and earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Entomology from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst.
While working in Atlanta as a technical advisor for Orkin Exterminating, he met his wife, Barbara. The young couple lived in Texas for a few years where they developed a life-long passion for Mexican food, music and culture. Jim and his young family returned to New England where he continued his work in entomology as a manager for Terminix Industries. He also worked as a graduate entomologist serving the Baystate Medical System Environmental Services team as educator, technician and lecturer and retiring in 2003.
The call to serve led Jim to join the U.S. Army ROTC while a student at UMass. He was a tank commander headed to Korea when the Pentagon recruited him, because of his entomological expertise, to be a technical advisor for the Army Medical Services Corps. Jim served in the Army Reserves for 28 years, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Among the many leadership positions he held, he was most proud of his role on the faculty of The United States Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, the renowned graduate military college. In recent years, he found immense pride and camaraderie with a new band of brothers at the American Legion Post 351 and served as District Historian.
His quiet affability and keen sense of humor earned him many friends. Jim was proud of his hometown, Holyoke, and was called upon and gladly served in many volunteer capacities including Sunday School teacher and deacon of the Second Congregational Church, fire commissioner, youth hockey coach and scoutmaster of Troop 670 where he mentored many Eagle Scouts. He was also a lifelong sports fan and enjoyed some glory as starting center for Holyoke High football and Williston Academy where he was part of the school’s celebrated undefeated team, the first in fifty years. In retirement, he spent time oil painting WWII aircraft and birds, reading voluminous historical accounts on the American Civil War and WWll and traveling with his family annually to Disneyworld and other far-flung destinations. Jim will be remembered by the lives he touched for his warm kindness, gentle sense of humor and keen interest in learning and sharing what he had learned.
He leaves behind his beloved wife of 65 years, Barbara, his daughter Donna Lee and son Jimmy and daughter-in-law Harriet, his grandchildren Sophia and George, his brother Don, nieces Linda and JoAnne and nephew Jack. Exceptional in his humility, passionately proud and loyal to his friends and family, he will be dearly missed.
A Funeral Home Service will be held for Jim on Friday, June 4, 2021 at 9:30am in the Barry J. Farrell Funeral Home, 2049 Northampton Street, Holyoke followed by Committal with Military Honors at 11:00am in the Chapel of the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 1390 Main Street, Agawam. Calling hours will be held on Thursday, June 3, 2021 from 4:00 to 7:00pm.
In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in memory of James A. Ubertalli to support cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284 or via www.jimmyfund.org/gift.