Schuyler Wallace Sweet, age 74, passed away unexpectedly on June 14, 2022 at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine. Schuyler was born in Utica, N.Y. on Sept. 25, 1947 to the late Wallace Schuyler Sweet and Janis Jones Sweet. He graduated from the Williston Academy in 1966 and attended Syracuse University and Utica College. Sky was Vice President and President of Central NY Coach Lines, Inc. and President of BEQ, Inc. in Yorkville, N.Y. He also served on many boards including Union Bank and the Indium Corporation. Schuyler was honored to serve on the Board of Directors of the Indium Corporation for over 50 years, and most recently as the Chairman of the Board. He was very active in his community and served on what seemed like every non-profit or advisory board that he could help with. Sky served as director of the Littleton Area Chamber of Commerce, President of the Littleton Rotary Club Charitable Fund, Member of the Littleton Industrial Development Corp, Chair of the Northern Region Advisory Board for the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, President of Ammonoosuc Community Health Services and Trustee for The Mayhew Program which helps at-risk boys. As a lifelong duck hunter and fly fisherman, Sky was very involved with Ducks Unlimited and with Trout Unlimited; he served on local and national boards for both organizations. In 2015, Sky was appointed to the Littleton Select Board to fill a vacancy and was then elected to a three-year term as Selectman. He also served a three-year term as Littleton Water and Light commissioner from 2018 to 2021. Sky was returning from a fly fishing trip, having caught the biggest trout in 10 years of fly fishing trips in Maine when he suddenly fell ill. His family is comforted knowing that he was doing what he loved to do with his long-time friend, Ron Thomson shortly before he passed. Schuyler enjoyed maple sugaring in New Hampshire first with his late wife Deborah Sweet and in later years with his good friends, especially Chris Knapp the last few seasons. Schuyler is survived by his two children, Jolyn (Jeff DeStefanis) Sweet of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. and Wallace (Emily) Sweet of San Diego, California, and five grandchildren, Avery DeStefanis, Clara Sweet, Alexa DeStefanis, Annelise DeStefanis and Harrison Schuyler Sweet. He is also survived by his sister Sandy Partlow and brothers Brent Sweet and Stephen Sweet, nieces Janis Randolph and Heather Sweet and his nephews Colton Partlow, Harrison Sweet, Jarrett Sweet and Bryant Sweet. Upon Sky’s direction, his ashes will be scattered in his maple grove in Littleton, N.H. and in the St. Lawrence River at a later date. There will not be any funeral services. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Ducks Unlimited or buying a bottle of pure New Hampshire maple syrup to support the locals.
Monthly Archives: June 2022
Rodney H. Hawkins ’63
Rodney Hepburn Hawkins died peacefully in his home surrounded by his family and pets on June 22, 2022, in Williams Lake, British Columbia, after a two year battle with cancer.
Rod was born in Claremont, New Hampshire, on April 3, 1944. He attended Williston Academy, for five years. He always credited Williston with giving him an excellent education and many memorable times including playing soccer and performing as part of the choir. Some of the friendships he made there lasted a lifetime. He never forgot the opportunity afforded by Williston when he was selected as an exchange student to Germany in 1963. He lived a year with the Rau family and kept in contact with them over the years. A Rau grandson spent a year living with the Hawkins family in Williams Lake, as an exchange student in 1996-1997.
In 1964, when Rod was sailing to the United States, returning from his exchange, his ship made a stop in Galway Bay, Ireland. He met his beloved Sandra, when she boarded the ship. They were married in 1965.
Rod attended Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, from 1964-1968 and graduated with a degree in German literature. Just before graduation, he was surprised to be recruited by the CIA, but turned them down.
In 1969, Rod and Sandra moved to Canada and happily made it their home. They first lived in Vancouver, where Rod attended law school at the University of British Columbia. He was called to the Bar in 1974.
Rod and Sandra moved to Williams Lake, British Columbia, in 1975, where Rod opened and ran a Legal Aid Office for seventeen years. He then went on to work as Crown Counsel. He was appointed Administrative Crown and supervised prosecutions in Williams Lake and a vast area around it for twenty years. He reluctantly retired in 2012.
Benefits of retiring included daily walks with his beloved golden retrievers; planting even more trees and lilacs on his property; kayaking and other recreation the lake offers; trips to Scandinavia, Iceland, Germany, and the U.S.A.; time for reading the many books he collected in his library; researching and putting together an extensive family tree; and, most recently, bee keeping.
Volunteer work included serving on the Board of Directors of the Child Development Centre, serving as an advisor to the Williams Lake Community Council for Restorative Justice, teaching law courses in Elder College, and helping to get the community’s Indigenous Court up and running.
The family wishes to honor Rod’s memory by quietly spending time together, being grateful for the time they had with Rod. If you wish to honour Rod’s memory consider planting a lilac, giving a dog some special attention, and, perhaps, raising a glass of wine.
Robert D. Kalter ’63
Dr. Robert Kalter passed away from pancreatic cancer at White Plains Hospital. He was loved and respected by his family, friends, and colleagues.
He was raised on Long Island, the son of Henry Kalter, a doctor who had fled Nazi Germany as a young man, and Rose Dorrance Kalter, the principal of PS 133 in Queens for many years.
Bob graduated from Columbia University magna cum laude in 1967 and received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1971. He interned at Pennsylvania Hospital and then served in the US Public Health Service as a commissioned officer. From 1974-1976, he completed an Anatomic Pathology residency at Cornell and then, from 1976 to 1978, a Clinical Pathology residency at Downstate.
His first full position was as Assistant Director with the New York Blood Center (1978-1981). He went on to become an esteemed and trusted pathologist, serving in a number of capacities, including as Chief of Clinical Pathology at NYU Winthrop Hospital (1981-1992), Chairman of Pathology at The Brooklyn Hospital Center (1992-2000), Director of the Blood Bank at NYU Lutheran Medical Center (2000-2015), and as a pathologist at Maimonides Medical Center (2000-2020)—first as Chief, then as Chairman, of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and finally as a Consulting Pathologist. After retirement, he continued to work as a per diem pathologist for Northwell Health Laboratories (2020-2022).
Bob’s colleagues knew him as an especially dedicated doctor. He was certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, Blood Banking, and Immunopathology, and he voluntarily recertified with the American Board of Pathology in 1997 and 2008. A fellow medical professional recently described him as “the most complete pathologist I have ever known.” He was valued as a mentor to many young physicians, and in retirement, he volunteered to teach in medical school pathology labs.
In addition to his professional pursuits, Bob was known and loved for his passionate interest and deep knowledge in history, philosophy, science, and the arts. He was an avid reader of everything from ancient Roman history to the fiction of Marcel Proust. And friends and colleagues alike will remember his wit—what Ken Gibbs, President of Maimonides Hospital, called his “dry and playful sense of humor.”
Bob adored his family and friends. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, and uncle, always present to debate, tease, and offer advice, and interested in everyone around him.
He is survived by his wife Nancy Glass, his children Jeffrey and Julie Kalter, his son-in-law Dave Turner, his grandchild Miles Turner, and his brother-in-law David Glass, as well as his sister Joanmarie Kalter, his nephew Gram Hill, and his niece Faith Hill.
Donations can be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where he was treated, or to Gilda’s Club of Westchester.
A funeral service will be held at Larchmont Temple (75 Larchmont Ave.) at 11 a.m. on Friday, June 17, 2022. Family and friends who are unable to attend the service in person may watch via livestream at: http://larchlink.pub/live
Kusa Panyarachun ’40
Kusa Panyarachun, aged 103, of Bangkok, Thailand, passed away on May 25, 2022. Mr. Panyarachun set up World Travel Service in 1949, then the first tour operator based in Thailand. Survivors include his son, Krid Panyarachun ’70.
James W. Curran ’46
James W. Curran, a resident of Stamford, VT for 87 years died on May 29, 2022 at the Vermont Veterans’ Home in Bennington, under the care and compassion of the VVH staff and the Bennington VNA Hospice. Jim was born in North Adams, MA on October 1,1927, the second of seven children born to William L. Curran, M.D. and Bernice Curran.
The family moved to Stamford, VT in 1935. There Jim learned to swim in the icy waters of the North Branch of the Hoosic River, went tobogganing and sledding on the country roads and gentle hills and skated on the small frozen natural ponds in town. He was given a basic introduction to farming as his physician father had a working farm with milking cows and other livestock.
He attended Stamford Elementary School and Drury High School. He was a graduate of Williston Academy in Easthampton, MA. Jim enlisted in the U.S. Army serving with the 25th Infantry, 35th Regiment. He was assigned as a military policeman in the city of Otsu during the occupation of Japan. He was honorably discharged following his service. He attended Champlain College in Plattsburgh, NY and later Denver University in Colorado. His favorite authors were Robert Service and Rudyard Kipling.
Jim was always interested in sports; he followed closely the teams of Northern and Southern Berkshire high schools.
As an employee of Petricca Industries in Pittsfield, MA for 37 years (retiring in 1992), he found many of his coworkers resided in the small towns surrounding Pittsfield so he became familiar with their families and kept track of those youngsters as well as the North Berkshire athletes.
Jim was an excellent skier. He was on the former Dutch Hill ski patrol and later directed the Dutch Hill Ski School on weekends. He also enjoyed golf, living three minutes from the Stamford Valley Golf Course. He always held an annual membership and enjoyed early morning tee times with his golf buddies. He golfed until age 87.
He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Rosemarie, and nine of their ten children; Maureen, Jim, Kathryn, Patricia, John and his wife Cindy, Susan and her husband Jonathan, Jennifer, Robert and his wife Erin, and Neil. Their daughter Andrea died in 1983. He leaves 14 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.
Also surviving are two sisters, Sally Smith and Sandy Johnson. His brothers, William L. Curran, Jr. M.D. and Edward A. Curran and his sisters, Marijane Green and Catherine (Nan) Sanford are deceased. He also leaves many nieces, nephews and cousins.
There are no visiting hours. A memorial service will take place at the convenience of the family.
Stephen J. Britt ’55
Stephen J. Britt passed away on December 31, 2021, in Stuarts Draft, VA at the age of 86. Mr. Britt was born on July 13, 1935, in Hartford, Connecticut to Paul E. and Emma Britt. He is survived by his sisters, Jean Derby and Sheelah Britt. Steve grew up in East Hartford, Connecticut and it was there that he met his wife, Ann Margaret Papineau. Married on December 28, 1958, the couple had three children, James E., Catherine Marie, and Karen Anne. Steve and Ann were married for 58 years and had 4 grandchildren, Sean & Catherine Britt and Sarah & Peter Favinger. Ann passed away on June 19, 2016.
After serving in the Marine Corps, Steve began a long and successful business career. He worked for Mobil Oil, Dewalt, Black and Decker, Arcata Graphics, Intersource Technologies, and Anchor Continental. During his 23 years at Black and Decker, Steve achieved national recognition as the “Father of the Dustbuster” from numerous publications, including Time Magazine and New York Magazine. After retiring, Steve was a member of the First State Antique Tractor Club for several years and was a member of the scholarship committee.
A memorial service will be held on Monday, January 10, 2022, at Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, 1210 S. Washington Street, Easton, MD. The family will receive visitors at the church from 10:30-11:00 a.m. and the service will begin at 11:00 a.m. Masks will be required in the church.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, PO Box 5014, Hagerstown, Md 21741-5014 or online at michaeljfox.org/donate.
Ellen Clifford McGuire ’66
Ellen Clifford McGuire, 73, of East Longmeadow, MA, died peacefully at home on Wednesday, June 8, 2022, surrounded by her loving family.
Born in Holyoke and raised in South Hadley, Ellen was the only child of John Clifford and Mary Long Clifford. After her father’s death in 1961, Ellen and her mother lived with her aunt and uncle, Margaret and Arthur Higgins, and their daughters, Carol and Margaret. While attending the Northampton School for Girls, Ellen lived with her beloved aunt and uncle, Helen and Pat Padden. Ellen earned her bachelor’s degree from Newton College of the Sacred Heart and a master’s degree in education from American International College.
A lifelong educator, Ellen began her teaching career at Blessed Sacrament in Holyoke. Ellen would later teach at Peck Middle School also in Holyoke, and spent decades as a children’s reading tutor, a role she truly relished.
Speaking of relish, you may know Ellen from her popular food column, The Readers Exchange, which she first edited and then authored in this paper from 1988 until the column’s retirement in 2020. Ellen was a talented writer and self-taught cook, and The Readers Exchange proved the perfect forum to share both of those gifts as well as her love for the community, as the recipes she highlighted were often requested and/or submitted by readers. She also authored two cookbooks. Her columns and featured recipes were approachable, and, well before the emergence of today’s cooking blog, imbued with entertaining and honest personal anecdotes. The Reader’s Exchange may live on eternally thanks to the power of the internet, and Ellen’s family encourages you to try summertime favorite, cold soup, or perhaps J.P. McMahon’s Irish beef stew.
Ellen wore many hats, and she wore them all well. In addition to teaching, she worked as a real estate agent for nearly three decades. Based in Longmeadow, where Ellen settled to raise her daughters, she was often seen driving to a house showing with her beloved poodle in the front seat. Ellen loved the role she played helping families find their home and community. Countless relationships that began as generic “fellow agent,” “buyer,” or “seller” acquaintances evolved into deep and long-lasting friendships that continue today.
While real estate, teaching, and writing all kept Ellen busy, her top priority and true source of light and love was her family and her friends. Ellen leaves behind her loving husband, Dr. Arthur T. McGuire. Ellen and Art married in 2003 and shared an intellect and sense of humor and an enthusiasm for new ventures, including international travel, Italian lessons, and ballroom dancing.
Ellen is survived by her two daughters, Molly Kenney and her partner Joseph O’Brien IV of Brookline and Longmeadow, and Bevin Kenney and her husband Scott Davidson of Jamaica Plain, and their two children, Neve and Desmond Davidson, adoring fans of their “Nani.” Through her very nature, Ellen impressed upon her girls the truly important things in life, beginning with kindness, humor, love, and acceptance, including of oneself. Ellen and her girls were and will forever be a unit, a package deal.
She leaves behind four stepsons, Timothy, John, Mike (Amanda), and Matthew (Kara) McGuire, as well as 11 McGuire grandchildren: Maggie, Frank, Maureen, Justin, Elizabeth, Mabel, Joe, Ellen, and Charlotte, Ted, Gus, all of whom Ellen adored. She will be dearly missed by a vast community of friends and family.
The family would like to thank her care teams at Baystate Medical and Kind Hands, both of which provided exceptional care and support. Calling hours for Ellen will be Tuesday, June 14th from 4-7PM at Forastiere Smith Funeral Home, 220 N. Main St., East Longmeadow. A Liturgy of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, June 15th at 10:30AM at St. Michael’s Church, 128 Maple St., East Longmeadow. The family appreciates if masks can be worn. Interment will follow in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Springfield. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Michael Steingart Endowment or D’amour Center for Cancer Care, both at Baystate Health Foundation, 280 Chestnut Street, Springfield, MA, 01199.
Richard B. McKinley ’72
Richard B. McKinley of Prospect Heights, Illinois, age 68, passed away May 8, 2022 after a brief illness. Beloved husband for sixteen years of Nian Zhen Zhao; dear brother of Gail Donovan (late Paul); Maryl Hook (late Phil); Jane Gardner (Lee) and Kyle Esh (Mike); fond uncle, cousin and friend of many; preceded in death by loving parents Gerard Alan McKinley and Helen Sullivan McKinley. After earning a B.A. from University of Wisconsin-Madison and J.D. from DePaul, Rick practiced law and was a court-appointed arbitrator. He was a kind and devoted man of many interests, with an amazing encyclopedic knowledge of music, sports and history. Visitation Saturday, June 4, 9:30 a.m., St. Norbert Catholic Church, 1809 Walters Avenue, Northbrook, IL, followed by 10:00 a.m. Mass. Inurnment All Saints Cemetery, Des Plaines, IL. In lieu of flowers, donations to American Cancer Society will be appreciated.
Richard W. Hoppenstedt ’63
Richard W. Hoppenstedt, 78, of Geddes, NY, passed away Wednesday, June 1, 2022, at Upstate University Hospital. Born in Poughkeepsie, he was raised in Gardiner before moving to Syracuse in 1963. A graduate of The Williston Northampton School in Massachusetts, he received a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University where he was a proud member and past president of Phi Delta Theta. Richard was a United States Army veteran. He was employed as an accountant for the Diocese of Syracuse, and later worked as a dealer at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Oneida for 20 years, retiring in 2012. Richard enjoyed fishing and vacationing in Cape Cod, but above all, loved spending time with his family. Richard was predeceased by his parents, Clifford and Eleanor. Surviving are his wife of 54 years, the former Margaret Holihan of Syracuse; sons, Richard “Ted” of Syracuse, and John (Marisa) of Camillus; brother, Robert (Peg) of Hamden, CT; nephew, Matthew; and niece, Isaura Bozu. There will be no calling hours. Services will be private. Richard will be laid to rest in Greenlawn Cemetery, Warners.