Albert Richard “Dick” Malkin, 92, of Topsham, Maine died peacefully on February 16, 2023 at his home surrounded by his family. Dick was born January 3, 1931 in Norwalk, Connecticut. He graduated from Williston Academy and Colgate University. Dick was a standout athlete in both college hockey and baseball so much so that he was selected to join an all-star college hockey squad that competed in Japan in 1951. His education continued at Harvard Business School before military experience in Philadelphia as a Contracting Officer for the U.S. Signal Corps. He went on to work for IBM for 33 years including two assignments in Tokyo, Japan as Director of Licensing of Intellectual Property for the Asia Pacific Region. Dick loved to exercise and especially enjoyed playing tennis and golf. Another hobby included building stone walls around his properties. He was also very musical, singing in barbershop quartets, leading the Twin Ridge Singers, a neighborhood group. Before retiring to Maine in 2004, Dick resided in Ridgefield, Connecticut for 35 years. Though he had traveled all over the world, his fondest memories were of Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire, Avalon, New Jersey and Boothbay Harbor, Maine. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Marjorie, his three children, Mark ’81, Laura and Andrew, as well as his four grandchildren who knew him as “Boomer”. He will be remembered not only for his love of family but also for his grit, modesty, and kindness toward others. A private memorial service will occur at his family’s summer cottage “Cozyholme” in Maine.

Charles Kenneth “Ken” Burke, age 95, passed away peacefully on February 12, 2023 at home surrounded by his loving family. He was born on February 1, 1928 in Lowell, MA, son of the late Charles P. Burke and Alvina (Leblanc) Burke of Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.

Ken served in the US Army and was a WWII Veteran who served in Occupied Japan. He attended Springfield Technical High School and was a class agent and graduate of Williston Academy in 1946. He went on to graduate from St Michaels College. Ken was Co-Owner and Operator of the family business, Benton Park Package Store for many years before he retired in 2000.

Ken was a communicant of Holy Cross Church in Springfield. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus Council, the Springfield Lodge of Elks #61, Lions Club, a volunteer for the Springfield Association for Blind, and Springfield Sportsman’s Club. He was a member of the National Rifle Association, Pioneer Valley Radio Control Club and the Northern CT Radio Control Club. He shared his love of boating, sailing, skiing and ice skating with his five sons and they created very special memories together.

He is predeceased by his beloved wife Florence Ann (Grise) Burke who passed away in 2018 and also by his brothers James and Donald Burke. He is survived by his five sons, Charles K. Burke Jr and his wife Gwen of Springfield, Robert Burke and his wife Donna of Lyme, CT, Michael Burke and his wife Karla of Old Lyme, CT, James Burke and his wife Teresa of Huntington and Joseph Burke and his wife Gina of Feeding Hills; eight grandchildren, Nick Burke and his wife Julie, Kevin Burke and his wife Danielle, Michaelan Condon and her husband George, Kristen Burke, Chris Burke, Shannon Burke, Celina Burke and Matt Burke along with five beloved great grandchildren, Nolan, Emily and Lauren Burke, and Erin and Daniel Condon.

Calling hours will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023 from 4:00 – 7:00 PM at the Grise Funeral Home, 280 Springfield St, Chicopee. A Funeral will be held on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023 from 9:30 – 10:30 AM at the Grise Funeral Home followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in Holy Cross Church at 11:00 AM with burial to follow in St Michael’s Cemetery, Springfield. Memorial contributions may be made to Baystate Hospice, 30 Capital Dr, West Springfield, MA, 01089.

Richard Marsh Furniss, 81, of Burlington, CT, passed away suddenly on his birthday, January 24, 2023. He was the son of the late Dr. William E. ’31 and Doris (Ireland) Furniss.

Richard graduated from Dartmouth College and had a long career in human resources, retiring from American Savings Bank as the Vice President of Human Resources. He also volunteered on many executive boards for a variety of human service agencies.

Richard loved watching the UCONN girls basketball team, having lengthy conversations with family and friends, attending auctions and working a farm. He was more comfortable in overalls and jeans than suits and ties. Richard thoroughly enjoyed being retired. He traveled often, worked on his tan and enjoyed the sun and surf while the rest of us suffered through cold, snowy winters.

Richard is survived by his son Keith Furniss and his wife Jacquelyn of Bristol; daughter Kathryn (Katie) Beaudin and her husband Adam of TX; grandchildren Alexa, Katelynn and Jack Furniss, Kyle and Abby Beaudin; sister Diane Happy and her husband Richard of NV; brothers David Furniss ’64 of FL, Donald Furniss and his wife Jean of Plymouth and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother Duane Furniss.

Services will be private.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to The Yale New Haven Children’s Heart Center, www.ynhh.org/childrens-hospital.

William R. Powell of Horseheads, NY passed away suddenly of natural causes on January 30, 2023 at the age of 79. Bill was born to Wilkins R. and Anna Powell on October 23, 1943 in Mount Holley, NJ and raised in Worcester, MA.
After graduating from Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, MA, Bill spent an additional academic year of study in England prior to enrolling at Brown University. While earning his BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering there, he also nurtured his love of the outdoors by hiking and camping across New England. He took that passion to new heights on the West Coast while working towards his PhD (awarded in 1971) in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from Stanford University. After that, Bill spent a year as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Zurich.
Living on the West Coast at a very interesting time in history, Bill developed a passion for ’60s Rock that he kept throughout his life. He saw many of the greats at the Fillmore West, and had a memorable day at the infamous Altamont Speedway Free Festival in December, 1969 where he saw Jefferson Airplane, The Rolling Stones, Santana, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, among others. A true Deadhead, he also saw the Grateful Dead many times. He regretted never having seen Janis Joplin perform live, but he did get to see Ozzy.
In 1972, Dr. Powell joined the Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics faculty of West Virginia University. It was in Morgantown, WV that Bill met the love of his life, Barbara Ann Nelson. They married in 1977 and Bill embraced his new role as a father to Barbara’s son Brandon Wayne Sodomick. The birth of their son Jef in 1979 completed their family of four. In 1981, Bill joined Corning Incorporated and the family to moved to Big Flats, NY. Bill played a variety of roles at Corning, officially retiring as a Senior Engineering Associate in 2002 but continuing his relationship with the company as an Engineering Consultant until 2017. In addition to authoring almost 100 publications both within and outside of Corning Incorporated, Bill was the holder of 11 U.S. patents.
As accomplished as Bill was in his career, he was a humble man who believed that his contributions to the community were equally as valuable as to his profession. He was an Elder in Big Flats Presbyterian Church, a member and past president of the Big Flats Lions Club, and a volunteer for and board member of the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. With a group of other retired citizens, he applied his engineering skills and built accessibility ramps for homes. He spent hours every summer basting chicken on the grates for the Lions Club’s chicken barbecues, collected donated eyeglasses for the Club, and otherwise extended a hand to help others in his community where needed.
Bill and Barbara also found time to travel throughout the USA and the larger world. Their travel experiences included many destinations in Europe, Russia, Egypt, and a most memorable East African safari.
Bill is predeceased by his parents, Wilkins R. and Anna Powell, brother-in-law Joe Beard, and in-laws Dora and Ralph Nelson. He is survived by his wife, Barbara, sons Brandon and Jef, sisters Nancy Hatfield and Marjorie Powell, brother Richard Powell (Kathy), sisters-in-law Gayle Nelson (Tom Schmid), and Connie Nelson Elder (John), and many nieces and nephews.
There will be calling hours Saturday, February 11th 10:30 – 12:00 at the Big Flats Presbyterian Church, 95 Main Street, followed by a memorial service at noon. A luncheon will be served after the service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Food Bank of the Southern Tier (388 Upper Oakwood Avenue, Elmira, NY 14903), Big Flats Presbyterian Church (P.O. 454, Big Flats, NY 14814), or any charity of your choice.

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.