Leon J. Pernice Jr. passed away at his home in Fort Pierce, Florida on February 28, 2023 with his loving family at his side. Lee grew up in West Springfield Massachusetts and graduated High School from Williston Northampton School in Easthampton MA., where he played Football and Hockey. He attended Stetson University in Deland, Florida, studied at the University of Miami and graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture Degree from the Boston Architectural Center in Boston, MA. He was a licensed Architect in Massachusetts and Florida and worked for more than 40 years at the family-owned Architectural firm, Leon Pernice and Associates, Inc. At the time of his passing he was Vice-President of the firm. Lee was an avid golfer in his younger days. He competed at a high level in many local tournaments, charity events and qualified for the Massachusetts State Amateur Championship. He also loved mountain biking and spent many hours riding through numerous Western Massachusetts trails and Florida parks. Anyone who knew Lee knew his passion was being on his boat and on the water. Fishing was his favorite pastime which took him on adventures all the way up and down the East coast from Rockport, Maine to Islamorada, Florida Keys. He spent his final years living in Fort Pierce, Florida and fished offshore the Fort Pierce Treasure coast, the place he loved most. If he wasn’t offshore trolling blue water for Mahi, you could find him cruising the Intercoastal Waterways and the Fort Pierce Inlet, chasing down Snook, Grouper and Mangrove Snapper for a fresh fish dinner. He was always saying he needed warmer waters and his boat, the “SushiD’Lux” took him there. Lee was also a certified deep-water scuba diver. If he wasn’t fishing, he would spend his time diving and snorkeling reefs, mangrove flats and boat wrecks in and around Fort Pierce and the Florida Keys. Alligator Reef – “The Light House” off Islamorada Key was his favorite dive. Lee had an old saying – “Never leave fish to find fish” but he did it anyway. That’s just the kind of guy he was. He couldn’t stay in one spot for any length of time. There was always better fish to find and more live bait to catch – just over there by the shipping buoy or over the next reef. Lee leaves to cherish his memory his loving father, Leon J. Pernice, Sr., his brother and best friend, David, his sister, Lisa Pernice-Gomes (and husband, David), his sister, Nina Cunningham (and husband, Robert) of Bradenton, Florida, “Uncle Lee’s” nieces and nephews-Andrea, his godson-Greg, Mark, Allie, John, Anna and Sharlotte, several aunts and uncles, cousins and friends too numerous to count. He was pre-deceased by his beloved mother, Yolande Pernice. Lee lived his life on his terms and his sudden illness took him from us way too soon. He was a generous soul who loved God, his family and his friends and was always ready to lend a helping hand to those in need. He will be greatly missed. Calling hours for Leon will be held Thursday, March 23, 2023 from 4-7 pm at Toomey-O’Brien Funeral Home, 1043 Westfield Street, West Springfield, and a funeral Mass will be held on Friday, March 24, 2023, 10:00am at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 47 Pine Street, West Springfield. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at stjude.org or the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 620 South Meridian Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1600.

William L. Van Alen III passed away Sunday, January 29, 2023. Will was born to Sydney Purviance Van Alen and William L. Van Alen, Jr. on October 22, 1959. He graduated from Montgomery Country Day School and the Williston Northampton School. Will was an excellent athlete; the captain and high scorer of his lacrosse team at Williston. During the summers of his college years at the University of Vermont, Will taught windsurfing at 3rd Beach in Middletown RI. He came in second place in the Worlds and was featured as the centerfold of Windsurfing Magazine. Early in his life Will’s sheer joy of doing things directly involved with nature and the great outdoors was well established. Lured by the compelling beauty of the lakes, Will moved to Minnesota in the early 1990s and never left. There he found a new extreme sport, namely Sky Skiing. Will loved it and through endless practice, attained a high degree of proficiency. Loving the mountains as well as the oceans and lakes, Will enjoyed going out with friends four-wheeling. He often came home covered in mud with a big smile on his face. In the winter months, Will loved snowmobiling and skiing. Going fast and facing somewhat risky challenges definitely appealed to Will. During those years, Will married, later divorced, and started and ran a successful roofing and siding business. He also loved spending time with his family in Northeast Harbor, ME. He is survived by his mother Sydney Blynn Toland, three siblings, Alexandra Van Alen Frazier, Dina Gibson, and Luke Van Alen, seven nieces and nephews, and two great nieces and one great nephew. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Wounded Warrior Project or Tee it up for the Troops. Services will be held at St. David’s Church on May 6th, 2023 at 11:00 A.M.

After more than a 10-year battle with Early-Onset Alzheimers, we lost our beloved Christopher “Scott” Bevins on Tuesday, August 23rd, 2022 at the age of 69. His humor, love of family, of music, of sports, of friends, and of life were with him to the end. His wife Sarah Hoit and his devoted children, Wesley (21) and Samantha (19), visited faithfully, bringing out a putting mat for golf, throwing around a ball, cuddling together with his little dog, looking through beloved family photo albums, and singing the words together to his favorite songs. He laughed and sang, and until a month ago he would even “dance” with Sarah when she came to visit his memory care community that he entered almost two years ago.
Scott was born on June 10th, 1953, and he grew up in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Early on Scott graced the world with his joy and many talents: earning 15 varsity letters from Marblehead High School (1967-69) and Williston Academy (1969-1972), making the second team All-America as a football player in high school, breaking Williston Academy’s record for most hockey points in a season with 65 points, leading his tennis and hockey teams as captain, sailing in the summers, sculpting for fun (including ice sculptures), writing poetry, and most importantly telling stories in his Scotty way.
Scott graduated from Lake Forest College in 1976 with a degree in psychology. At Lake Forest, Scott played hockey, football, and tennis, and he was also the President of his fraternity. His career was focused first in the hospitality business, helping manage both hotels and restaurants. Scott spent the majority of his career in Executive Search, helping people find their dream careers, which he continued to do as he transitioned into happily being a full-time dad and working from home once Wesley and Samantha were born.
The job he loved the most was coaching, he created and led the Northeastern men’s tennis team. He also coached hockey his whole life beginning in college, and he especially loved coaching the hockey teams his two kids played on, where he made every practice, shot pucks with the kids in the driveway, and even built a homemade rink in the backyard each year to skate on with Wesley and Samantha. Scott also taught Sarah, Wesley, and Samantha to ski and golf, which the family did together. Skiing at Stowe and playing golf at our beloved Eastward Ho! Country Club.
His love for his children and his enormous pride in their accomplishments was the center of his life. He always wore the St. Lawrence and Dartmouth hats and shirts they brought him, followed their triumphs, cherished each moment with them, and broke out into joyful noises every time Sarah and the kids arrived to visit him in his memory care community, never forgetting who they were. His illness has inspired the family to hold several very successful fundraisers for Alzheimer’s causes, and has inspired Sarah’s career both in founding Connected Living, a senior communications technology company, and now her work in biotechnology focused on finding solutions to Alzheimer’s and neurodegenerative diseases.
Scott was a great father, husband, and friend who knew the meaning of time and cherished being with his family. As a family, we are dedicated to being a part of the solution for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Scott also lost his father Wesley Bevins Jr. at 71 to Early-Onset Alzheimer’s. Sarah, Scott, and the kids have worked with and supported CaringKind and UsAgainstAlzheimers for years, which are organizations working to find a cure, and Sarah and the kids are part of starting a global non-profit together “Social Impact Partners” with other leaders that will bring together the global players to bring more awareness, resources, and collaboration to solving the disease.
Please join us in being part of the solution!

Heidi Bubel Allen died suddenly of natural causes on June 29, 2022 in Deerfield, Illinois. Born August 21, 1959 to Curt and Marilyn Bubel in Cincinnati, Heidi graduated from the Williston Northampton School in Massachusetts, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is survived by her husband Robert Allen, her mother Sammie Bubel, and her brother Peter Bubel (Patti). Service will be held at the Chapel of Christ Church Cathedral, 318 East Fourth Street at 11:00 a.m. on July 15, 2022.

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.

Brian Spencer Maher, of Broomfield, Colorado, passed away on March 14, 2022.

Francis “Bud” Andrew Gnatek, 67 of Hadley, MA passed away on March 2, 2022 in Dover, VT. Bud was born on March 22, 1954 in Northampton, MA. The son of Edward and Joanna (Szych) Gnatek. He attended Hopkins Academy, Williston Northampton School, and Lehigh University, where he studied engineering and was a member of Phi Delta Theta. Bud was a veteran of the United States Army and worked in engineering and management for Judd Wire for 33 years. He enjoyed rebuilding his 1962 Porsche 356, playing guitar, singing karaoke and running. Bud is survived by his wife, Gail Gnatek (Gilbertsen); children, Andrew Gnatek of Hadley, Daniel Gnatek (Cleo Zancope) of Easthampton, MA, and Katrina Gnatek (Georgi Evlogiev) of Berlin, Germany; grandchildren, August Gnatek and Griffen Gnatek; and siblings, Edward and James. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Joan Baj. Memorial donations in Bud’s memory may be made to Operation Homefront, The Nature Conservatory, or the charity of your choice c/o Hanson-Walbridge & Shea Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held at a later date.