Herbert M. Varnum, age 88, died peacefully on Saturday, September, 6, 2025 after a brief illness. He passed away at Holden Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center, surrounded by the loving presence of his family.

Herb was born in Worcester, the son of Edward and Betsey (Mason) Varnum. He grew up in North Brookfield and attended Williston Academy before earning a Bachelor’s Degree from Williams College in 1959, where he was a member of Kappa Alpha, the first fraternity on campus. During his Junior year, Herb found himself in the Dean’s Office (for reasons unknown). While he was waiting to see the Dean, he struck up a conversation with the Dean’s secretary, Jean Smith, and he was smitten. Six months later (after many more visits to the Dean’s office), Jean became his bride.

Shortly after they wed, Herb and Jean moved to Williston Academy in Easthampton MA where Herb taught French at his alma mater, and he and Jean served as Dorm Parents. Herb later went on to work at Quabaug Corporation, a family business founded by his Grandfather, Herbert Mason in 1916. He remained at Quabaug for 35 years, serving as Treasurer, Vice President, and President, before retiring in 1995 as its CEO. The company manufactured Vibram soles and heels and produced the soles for the U.S. military since WWII.

Dedicated to his community, Herb helped guide many businesses over the years, serving on the boards of Anna Maria College, Shawmut Worcester County National Bank, American Footwear Industries Assoc., Two/Ten Associates, Inc., Boy Scouts of America, Mohegan Council, State Mutual of America, And Hanover Insurance Company, and served as the Chairman of the Central Massachusetts Employers Association.

Herb also served several terms as a Selectman for the Town of Paxton, and on the Board of Governors at Worcester Country Club. Herb and Jean were dedicated members of the First Congregational Church of Paxton, where he served as Deacon, Moderator and on numerous committees.

Herb was an avid golfer for many years, achieving two hole-in-ones during his lifetime of play; he was a voracious reader, an accomplished chess player, and he treasured the many years of traveling he did with Jean as well as the time they spent at their vacation home in Maine. But his greatest passion was his family. With all the many opportunities he was afforded in his lifetime, his happy place was at always at home with Jean by his side. And his greatest joys were times spent with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was so proud of them all.

Herb was a gentleman in the truest sense of the word. He lived his life with humility and practiced kindness above all. He was witty, welcoming, giving and generous to a fault. An eternal optimist, he always saw the glass half-full and was thankful for his many blessings. Even during his illness, his attitude was of gratitude, saying “I’ve had a great life; I have a beautiful wife and a loving family. No regrets.”

Herb will be lovingly missed and remembered by his cherished wife of exactly 67 years, Jean S. (Smith) Varnum of Worcester; his devoted children, Karen (Matt) Mulcahy, and her partner, John Scully of Holden, and Susan Marrone and her husband, Vincent of Tennessee; his grandchildren, Sean Matt and his wife, Bryanna, Melissa Huffstetler and her husband, Scott, Stephen Matt and his fiancee, Danielle; his great-grandchildren, Ellie Matt, Roan Matt and Levi Huffstetler; his sister-in-law, Sandra Varnum; his former sister-in-law Martha Thayer, and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. Herb was predeceased by his twin brother, Roger E. Varnum, his infant sister, Judith Varnum; his parents, Edward and Betsey Varnum; his brother-in-law Robert D. Smith, and former sister-in-law Roberta (Whitney) Smith.

The family wishes to thank the many medical professionals and others who cared for Herb over the past year – in particular: the Nurses, Aides and staff at Benchmark/Tatnuck Park; Dr. Daniel Massarelli; Dr. Michael Wollin; the Visiting Nurses from Care Central VNA; Dr. Wyatt DeLomba; the Palliative Care Team, Doctors and Nurses at Memorial Hospital, and the amazing staff at Holden Rehabilitation & Skilled Nursing Center, where Herb spent the last two months of his life. Their gentle and compassionate care provided great comfort to Herb and his loved ones during his illness.

There are no calling hours. Family and friends will gather to honor Herb’s remarkable life at a Memorial Service at 3:00 PM on Friday, September 26th, 2025 at Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main Street, Holden. Interment at Mooreland Cemetery in Paxton will be private.

In lieu of flowers, Memorial Donations in Herb’s memory may be made to a charity of one’s choice.

Joel D. Katz, of Chestnut Hill, MA, passed away on Thursday, August 14, 2025, at the age of 88.

Born in Springfield, MA, and grew up in in Brookline, MA, he attended Brookline High School and graduated from Williston Academy. He went on to attend and graduate from Brown University. Joel, along with his brother-in-law, ran the Sidney Goldstein Corporation, a plumbing and heating manufacturers’ representative firm, which later became J-L Sales Company.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Miriam and Herman Katz; his brother, Myron (Mike) Katz; his sister, Elizabeth (Betsy) Daly; and his beloved wife of 43 years, Joanne Goldstein Katz. He is survived by his children: son Howard Katz (Cynthia), daughters Sarah Katz Rose and Emily Katz, daughter Susan Katz Adler (Scott), and sons Jeremy and David. He also leaves behind his longtime companion, Joyce Shufro, and many cherished family members and friends.

A graveside service will be held at Temple Ohabei Shalom Cemetery, 147 Wordsworth Street, East Boston, on Monday, August 18, at 11:00 a.m. Shiva will follow at 2:00 p.m. Levine Chapels, Brookline.

Geoffrey Hale Purdy, 84, died early Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Danbury, Connecticut, after a brief illness. Born August 6, 1940, in New York City, he was the son of Ken W. Purdy, the noted author and journalist and Jeanne Hale, a well-known literary agent.

Purdy’s early years were spent in New York City and Wilton, Connecticut. At the age of 10 he contracted a severe case of polio and required the use of a wheelchair for the rest of his life. What might have limited others was just one of the many obstacles he overcame in a life of extraordinary determination and achievement.

After his recovery he attended Williston Academy in Easthampton, MA, graduating in 1959, then matriculating to Harvard University.

Purdy then spent more than four decades as a programmer and engineer at IBM, contributing to pioneering innovations in the development of the internet – notably how cable TV systems could be used to deliver high speed internet to businesses and homes. Throughout his career, he mentored several generations of influential programmers who went on to make breakthroughs in internet technology, satellite communications, and cybersecurity. His technical expertise extended beyond his professional work-as a self-taught gunsmith he spent his entire adult life collecting, studying and repairing antique weaponry. He was also an accomplished inventor who held many patents, a mechanic and engineer.

In 1965, Purdy married Susan Gold, who would become a Julia Child award-winning author of 33 children’s and baking books, including “Pie in the Sky.” The couple settled in Roxbury, Connecticut, where Purdy and his wife built the home that served as their primary residence for the remainder of his life. He divided his time between Roxbury and Craftsbury, Vermont, where they had a log cabin on a lake.

A voracious reader with deep knowledge of history, Purdy maintained particular interests in the Civil War and World War II throughout his life. He inherited from his father a deep love of vehicles of all sorts, he always worked on his own cars and converted his endless fleet of Volvos to be driven with “hand controls” which he manufactured and installed himself.

Purdy was predeceased by his father, mother, and stepmother Lucille Purdy. He is survived by his wife Susan Gold Purdy, daughter Cassandra Purdy, sister Tabitha Purdy Song, numerous nephews and nieces, and friends from all walks of life whom he encountered throughout his varied career and interests.

In lieu of flowers, please send money to World Central Kitchen www.worldcentralkitchen.org.

Thomas Scott Bailey died unexpectedly on June 28, 2025 in Tulum, Mexico where he had lived for almost 20 years. Tom was born on Oct. 23, 1952, in Plymouth, to Irving Clarence Bailey ’42 and Barbara Keith Bailey.

He is predeceased by his parents, paternal grandparents Ichabod Clarence Bailey and Albertine Simmons Bailey, and maternal grandparents Scott Keith and Grace Cunningham Keith. Tom is survived by his sister, Susan Bailey Parker of Amesbury, nephew Colin Parker, (Kristen), nephews Nathan and Joshua of Medfield, his aunt Diana Goodbread, (Leonard) of Penfield, New York, his many cousins, and friends in West Barnet, Vermont, where he lived for many years.

Tom attended the Duxbury schools and graduated from Williston Academy in Massachusettts in 1971. He went on to graduate from Castleton State College in 1974.

Tom worked at Weidmann in St. Johnsbury, Vermont for many years and made frequent trips to Mexico for business and pleasure. He retired there in 2009 and took many great trips traveling around Mexico visiting and photographing the ruins.

Tom enjoyed living in Vermont where he could hunt and fish, and spend time in his bob house ice fishing in the winter. After his father’s death in 1978 Tom took over the woodshop and continued on with crafting wooden weathervanes. His love for woodworking continued on in his Tulum workshop.

Tom’s many friends in Tulum held a service for him on July 22. He will be greatly missed in the community.

Roland (Rick) F. Wehger, age 80, of Shelton, Connecticut, peacefully entered into rest in his home on April 17, 2025. He is the beloved husband of 51 years of Diana (Keely) Wehger. Rick was born in Bridgeport on June 16, 1944, son of the late Roland T. and Florence (Berger) Wehger, and lived in Shelton for 51 years. Rick is also predeceased by his sister Judith Henderson.

He graduated from Roanoke College with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and went on to have a successful career in IT management within the pharmaceutical industry before his retirement.

He had a diverse range of talents and interests. Rick was a diving enthusiast with NAUI Advanced Diver certification, was an avid fly fisherman and outdoorsman, and was an accomplished guitarist. He was a member of Shelton’s Olde Ripton Garden Club, serving on the Hospitality Committee and as Club Photographer. Rick was an animal lover and a friend to everyone he met.

He is the beloved father of Kimberly Ann Wehger and Eric Evan Wehger and his wife Dr. Ying Yu. He is also survived by his sister, Sue Jefferys and her husband Dr. William, nephews Tom Jefferys, Mark Jefferys and his wife Jenna, and Jeffery Henderson and his wife Heather and her child Ainsley.

Friends may greet the family at the Riverview Funeral Home, 390 River Road, Shelton, on Thursday, April 24, 2025 from 4 to 7 PM. A Celebration of Life Service will be announced and held later in the Spring.

Memorial contributions are requested to the American Cancer Society.

George McClellan Ewing, Jr., newspaperman, educator, and philanthropist, died Saturday, July 12, 2025, in Minneapolis, MN. He was 72.

During a multifaceted life, Mr. Ewing was the beloved owner and Publisher of Messenger Post Newspapers, a tough but fair high school teacher of American literature, poetry, and economics, a sports writer, a ranch hand, an involved community leader, a generous supporter of charitable causes, a hockey and lacrosse coach, and a dedicated husband, father, brother, uncle, and friend.

Mr. Ewing was born in New York City on September 23, 1952, to George and Marie-Merrill (Hubbard) Ewing, Sr. After living in White Plains, New York and Mountain View, California, Mr. Ewing’s father purchased the Daily Messenger in Canandaigua, New York in 1959 and moved his young family back across the country to run it. Mr. Ewing attended high school at Williston Academy (now the Williston Northampton School) in Easthampton, Massachusetts, then graduated from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio with a degree in English and a minor in Economics.

After college, he quickly embarked on his journalism career. After covering the United States Congress in Washington, D.C. for a company that published a condensed version of the National Record, he returned to Canandaigua in 1976 for his first stint at the Daily Messenger as a sports writer, bravely risking life and limb to bring as much good reporting as possible to his high school sports columns.

Mr. Ewing left reporting in 1979 to develop his second vocation, teaching, over the following decade, first at his high school alma mater and later outside of Minneapolis at Breck School in Golden Valley, Minnesota, where he taught English, American history, and economics. During his time teaching, Mr. Ewing was driven by his fascination with the development of American culture and the human experience. In his classes on American literature, poetry, and a self-designed American Studies course which blended history, art, and social commentary, he encouraged students to analyze poems or stories not just as standalone pieces, but as fitting within a broader socio-cultural landscape.

After a decade of teaching, Mr. Ewing returned to the “Daily Mess” to begin his training as a publisher, starting as Assistant Publisher in 1988 and taking over as Publisher when he purchased the business from his father in 1993. During the following decade, he transformed the Daily Messenger from a single daily paper into Messenger Post Newspapers, a regional standby, by acquiring 10 weekly newspapers in the Rochester area from Wolfe Publications and the family of Samuel J. Smith in 1996 and 1999. Under his leadership, Messenger Post Newspapers became an essential source of news for communities around Rochester and the Messenger was honored twice as the best newspaper of its size by the New York Associated Press, in 2004 and 2006.

He also guided the papers through years of rapid technological change, including the development of an award-winning website. In 2007, facing growing pressures on print media from the internet, he presided over the sale of Messenger Post Newspapers to Gatehouse Media after 47 years of Ewing family ownership. Colleagues remember Mr. Ewing as an even-tempered, fair-minded boss who treated reporters and press operators like family.

Public service was central to Mr. Ewing’s identity. While in Canandaigua, he volunteered with organizations dedicated to both cultural and human causes. He was a board member, including President, of Rochester, NY-based Writers and Books, as it expanded its footprint to launch core literacy and literature programs such as Rochester Reads. He also served on the boards of WXXI, a public broadcasting station, and the George Eastman House (now the George Eastman Museum). He continued the work of Neighbor to Neighbor, a small charitable program of the Daily Messenger that quietly helped people in the community pay their rent, utility, and pharmacy bills.

Following the sale of Messenger Post Newspapers, and after a year teaching back at Williston, Mr. Ewing finally retired to Minneapolis, surrounding himself with friends old and new-particularly the so-called “Superior Institute”, with whom he took trips to the Brule River in Wisconsin and for whom he drove the sag wagon on week-long bike trips. Always holding a deep faith, he became an active member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, not only attending Sunday services but also rolling up his sleeves behind the scenes. As a Sunday school teacher, he led students on pilgrimages across the globe and through adolescence. Through the church’s property committee, he helped keep the historic building and grounds in good repair. He also volunteered with the Dignity Center, showing the same compassion and dedication to helping others that had guided the work of Neighbor to Neighbor.

It was also in Minneapolis that he met his second wife, Rosemary, with whom he shared a dog, Harper Lee, and a vibrant life of laughter, love, and travel.

Mr. Ewing also found profound meaning in the quiet of the wilderness. As a young man he spent two transformative summers working as a ranch hand in the Sunlight Basin of Wyoming. These were times he often described as some of the best, and it took almost no prompting to have him telling stories of waking up early to ride the expansive property, fix fence posts, guide fly fishing trips, and control pesky prairie dogs (he was admittedly a poor shot). No matter how busy he was, he always made time to get outdoors, especially at the Ewing family camp in the Adirondack Mountains of northern New York. It was there that he taught his sons to fish and sail-he was a champion Sunfish racer.

As a long-suffering fan of the San Francisco Giants since boyhood, he rejoiced when they finally won the World Series in 2010 after decades of dashed hopes. He loved traveling for spring training or to watch a game at a new stadium with his personal scorecard and pencil at the ready, and held season tickets with his second team, the Minnesota Twins.

In addition to his wife, Rosemary, Mr. Ewing is survived by three sons from his first marriage of 23 years to Meg Reed: Patrick ’06 (Sonya) of Burlington, VT; Brendan (Kylie) and their children Oscar and Merrill of Brighton, NY; and Cameron of Brooklyn, NY; brother, Thomas ’73 (Caroline ’73) of Keene, NH; niece Claire ’08 of Burlington, VT and nephew Ross ’11 of Boston, MA; and numerous cousins with whom he was close. He was predeceased by his mother, Marie-Merrill Ewing, in 2002; and father, George M. Ewing, in 2009.

George M. Ewing, Jr. moved easily between the realms of words and woods, service and song, and always brought the same kindness and curiosity to all. He loved a good joke, and he wasn’t shy about repeating his favorite George-isms, despite groans from his family who knew what was coming. He had a genuine smile for everyone and a habit of treating strangers like friends, much to his children’s embarrassment. He came upon success by lifting others up, whether by mentoring a young reporter at the Messenger or encouraging a shy student to speak up in class. Those fortunate enough to know him will remember a humble, big-hearted man who was quick with a joke, quick with a helping hand, and quick to share the joy he found in a good story, a good song, or the great outdoors.

Memorial services will be held in Minneapolis and Canandaigua. The Minneapolis service will be held Saturday, September 20, at 10:30 am, following a 10:00 am reviewal, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, 519 Oak Grove St., Minneapolis. The Canandaigua service will be held Saturday, November 1, at 10:00 am at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 183 N. Main St., Canandaigua, followed by a reception at 12:30 pm at Rio Tomatlán, 106 Bemis St., Canandaigua.

To honor Mr. Ewing’s life, and in lieu of flowers, his family and friends suggest donations to the Neighbor to Neighbor Fund in Canandaigua, New York and the Dignity Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.