Janet Hinds Saunders, 83, of Cumming, GA died on July 1, 2013 at Northside Hospital Forsyth. Born in Northampton, MA she was the daughter of the late Gailon and Ruth Hinds. Janet is survived by her beloved husband, Alfred Saunders of Cumming, GA; sons, Jeffrey Charles (Allison) Saunders and Stuart Alfred (Leigh Ann) Saunders; and much-loved grandchildren, Will Phillip Saunders, Elaine Saunders, Haylie Rose Saunders and Abigail Leigh Saunders.
Theodore B. Patchen, Jr., 94, passed away on February 19, 2017. He leaves his wife of 70 years, Connie (Butwell) Patchen; daughters Laine Roundy of Woodbury CT, and Corinne Martin of Peru, MA; three grandchildren, Marguerite McNaughten of Chesterfield, VA; Russell Martin of Windham, NH; and Pam Martin of Dublin, PA; and two great-grandchildren. He was born in New Haven, CT, and raised in Torrington; son of Theodore Patchen Sr. and Maude (Lasher) Patchen of Waterbury, CT. He attended Torrington High School, then Williston Academy, graduating in 1942. Afterwards, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, where he served as a Captain and navigator on a B-24 bomber during World War II. They flew 26 sorties, and were shot down on April 8, 1945 while targeting a railroad bridge at Vipitano, in northern Italy. He and the surviving crew members were captured and then walked to Moosburg prison camp, south of Munich. He was a POW until liberated by American soldiers at the end of the war. Ted Patchen returned home, married, graduated from Wesleyan University in 1949, and raised a family. He worked for the Traveler’s Insurance Company for over 30 years in Philadelphia, Manchester, NH, and in Hartford, CT. He built a summer cottage at Lake Wallenpaupack in PA, and the family spent summers there for over 30 years. He loved sailing, music and enjoyed nature immensely.
James Douglas Whitney 83, died at home June 10, 2014 with Nancy, his wife of 59 years, at his side. He is survived by their sons, Douglas Carter Whitney, Keith John Whitney and James Apel Whitney; their wives, Jeanne Benda Whitney, Jeanne Aulgur Whitney and Laura Scheerer Whitney and five grandchildren, Eva Aulgur Whitney, Sophie Jane Whitney, August William Whitney, Christopher Douglas Whitney and Conrad George Whitney. He is also survived by his younger brother, Dr. Peter Julius Whitney and his wife, Sally Wheeler Whitney. His unique sense of humor and magnanimous disposition will be missed by all who knew him. He was a loving and devoted husband, a caring father, and doting grandfather. He leaves behind a lifetime of happy memories and a caring spirit that he passed on to those who loved him. He was born June 30, 1930 and attended Bucknell University where he met his wife Nancy. He served briefly in the Army and married shortly thereafter. He attended the University of Buffalo Law School and passed both the Arizona and New York State bar. He moved to Arizona where he worked in the Cochise County Attorneys’ Office in Bisbee, Arizona and private practice before joining the United States Attorneys’ Office in Tucson, where he did the work that he loved the most. Although he left the United States Attorneys’ Office for a few years, he was able to return and finish his career there. In the course of his legal career, he presented oral arguments before the United States Supreme Court and the other Federal Appellate Courts. He loved reading, the occasional round of golf, practicing his trombone, and enjoying the beauty of his ranch in Southern Arizona. He will be deeply missed.
Jean (Fowler) Winsor, 84, of Newport, the Florida Keys and Ft. Myers passed away surrounded by her family on Saturday, June 6, 2015. She was predeceased by her husband of 62 years, The Reverend Edward S. Winsor. Born in Westerly RI on February 11, 1931, she was the daughter of the late Wells and Esther Fowler. Jean graduated from Wheeler and RI College and taught first grade in the Portsmouth Schools for twenty years.
Jean was a lifetime member of the Newport Yacht Club. She was an experienced yachtswoman. She met the love of her life, Edward, while sailing in Weekapaugh, RI and they continues their lifelong love of the water, sailing from Nova Scotia to the Florida Keys into their seventies. Jean was a political activist, past president of the Newport National Organization for Women in the 1970’s, an active member of the Ft. Myers Democratic Club, and a strong and tireless advocate for the poor, volunteering at meal sites wherever she resided.
Jean’s lifelong commitment to the church gave her strength, energy and spiritual fulfillment that she shared generously with all she met.
Jean leaves behind her daughter Susan and her children Gordon, Amy-Elizabeth and Sarah; son Frank, his wife Theresa and their children Andrew and Daniel; daughter Elizabeth and her son Samuel Slesinger; son Gregory, his wife Barbara and their children Meredith, Mitchell and Maxwell; great grandchildren Nathin Johnson, Mylee Santos and Abigail Winsor; and sister-in-law Anne Doskow of CA. Jean was predeceased by her sisters Bickey Pile and Barbara Rossell.
Arden Nicoli, formerly Arden Tinti, from the well-known Tinti family of Agawam, left this life on October 16, 2015. Arden learned the art of cooking through the Tinti’s family restaurant and some of her specialties were Macarungs, spaghetti and tuna, tortellinis, along with her famous cheesecakes, cream cheese brownies and apple pies. A Barnard graduate, Arden taught middle school at West Springfield Jr. High. Arden spent the last part of her life, owning and operating “The Golden Peacock” on Sumner Ave, a vintage resale boutique. An eternal woman of style, she channeled that into her store, with a passion for tag sales and finding the ultimate treasure. She had a collection of antique cocktail purses and vintage tea cups. She was a gifted soprano opera singer and performed at St Michael’s church, East Longmeadow of which she was a member. She raised her children in Longmeadow giving them not only a gifted life but a life with a special mother, indeed. The family traveled to Italy and Canada and spent their summers in Cape Cod. She loved rummy cube and reading and will be remembered for her gentle, nurturing and loving nature. She will be greatly missed by her children; her daughter, Dawn from San Diego; and Mark from Westfield, his wife Michelle and daughter, Molly Rose. Arden and her family would like to thank the staff at Redstone Nursing Home for being so amazingly helpful and caring during her last days here.
John Irwin Marshall IV, 39, of Lake Bluff passed away unexpectedly on March 5, 2017. John was a graduate of Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, Massachusetts and completed his studies at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Most recently, he was a devoted employee at Bernie’s Book Bank in Lake Bluff. John was an avid guitar player and had a great love for music and fishing. Beloved son of John I. (Andrea) Marshall III and Frederica (the late Thomas D.) Hoyt; cherished brother of Samantha (Barrett C.) Davie; loved uncle of Ford Robert, Taylor Frederica and Carolyn Ely Davie; fond step-brother of Craig Palmer, Joshua Hoyt, Amy Knowlton, Darcy Hoyt, Peter Hoyt, Phoebe Volla and Nathaniel Hoyt.
Anne Reuther Harris, 88, of Rowayton, CT and New York City died at home on February 2, 2017. Born in Buffalo, NY to Bernard Oscar Reuther and Edna Steele Reuther and graduated from Smith College. Active supporter of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, former Co-Chair of the Winter Antiques Show benefiting the East Side House Settlement and former President of the Colony Club. She was predeceased by her husband of 57 years, James Hoban Harris, and is survived by her three sons, Duncan (Beth), Gordon and Andrew (Christine) and grandchildren Jennifer, Amanda, Andrew, Christopher, Katherine and Michael.
Sheila Mary Walsh Parizeau, 87, of Wellesley, MA, passed away on October 26, 2016 surrounded by her loved ones. She was born into the Walsh family as the youngest of six close-knit siblings on July 16, 1929 in Buffalo, NY. Her sister Jerry was her lifelong sidekick. Her brother Eddie often said that she was the best of the bunch and nicknamed her “The Franchise.” If you happen to see Eddie, have him explain what that means to you (and us). Sheila was determined to be a single working woman until a handsome French Canadian named Doug Parizeau showed up in church and changed her mind with his charismatic charm and sense of humor. They married and started a family, raising their five children in Westfield, NJ. When Sheila’s husband Doug died when she was 48 years old, she courageously accepted her newest challenge. Jumping into the real estate business with her best friend Joyce at her side, hard-working Sheila put all five kids through college. Sheila was a competitor all her life. She loved tennis, card games, puzzles and any activity that involved her grandchildren. Anyone who knows Sheila probably knows those 17 grandchildren well, as Sheila was their biggest supporter and talked about them all the time. Sheila was so proud of her family. She leaves behind five children, their five spouses (who she loved like they were her own children) and 17 grandchildren: Ernie Parizeau (wife Kim and children Kate, Doug, Molly and Sam), Sue Frame (husband Michael and children Megan, Andy and Davis), Doug Parizeau (wife Christy and children Izzy, Louis, and Annie), Will Parizeau (wife Lisa and children Oliver, Charlie, and Wylie); and Sally Tyrie (husband Dave and children Baylor, Jack, Devon and Reese).
On Sunday, February 19, 2017, John Haines Spencer, Jr. passed away. And the world will never be the same. Born September 15, 1936 to John Haines Spencer and Pauline Simmons Spencer, Jack was raised in Adams, Massachusetts. After graduating from Williston Prep School and Amherst College, he received a Masters in Education from Purdue University. While teaching at Williams High School in Stockbridge, he had the good fortune to meet and fall in love with Social Studies teacher Judith Leahey. On February 20, 1965, he had the good sense to marry her and continue a love affair that spanned more than fifty years. Mr. Spencer was an educator for 47 years. He taught Social Studies at Williams High School and Monument Mountain Regional High School and was Principal of Searles Middle School. He encouraged students to be conscious seekers and doers, to be disturbers of the universe. He was chair of the Monument Social Studies department from its inception in 1967. The department created the first Holocaust curriculum for high school students in the country. Jack and Roselle Chartock coedited the anthology that came out of that curriculum. Jack had a love of Stockbridge and its citizens, community activism and participation in government. He served on numerous committees and boards, including the Stockbridge Planning Board (chairman) and Zone of Appeals, The Stockbridge Library (president and member of the Board of Trustees), The Fund for Excellence and School Center, Inc. He was instrumental in writing the zoning bylaws for Stockbridge. Jack is survived by daughters Ann Marie (Scott) Miller, Kathy (Fred) Erickson, sisters Judy Burbank and Cyndie Spencer (Denny Lund), Pat and Buz Hanley, Mike and Sally Leahey, Fred Wigge an exchange student who became part of the family, grandchildren Eric, Kristen and Amanda Miller and Emily Erickson, many close cousins, nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews, the lucky 13 and generations of well-educated students, an astounding number of loving friends and a grateful community. He is predeceased by his parents Haines, Pauline and Louise Spencer, his wonderful wife Judy, and his step-mother Pat Swann.
The following is a personal reflection from Dr. Michael B. Conant ’56 on the passing of his Williston roommate and close friend of over 60 years, Amos K. Hobby, Jr., PhD.
Dr. Amos K. Hobby, Jr. died on August 18, 2016, just four days after his birthday. Both of us became psychologists in private practice, lived near each other, and had very close ties. His girlfriend told me that a day before his death, she started to read to him from The New Age book. Amos stated, “I don’t want anyone cramming that stuff down my throat.” She said to me, “That was Amos.” Absolutely. I’ll miss him a great deal.
