Remembering members of the Williston Northampton community

James Walles ’52

James WallesJames Alton Walles (Jim), 82, passed away peacefully on September 24, 2015, at the Rockingham County Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Brentwood, New Hampshire.

Jim is predeceased by his parents, Harry Alton and Josephine Walles; his loving wife of 46 years, Betsey Walles and his brother, David Vaughn Walles. Jim is survived by his wife, Carole Walles.

Jim and Carole married in Exeter, N.H. on August 5, 2005. Their romance rekindled when Jim tracked Carole down in 2004. They were just as happy together these last ten years as when they were teenage prom king and queen. Jim was very proud of his children, Jane Walles Hall (Steve) of Fort Mill, South Carolina, Robert Alton Walles (Jennifer) of Wen-ham, Massachusetts and Elizabeth Walles Duda (Aaron) of Tega Cay, South Carolina. He also delighted in his grandchildren, Gretchen and James Hall of Fort Mill, South Carolina, Mackenzie and Zackery Walles of Wenham, Massachusetts and Charles, Harry and Josephine Duda of Tega Cay, S.C. His family admired Jim for his intelligence, morals and love for his family.

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Mary Cary Rea ’35

Mary Cary ReaMary Cary Rea, 98, died peacefully at the Holbrook Health Center, Piper Shores Retirement Community, Scarborough, on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2015.
She was born on Dec. 30, 1916 in Ridgewood, NJ, the daughter of Charles Austin Cary and Frances Campbell Cary. Although Mary lived in several different states as a child, moving with every promotion her father earned with the DuPont Company, summers were spent in Maine with family in Cherryfield, Machias, Pond Island, and finally on her beloved Trafton Island which she and her brother purchased in 1947.

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H. Clark Island ’51

150x172-3710025Clark Island, 82, of Hobe Sound, Florida passed away peacefully on September 17, 2015 at Amore Dementia Care in Stuart, Florida surrounded by his loving family.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Joanne, his sons, David and his wife Tracy , Curt and his wife Erin, his daughter Lynn Shouse and her husband David; and his grandchildren , Kristen, Steven, Emily, Bobby, Matthew, Olivia, Jack and Phoebe. He was Uncle Clark to three nieces and a nephew.

Clark was born in Hartford, Connecticut. He attended Williston Academy and Meriden High School and he is a graduate of General Motors Institute (now known as Kettering University) with a mechanical engineering degree. Lieutenant Island served in the US Navy as a Navigator on P2V’s. Following his military service he worked as a sales representative in the ball bearing and stamped metal parts industries in Pennsylvania, Illinois, New York and ultimately Connecticut.

Clark began a second career in selling long term care insurance that covered a span of 20 years and moved to Florida in 2001.

Clark has served in the M.W. Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Connecticut for 50 years. Additionally, he served with the Acacia Lodge in Stuart Florida for the past 14 years and was active in the Republican Party.

Without a doubt, Clark’s deepest passion was singing. He participated over most of his lifetime in school choirs, church choirs, the Society of Barbershop Singing in America (via the Big Apple Chorus in NY) and more recently the Treasure Coast Community Singers in Stuart, Florida.

Harding “Hardy” Reemsnyder ’43

ReemsnyderHarding E. Reemsnyder, longtime Guilford resident, passed away peacefully at CT Hospice in Branford on Mon. September 14, 2015.

Hardy was predeceased by his wife, Florence (Misbach), and parents C. Victor and Edith (Carr) Reemsnyder.

He is a graduate of Williston Academy and Yale University and was owner of Victor Advertising Service, which was established by his father in 1938.

He was most proud of his Naval military career which began in 1943, retiring as a Commander overseeing Fort Hale, New Haven in 1972. His love of the sea was evident in his lifelong pursuit of boating in Long Island Sound, the Thimble Islands, and a favorite destination, Block Island.

He is survived by his first wife, Gloria (Dickerson) Reemsnyder of Madison, his companion, Jan Jette of Killingworth, his children, Laurie E. Reemsnyder of Mill Valley, CA; Robert (Bonnie) Reemsnyder of Old Lyme; David (Tracey) Reemsnyder of Clinton; Debra (John) Fetherston of Madison; Susan (Derek) Cummings of Durham; and step children, Michael (Kim) Denison of Guilford; Bruce Denison of Guilford; Laura Fellows of Arlington, TX. He was also blessed with 20 grandchildren and step-grandchildren.

Joseph Dzialo ’80

DzialoJoseph Francis Dzialo, husband of Martine Dzialo of Longmeadow, and son of Dr. Frederick and predeceased Helen (Partyka) Dzialo of Hatfield, passed into eternal life Friday, Sept. 18, 2015, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Joseph was born Jan. 19, 1962, in Troy, New York, and was the second eldest of five children. Joseph grew up in Hatfield, where he loved to fish, play the guitar, go on bike rides with his brothers and sisters and spend time in nature. He graduated from the Williston Northampton School where he developed his passion and talent for fine arts under renowned illustrator Barry Moser.  Joseph attended Syracuse University and holds a bachelor of fine arts in painting and graphic design from Parsons School of Design in New York. He later went on to pursue an MBA from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Joseph also studied in Paris at the Ecole de Beaux-Arts.

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Eugene Berman ’46

BermanNoted bankruptcy lawyer and civic leader Eugene B. Berman of Enfield and Woodmont, CT died peacefully at home on September 14 after a long and productive life.

He was born in Holyoke, MA on June 1, 1928, the son of Gustave and Lillian Berman.

Berman was a graduate of Williston Academy, the University of Nebraska and Boston University School of Law, and a member of the Hampden County, MA and American Bar Associations, the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and several U.S. District Courts.

He authored the 1972 book “How to Collect a Debt” and served as President of the Commercial Law League of America in 1980. In 2009 the Massachusetts Bar Association and Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly honored him for his work for the victims of the foreclosure crisis and to bring judicial foreclosure to Massachusetts.

Berman is survived by his loving partner Patricia Kozaczka and her granddaughter Taylor, by his son, E. Bruce Berman, Jr. and his wife Patricia, by his daughter Caren Berman Nemtzow, her husband Andy and their sons Zachary and Alexander, and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. Eugene Berman left the world a better place for his having lived, achieving immortality in the hearts and minds of those who survive him, especially the many descendants of Chonan and Khasia Berman.

Dr. William Joule ’50

jouleDr. William Walter Joule quietly passed away Tuesday, May 19, 2015, having led a full and accomplished life.

A proud veteran that served as a medical officer with the United States Army during the Korean War.

Dr. Joule went on to have a long and successful career as a Louisville radiologist, eventually retiring from practice while affiliated with the VA Medical Center.  Dr. Joule was an avid reader, and believed strongly in the power of education to better the human condition. He was beloved by all that knew him. 

He is survived by his devoted wife JoAnn, sister Betty Frances Joule, his step-son Stephen Carson, daughter Kristina Suttles and sons Tom and David Joule. He was also a proud grandfather and great-grandfather.

William Opsahl ’54

OpsahlWilliam Gerald Opsahl,  age 79, of Minneapolis, passed away Sept 1, 2015.

Preceded in death by parents Morris and Eileen, Bill attended Duluth East High School, graduating from Williston Academy and Yale University (’58). He sang with the Yale Glee Club, Bakers’ Dozen and Whiffenpoofs.

His lifelong involvement with the arts included president of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, performances with the Minnesota Chorale, and Basilica Choir. He was an appointee to the Minnesota State Arts Board, served on the Board of the Minnesota Parks and Trails Council and Duluth Zoo, advocated for passage of Minnesota’s 2008 Arts and Cultural Heritage Legacy Amendment, and was active in Minnesota’s Republican party.

He was Minnesota representative for the Yale Alumni Association and trustee emeritus of The Williston School. He was the Executive Vice President of Superwood Corporation and later engaged in venture capital and consulting.

He is survived by his wife, Karen Voss; his children Lee Stubenvoll (John), Laura Bordelon (Brett) and Michael Opsahl (Lisa); grandchildren Megan Knetsch (Jonathan), Michael Stubenvoll, Ari Opsahl (Harley), Matthew and Thomas Opsahl, and Maxwell Bordelon; and great granddaughter Ella Knetsch.

Leila Shapiro ’52

ShapiroLeila P. Shapiro, 80, of Springfield, MA passed away peacefully on May 27, 2015.

Daughter of Faye and Benjamin Shapiro, she is survived by her four sons Eric, Brian, Steven and Robert Zeller; daughters-in-law Allie Belser and Mela Zeller and her four grandchildren Rebecca Zeller, Benjamin Zeller, Madison Zeller and Dania Zeller.

She was an advocate for children and the disadvantaged. She was politically active and served as President of the Springfield Chapter of the League of Women Voters in the 1970’s. She was proud of her Jewish heritage and was a former member of Sinai Temple. Her passions included music, art, and cooking. She leaves behind extended family and friends too numerous to be named and will be greatly missed.

Frank Schwelb ’49

schwelbFrank E. Schwelb, a onetime Justice Department civil rights lawyer who became a D.C. judge for more than three decades, known for his sometimes floridly written judicial decisions, died Aug. 13, 2015 at a Washington hospital. He was 82. He had Parkinson’s disease and complications from cardiopulmonary ailments, said his wife, Taffy Schwelb.

After fleeing his native Czechoslovakia with his family on the eve of World War II, Judge Schwelb grew up in England before coming to the United States in his teens. He served as an attorney with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division from 1962 to 1979, when he was appointed to the D.C. Superior Court. Judge Schwelb quickly became known for his lengthy and sometimes verbally inventive writings from the bench. He turned to Shakespeare to brighten a decision on juvenile justice, John Keats in a case about trash collecting and composers Gilbert and Sullivan in a landlord ­tenant dispute. Quoting from the operetta “The Mikado,” Judge Schwelb wrote, “My object all sublime / I shall achieve in time / To let the punishment fit the crime / The punishment fit the crime.”

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Remembering members of the Williston Northampton community