Remembering members of the Williston Northampton community

Barbara Cheney Ross ’54

December 2, 2013 jpilgrim 1 Comment

Barbara Ellen Cheney Ross, age 76, of Toms River, NJ, passed away on Thursday morning, August 29th, 2013.

She bravely endured a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease and heart problems. Barbara was born in Boston, Massachusetts, where she was raised by her parents Stanley and Dorothy Cheney.

She attended Northampton School for Girls and then Smith College in Massachusetts and received her BA from Georgian Court College in Lakewood. She later received her law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law and practiced family law in Toms River for over 20 years. Barbara and a colleague founded a non-profit adoption service, New Jersey Friends of FANA.

Barbara is survived by her beloved husband Robert, a retired USAF Colonel and Pan Am World Airways pilot. They were married for 57 wonderful years and raised four biological children: Elizabeth, Victoria, Stanley John and Ian. They adopted and loved many other children including: Adriana, Jennifer, Katherine, John, Hope, David, and Alec. Barbara and Robert lived and raised their family for over forty years in Toms River. She will be forever loved and missed by her family.

Posted in: 1950s

Dr. David L. Kendall ’40

November 4, 2013 jpilgrim Leave a comment

Dr. David Leslie Kendall, 93, passed away with his family at his bedside on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2013. He was born in Montpelier, Vt., in 1920.

David was preceded in death by his parents, Leslie and Cornelia Vaughan Kendall, and brother, Vaughan. David is survived by his wife of 65 years, Joan James; their four children, Jeanie Young, Deborah Kendall-Gallagher, Vaughan and Elizabeth; six grandchildren, Frank, David, Hunter, Margot, Kathryn (Katie) and Colin; and two great-grandchildren, Hawke and Bodie.

David graduated from McGill University and received his medical degree from the University of Vermont in 1953 after serving in World War II. David and Joan moved to Farmington in 1958, where he opened his general surgery practice. Committed to his patients, David served the community for more than 40 years. David was inducted in the San Juan Regional Medical Center Hall of Fame in 2006.

David, known to be disciplined but independent of spirit, was a loving husband, parent and grandparent. David brought a vitality to life expressed through his loyalty to family, excitement of flying, dedication to golf and love of fly fishing on the quality waters of the San Juan River.

David will be buried in St. George’s Cemetery in Trenton, Ontario, Canada.

Posted in: 1940s, Class of 1940

Robert T. Gabriel ’39

November 4, 2013 jpilgrim Leave a comment

Robert T. Gabriel passed away on October 21, 2013. Born and raised in New Haven, Conn., he was a former resident of Bedford, Mass. and Lexington, Mass. After graduating from Yale in 1943, he served as an officer in the Navy and took part in D-Day in 1944.

After the war, he joined the Yale Alumni Fund as Secretary of that organization for 13 years. Following that he became Director of Radcliffe College Fund. In subsequent years he worked as a fund raising consultant winding up as Vice President of American Fund Raising Services whose clients consisted of hospitals, colleges and other philanthropic organizations.

He was a member of the Pilgrim Congregational Church of Lexington where he was a member of the governing council for a number of years. After retirement he joined the Peace Corps and went to Botswana where he became loan officer in the National Development Bank.

He was predeceased by his first wife, Margaret Bell (Miller) in 1979, his second wife, Isabel (Maxwell) in 2007, his brother, John C. Gabriel and sister, Susan Cunliffe. He is survived by his one son, Robert T. Gabriel, Jr. and daughter Anne C. Dunn of Long Island. He also leaves three grandchildren: Meghan Durkee, Stacey Gabriel and Heather Dunn.

Posted in: 1930s, Class of 1939

Frederick R. Stoll ’44

October 31, 2013 jpilgrim Leave a comment

Frederick R. Stoll, a resident of Green Valley, AZ, and formerly of West Hartford, CT, died on Feb. 17, 2013. He was predeceased by his wife, Phyllis (Clark) Stoll; sons Robert G. Stoll, David M. Stoll; sister Jeanne Fry Ehinger; sister-in-law, Leah Madigan and brother, James L. Stoll. He is survived by his daughters-in-law, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, his brother-in-law Will (Louise) Ehinger, as well as several nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews.

Fred, a 1944 graduate of Williston Academy, served in the Navy on the USS North Carolina and worked in aerospace engineering at Chandler Evans in Hartford, CT for 35 years before retiring to Arizona. Fred was an avid golfer and longtime member of the Haven Golf Club.

His family gives thanks for the life Fred shared with all of us.

Posted in: Uncategorized

Raymond Davis ’60

October 28, 2013 jpilgrim 1 Comment

Raymond E. Davis passed away suddenly at his home in East Falmouth on June 13, 2013. Ray was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on September 11, 1941, but spent most of his formative years growing up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. He graduated from Hastings High School, The Williston School, The LaGuardia Academy of Aeronautics, and received his degree in mechanical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Ray soon became a project engineer at Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford, CT, a time highlighted by meeting the love of his life, Linda, whom he married in 1968. Ray was transferred to Santa Ana, CA, where he was one of the first to work on terrain-following helicopter radar guidance used during the Vietnam war. He was also deeply involved in the design and testing of helicopter sea rescue technology.

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Posted in: 1960s

Herbert Pond ’44

October 28, 2013 jpilgrim Leave a comment

Herbert R. Pond, 87, a longtime Auburn resident died Thursday October 24, 2013 in his home in Brewster after an illness with his family by his side.

His wife of 43 years, Beverly J. (Maccabee) Pond died in 1993. He leaves a daughter, Heather M. Pond of Brewster; a sister, Marilyn R. Bonasia and her husband John of Mashpee; five grandchildren, Travis Dandro of Maine, Christopher M. Lombardi of Vail, CO, Jonathan D. Lombardi of Bridgewater, Benjamin R. Pond of Boston and Molly T. Pond of Auburn; three great grandchildren and five nephews. Besides his wife, he was predeceased by three sons, Richard H. Pond in 2007, David L. Pond in 1990, and Dana G. Pond in 1974.

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Posted in: 1940s

Paul R. DeGross ’39

October 8, 2013 jpilgrim Leave a comment

Paul R. DeGross, 94, of Mill Road, Durham, died Wednesday, June 5, 2013, at his home.

Born April 20, 1919, in Manchester, he was the son of Bernard deGroseilliers and Beatrice (Chagnon) DeGross Robinson and the stepson of the late Lewis
Robinson.

He graduated from Central High School in Manchester in 1937 and from the University of New Hampshire in 1944 with a B.A. and in 1946 with an MBA.

After graduating from college, he taught high school in Dover and Newmarket for a few years. He left teaching to become an entrepreneur. He started his own business, Investment Properties Corporation. He pursued a career as a real estate purchaser and developer until his retirement in 2009.

He leaves behind his wife, Linda (McWhorter) DeGross of Durham; four cousins, Francine Letendre of West Linn, Ore., Susan Morin of Manchester, Cynthia
Ruonala of Nashua and Roy Montembault of Midwest City, Okla; and many longtime and close friends.

Posted in: 1930s

Robert N. Hennessy ’36

October 8, 2013 jpilgrim Leave a comment

Robert N. Hennessy died peacefully Friday July 26, 2013 at his beloved home in Westborough at the age of 95.

Bob was born November 18, 1917 in Holyoke, MA. A life long resident of Westborough, he graduated from Westborough High School, Clark University, and Harvard Dental School. He later trained as an orthodontist at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. While at Harvard he enlisted in the Navy and served as the dentist aboard the USS Starlight, a WWII naval transport ship operating in the Pacific.

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Posted in: 1930s

Donald Morse ’38

October 7, 2013 jpilgrim Leave a comment

Donald Ray Morse, 93, of Parkwood Beach, Wareham, passed away at home Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013. He was the husband of Katharine (Boyce-Hinman) Morse. Donald was born Dec. 5, 1919, in Brockton, the son of the late Warren P. and Laura (Wagner) Morse.

A 1937 graduate of Brockton High School. Donald furthered his education graduating from Williston Academy in 1938 and then Tufts College in 1942 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. While at college Donald was a member and belonged to the Delta Upsilon Fraternity. A U.S.Navy veteran of WorldWar II, Donald served in the Mediterranean Theatre and attained the rank of Lieutenant.

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Posted in: 1930s

Daniel Lucier ’77

October 7, 2013 jpilgrim 8 Comments

Daniel deForest Lucier, 55, passed away peacefully at home on October 3, 2013 surrounded by his wife, children, brother, and much-loved chocolate lab, Sophie, after a valiant 5-year battle with cancer.

He was born on October 2, 1958 in Hartford, CT to Joseph and Priscilla Lucier. Dan was raised in Foxboro, MA. He loved tennis, skiing at Okemo, VT, and yearly treks to Chatham, MA for summer vacations, where he developed a deep love of the ocean. He graduated from Foxboro High School, and did a post-graduate year at the Williston Northampton School. Dan received a degree in Business Administration from the University of Vermont in 1981.

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Posted in: 1970s