Virginia “Ginny” Nickerson Cooney, 96, died peacefully on Oct. 22, 2025 after a short illness.

Virginia grew up in Greenville, Maine and graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in education prior to working as a second-grade teacher in Beverly, Mass. She married the love of her life, James Cooney.

They became long-term residents of Falmouth, where they raised their family. Virginia was a loving and devoted wife and mother. Eventually, she moved to Brunswick where she spent her widowhood. She was beautiful inside and out with an endearing, radiant smile. She was the matriarch of our family and was extraordinarily generous with her love.

Virginia had many passions. She was a puzzle master at Thornton Oaks Retirement Community. She was a voracious reader. She loved dogs and bred champion Weimaraner’s. Virginia was intellectually curious, loved to travel, visit new places and meet new people. She always had a garden and was generous with her produce. She insisted good soil, sun and love were key factors to her gardening success. She enjoyed genealogy and tracing the family history back to their crossing on the Mayflower. She was a proud member of the Mayflower Society and the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Virginia was a collector of almost anything: stamps, coins, glassware, antiques, jewelry, string, etc. She was an incredible seamstress and enjoyed cross-stitch projects. She made her own clothes and was always available to complete sewing projects for her extended family. Virginia was fiercely independent. She continued to drive until she was 94. Asked what her secret was to longevity she would respond “never stop moving.” Virginia was frugal and thrifty, yet incredibly generous to her family and many charitable organizations.

Virginia was predeceased by her husband, James Cooney; son James “Jay” Cooney, DMD; a grandson, Matthew Cooney; and her brother, Hiram Nickerson.

She is survived by her children Robert Cooney, MD and spouse Lorrie, Syracuse, N.Y., Janet Kole, Topsham, John Cooney, Rangeley; her grandchildren, Meagan Cooney and spouse Jon David Sumega, Portland, Ore., Jenn Kole and spouse Paul Fuller, Portland, Erin Cooney Fitzgerald and spouse Chris, Plantation, Fla., Jason Cooney and spouse Alisha, Topsham, Lynne and spouse Chris Halligan, South Berwick, Hannah Kole and spouse Matt Grifferty, Pasadena, Calif., Mitchell Cooney and fiancé Amelia, Brighton, Mass., Jeffrey Cooney, Manchester, N.H., Charlotte Cooney, New York, N.Y.; five great-grandchildren (one pre-deceased); her sister, Ellen Poole, Bedford, N.H.; and several nieces, nephews and friends.

Virginia was a giving person but did not like accepting gifts. She would ask for nothing at this time, except for us to be kind to one another.

A graveside service for her with family will be held June 20, 2026.

Jane Frances Carlson passed away peacefully with her family and pastor at her side on July 21, 2025. She had been a resident at Frasier Meadows for more than four years.

Jane was born in Colorado Springs to Roy and Dele Waters on February 26, 1929. She grew up in a yellow house, loved books and playing house with girls on the block. Her parents were sturdy and loving. Jane loved mischief and mounted a revolt in high school, encouraging fellow students to stay on the bus instead of going to class. She attended Northampton School for Girls for her senior year and thrived academically. Jane studied English and Education at the University of Colorado where she was President of her Delta Gamma sorority and met her husband, Bob Carlson who was newly back from World War II. They had five children (Tina, Bob, Doug, Glenn and Jim).

In order to support her children after Bob left the family, Jane taught English and established a center for students who had difficulty with reading at Boulder High for twenty-two years, supplemented by doing scoring and timing at various high school sports events. On the side, she completed a Masters in Adult Literacy from the University of Northern Colorado in 1978. She later taught at Ames Community College, Regis University, and her alma mater CU. Jane volunteered for hospice when the movement was just gaining acceptance and stayed with them for 43 years. She worked doing children’s bereavement groups, respite, home visiting, thank-you card writing and the thrift store, among other jobs for the organization. In recognition of this and other work, she was awarded the annual Boulder County Community Foundation’s Pat on the Back Award in 2006.

Jane was an avid dog lover, walker, weaver, reader and gardener. Her gardens flourished with vegetables and bright flowers. She was a lifelong Episcopalian and participated in the creation of two churches: St. Mary Magdalene in Boulder and St. Brigit’s in Frederick, Colorado. She taught Sunday school and was on the discernment committee for new ministers.

Jane loved her family and stayed close with all five of her children, as well as their spouses: Tres (Tina), Beth (Doug) and Joanna (Jim). She found great joy in her close involvement with her grandchildren: Caitlyn, Betsy, Mia, Jimmy and Jane. She had three great grandchildren, Elton, Luca and Daphne, and loved to see videos and photos of them. She was also very close to the daughters of her late sister Rita Grace, Heather and Janet. She remained close to all her surviving sorority sisters.

Jane was gifted with a strong sense of curiosity about the world and was able to travel widely including to: Vietnam, China, Tibet, Armenia, Russia, Burkina Faso, Italy, Poland, Germany, France, Spain, Great Britain, and New Zealand, as well as exploring many parts of the US. She read voraciously and never stopped wanting to learn and grow. We will miss her strong determination, her great humor and laugh, her fierceness, her kindness, her wit, and the giving and unconditional love she offered.

A memorial service will be held at 11am on Saturday, August 30, 2025 in the chapel of St. Mary Magdalene Church, 4775 Cambridge Street, Boulder.

Esta Smith Busi passed away peacefully on June 9, 2026 surrounded by her loving family in her Northampton home after vibrantly living with stage 4 pancreatic cancer for two years.

Born in Springfield October 25,1937, Esta moved to Northampton at age 11. She attended the Northampton School for Girls, then graduated from Smith College with a BA in Russian Literature and moved to New York City. There she married Meary James Thurairajah Tambinmuttu in 1960 where her eldest and only daughter Shakuntala Tambimuttu was born in 1962. In 1965, Esta moved back to Northampton and earned an MA in Education from UMASS Amherst. Esta then worked as a high school teacher in Milton, MA, marrying Professor Frederick Allen Busi in 1967. Together they took root in Northampton in 1968 and welcomed Andre-Issac Umberto Busi in 1969. After having Emile-Albert Abraham Busi in 1972, Esta obtained her realtor’s license and worked at a number of real estate companies for multiple decades. While doing this, Esta was active in the League of Women Voters and the Congregation B’nai Israel as President of the sisterhood, as well as President of the Board of Directors and President of Hadassah, while also cooking and serving the Senior lunches at CBI while she was able.

Esta loved to sing with her powerful voice and was a regular stage presence in the Valley Light Opera, Berkshire Choral Festival and in her own kitchen with friends and family.

She always enjoyed showing off her encyclopedic knowledge of all the hits of the 20th century. Throughout her life, Esta had several rescue dog companions, which kept her extremely physically active right up until the very end of her life, walking for hours in the “dog park” where she would add to the friends she would regularly host at her house.

She is predeceased by her parents Sarah and Louis Smith and brother Robert Smith.

She is survived by her brothers Perry and Brian Smith, her three children and six grandchildren.

The Ascher-Zimmerman Funeral Home is assisting the family.

Rosemary “Rosie” Adams Thurber, 94, ever in search of a peaceable kingdom, died in the company of her loving family at Laurel Oaks of South Haven, Michigan, on June 8, 2026. She was a lifelong advocate for the common good of creatures great and small.

Rosie was born in New York City on October 7, 1931, to James Grover Thurber and Althea Adams Thurber. She grew up in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, and Cambridge and Amherst, Massachusetts, graduating from the Northampton School for Girls in 1949 and from the University of Pennsylvania in 1953 with a liberal arts degree. At age seventeen she dreamed of being an actor, and it was as a member of the Pennsylvania Players college theater group that she met her future husband, Frederick W. Sauers. They married in Philadelphia and settled in Chicagoland, raised three children, and were married for twenty years. Rosie was active onstage at the Theatre of Western Springs and co-founded a theater troupe that performed for children. She returned to school in her forties, earned a master’s degree in social work at Washington University in St. Louis, then moved to South Haven to live alongside her treasured Lake Michigan.

Rosie worked in support of peace, social justice, the environment, and the arts, often through her associations with the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany and the South Haven Center for the Arts, where she was board president and for years shepherded the July South Haven Art Fair. She was a longtime member of the church, served on the vestry, and found a great source of strength and wisdom in God’s way and through healing prayer. Rosie loved visits from her family, partying with friends, her evening Manhattan, good conversation, and making her point-you wanted her on your side.

As the only child of a celebrated writer and cartoonist, Rosie found her life touched in exceptional ways. Working with publishers, authors, performers, and literary organizations, she guided her father’s literary estate and legacy as a humorist with care and a keen editorial sense. She was a supporting founder of the Thurber House literary center and museum in Columbus, Ohio. Her father dedicated The Last Flower to her in 1939, writing, “For Rosemary, in the wistful hope that her world will be better than mine.” She will now hold that hope for all of us.

Rosie’s survivors include her children, Sara Thurber Sauers (Mike Lewis-Beck) and Greg Thurber Sauers (Mary); her grandchildren, Adam G. Sauers (Olivia Dellios) and Elizabeth A. Valtman (Chris); two great-grandchildren, Adeline and Zoey Valtman; her sister, Linda A. Gilmore; and a nephew and niece, Tim and Zoë Fothergill. She was preceded in death by her son Mark Thurber Sauers; her parents; her stepmother, Helen W. Thurber; and her fondly remembered childhood stepfather, Francis B. Comstock.

A celebration of life is planned for the early fall. Memorial donations may be made to the Church of the Epiphany, Al-Van Humane Society, or the South Haven Center for the Arts.

Judith M. Doane, 92, a lifelong Marblehead resident, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, at Salem Hospital. She was the daughter of the late Mortimer Holden Doane and Elizabeth Mary Green Doane.

For many years, Judy devoted her professional life to teaching. Beginning in preschool classrooms and continuing throughout her career. She also loved her work with children with special needs—an endeavor that reflected her deep love of children.

Judy also had a lifelong love of music and the theater. In her earlier years, she enjoyed acting and dancing on stage, pursuits that brought her great joy. An avid reader, she also found great pleasure in books and in listening to classical music.

A lover of nature, Judy found beauty in every season. She delighted in the promise of spring, the warmth of summer breezes and the quiet beauty of falling snow. Autumn, with its deep colors and peaceful stillness, was especially dear to her.

Judy nurtured lasting friendships with coworkers, neighbors and all those fortunate enough to know her. She valued connection deeply and cherished the relationships she built over a lifetime.

A familiar and beloved presence in town, Judy was a daily early-morning regular at the Muffin Shop, where she and her friends gathered to catch up on local happenings. She was always quick to share her observations, delivered with her dry wit and sweet, infectious laugh.

Judy is survived by her nephews, Michael Doane of Aiken, S.C., Eric Doane of Savannah, Ga. and her niece, Leslie Doane of Falls Church, Va.

Service information: A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, Feb. 20, at 2 p.m. at Eustis & Cornell of Marblehead, 142 Elm St., with light refreshments and fellowship to follow.

Jean Young Harrison, aged 91, passed away on April 14th, 2026, following complications from a fall. A resident since 2021 of The Bridges at Warwick in Jamison, Pa., and a longtime former resident of Washington D.C., she was married for 47 years to Earl G. Harrison, Jr., who died in 2003. She is survived by Dana and Stephanie Harrison, their children Abigail and Niko Harrison, and by Colin and Kathryn Harrison and their children Sarah, Walker, and Julia Harrison. She is also survived by her late sister Katherine McCaw’s four children, Bill McCaw, Alleyne Coleman, Kelly Greiner, and Mary McCaw and their large extended families.

Born Jean Spencer Young on December 4, 1934, in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in Texas, in New Orleans, and Massachusetts. In the summers, she enjoyed camps in the Northeast, where she canoed and sailed. A graduate of the Northampton School for Girls, she matriculated to Bryn Mawr College, where she earned a B.A. in philosophy in 1956. She later earned an M.A. in theater arts at Villanova University.

Jean Harrison’s greatest interest was in theater, and she passionately pursued this vocation in professional off-Broadway roles in New York City, in regional and summer stock productions in the Northeast, and in Philadelphia, where she was a co-founder in 1974 of The Philadelphia Company (now known as The Philadelphia Theatre Company), a troupe that put on plays ranging from Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” to new plays by rising playwrights. She also directed and played roles in Philadelphia Company productions, at the Hedgerow Theater in Rose Valley, Pa., and at Westtown School, where her husband was the headmaster. In her later years she played in productions in Washington, D.C., including in the Kennedy Center, and Baltimore, and served as a private voice coach.

Jean Harrison’s life was marked by her long participation in the theatrical community. She spent decades acting, directing, and raising money for theater organizations. She was known for her graciousness and generosity, her ability to laugh (often at herself), and her wide interest in culture. Her sons enjoyed teasing her and she put up with this with patience and humor. With her late husband, Earl Harrison, she travelled to China, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America. She also took each of her granddaughters—Sarah, Abigail, and Julia Harrison—on separate trips to England. Hers was a life well lived, and she will be missed.

Services will be private.

Mary C. Clark, age 94, Baptized into the Hope of Christ’s Resurrection, Tuesday, August 5, 2025.

Mary was born in Northampton, Massachusetts to Joseph and Mary Panzica. Mary is preceded in death by her dear husband Gerald W. Clark, her parents and her brother Joseph (Phyllis) Panzica.

Mary is survived by her children Wayne (Cindy) Clark, Richard (Virginia) Clark, Vincent (Sharon) Clark, Geralyn (Mathew) Harnisch, Maria (Greg) Jeffery, Thomas (Debi) Clark; her grandchildren Andrew, Kevin, Scott, Alycia (Jason), Erika (Ben), Jason, Harrison (Morgan), Marissa (Mikel), Nicole (Isaiah), Elaina, David, Shayla (Nick), Brenna (Kenny), Ciera and Keegan; her great-grandchildren Taylin, Dakota, Rosie, Harlow, Lorraine, Ethan, Charlie, Juliette, Kira, Knox, Kyia, Knyt, and Steely. Dear aunt, great-aunt, cousin and friend to many.

Mary was a member of St. Sabina Church where she quilted and was a member of the choir. She loved cooking, entertaining and feeding her flock. Above all else, she loved time with her family and friends.

Visitation from 4:00pm until 8:00pm on Tuesday, August 12th at Hutchens Mortuary, Florissant, Missouri. Funeral Mass at 9:00am on Wednesday August 13th at St. Sabina Church.

Interment at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to:

American Heart Association or American Cancer Society

Ann N. Hoyt, 88, of Chillicothe, Ohio, died peacefully on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at her residence following an extended illness, holding hands with her loving and supportive children. She was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, Joseph Nelson White Hoyt, who died March 20, 2014.

Ann was born May 26, 1937, in Essex Fells, New Jersey, to the late Charles Peter August and Frances Price Nelson. She met her husband at horse shows along the East Coast. Their shared passion for animals, particularly the Morgan horse, led Joe Hoyt, in less than one year, to convince Ann to marry him and move to Chillicothe, Ohio. She spent the next 65 years at Glenallan Farm, which held a special place in her heart where she found great joy caring for her animals and tending her gardens.

Ann is survived by her daughter, Betsy (Kevin) Hackett of Dublin, Ohio; sons Nelson Hoyt of Rocky River, Ohio, and Peter (Kate) Hoyt of Chillicothe, Ohio; step-sons Eric Hoyt and Cash Hoyt; dear friends Elinor Miller ’55, Beansie Cronin, Sharon Williamson, and Jan Fortney; and her beloved grandchildren Kate (Rahul) Hackett Sud of Atlanta, Georgia; Joe (Emily Bain) Hackett of New York, New York; Ellie (Andrew MacNeil) Hackett of Gainesville, Florida; Sam Hackett of New York, New York; Jack Hoyt of Chillicothe, Ohio; and PJ (Lexi Betts) Hoyt of Chillicothe, Ohio.

She was a graduate of Northampton School for Girls and St. Lawrence University. Ann was a former member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Chillicothe and a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). A spirited and feisty woman, she was never afraid to share her opinion. She deeply loved her family and was always there when they needed her. Ann loved to travel, especially visiting the family home in New Hampshire. She cherished her time with friends. She will be remembered for her devotion to family, her strength, the kindness she showed others, and her deep love of animals and gardening.

A celebration of Ann’s life will be held at a later date, as Ann requested, at her beloved Glenallan Farm. Arrangements are under the direction of Ware Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to the Ross County Humane Society, 2308A Lick Run Road, Chillicothe, Ohio 45601.

The family extends heartfelt gratitude to Adena Hospice and her devoted caregivers Tina, Gwen, Sarilda, Debbie and others for their compassionate care.

“To live in hearts you leave behind is not to die.”

Sarah Sloan Evans of Duxbury, MA, passed away on February 8, 2026 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was 89.

Sarah was born December 14, 1936 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to Nora (Bossert) and Ambrose V. Sloan, a family physician. She spent her youth in Wilkes-Barre and Glen Summit, PA, and, after a brief stint in parochial school, became a day student at Wyoming Seminary in nearby Kingston, PA. A friend convinced her to transfer to the Northampton School for Girls following the untimely death of her father, whom she adored, when she was 15. After graduating in 1954, Sarah earned a B.A. from Wells College in 1959 spending her junior year abroad at the University of Edinburgh. Following a brief stint working in New York City, she joined her mother in Norfolk, VA where she became a social worker. It was there that she met her husband of 65 years, Arthur B. Evans, then serving in the U.S. Navy. After moving to Duxbury in 1967, Sarah pursued a M.S.W. degree from Simmons College and worked as a psychiatric social worker at the Mayflower Mental Health Center in Plymouth. With an eye for detail and an insistence on precision, she transitioned into book publishing and did freelance writing, copy-editing, and production work for various firms. She later brought these skills to bear on her passion for historic homes, evident in the careful preservation of her 1850s house in Duxbury. While living with Arthur in Detroit in the 1990’s, Sarah was the principal author of the nomination for Lafayette Park, a mixed-use urban development project designed by Meis van der Rohe, to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. When she and Arthur returned to Duxbury in 2002, she researched, wrote, and published a local history book titled Ashdod: The Other Side of Duxbury in 2016.

Sarah had a passion for travel, and she and Arthur visited many countries in Europe as well as Israel, Australia, and New Zealand. She also enjoyed swimming, gardening and especially doing the daily NYT crossword puzzle. She would complete the Sunday puzzle in ink and in record time, unmatched by any who dared to challenge her. Sarah and Arthur’s home in Ashdod has always been known fondly as “Sarah’s Folly,” the family’s favorite place for gatherings of all kinds: dinners large and small, political rallies, garden parties, graduations, and weddings to name a few. Sarah is remembered by all – her family, her friends and their children, and the many friends of her daughters and their children – for the generosity, gracefulness, and welcoming spirit she brought to these events.

Sarah is survived by her husband, Arthur, of Duxbury, her three daughters Catherine Evans (Lee Andrews) of Sydney, Australia, Gwen Evans-Sneeden (Ralph) of Exeter, NH, Deirdre Caldarone (Christopher) of Duxbury and New York City, a sister, Nancy Sarkesian of Auburn, CA, and eight adored grandchildren: Jacob Sneeden (Jenny), Madeleine Page (Tyler), Lindsay Caldarone (Jesse Evensky), Evan Andrews (Lauren Bauer), Sam Caldarone, Calan Andrews, Eliza Sneeden (Jamie Drayton), and Kate Caldarone, as well as four great grandchildren (Jackson and Arthur Sneeden, Owen Page, and Lionel Evensky), and nine nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her sister, Elaine Matter, her brother, James Sloan, and her cousin and fellow Duxburyite, Becky Tonrey.

The family wishes to extend its gratitude to the staff at South Shore Hospital and Pat Roche Hospice Home for their support and attentive care. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to either institution, or to Wyoming Seminary. A Celebration of Life in Sarah’s honor will be held this summer

Denise Deborah Wayne was born in Northampton, MA on March 19, 1952 to Frank D. Wayne and Lucille Ruth Wayne. Denise attended the Northampton School for Girls and went on to study English at UMass Amherst and later graduating from Montana State University.

Denise built a meaningful and impactful career as a mortgage lender. Over the years, she proudly helped thousands of individuals and families achieve the dream of homeownership. She understood that a home was more than a financial decision—it was the foundation of a life.

Denise loved the outdoors and loved to travel. She cherished the memories of sneaking away from work to meet up with her children on the slopes at Big Sky, cross-country skiing at Lone Mountain Ranch, camping and fishing along the Madison River, and taking restorative “mental health days” at the beach with her kids. Later in life she had the pleasure of traveling throughout Europe with her son and his family and watching her grandchildren at swim meets throughout the country. These moments brought her great happiness.

Above all else, Denise loved her family. Her children and grandchildren were the center of her world, and her love for them was deep, unwavering, and unconditional. She was a devoted mother and grandmother whose presence will be profoundly missed.

Later in life, Denise met Tony Palano and together they shared many adventures and traveled the world. Denise introduced Tony to her love of hiking and the outdoors. Tony liked to joke that he loved to “hike to the front door of the Marriott,” a line that perfectly captured their shared humor and the joy they found in experiencing life together.

She is survived by her daughter, Sara (Tim) Gram; grandchildren, Will and Georgia Gram of Bozeman, MT; her son Karl (Jennifer) Weidhaas; granddaughter, Elizabeth Weidhaas of Salt Lake City, UT; the love of her life and partner, Tony Palano of Bradenton, FL; and a wealth of extended family and friends in New England, Montana and Florida. She will be missed by all those privileged to know her.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, February 20th from 11 to 1 pm at Robert Toale & Sons at Lakewood Ranch.

In lieu of flowers please consider making donations to: Moffit Cancer Center Ovarian Cancer Research, 12902 USF Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL 33612 or Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, PO Box 32141, New York, NY 10087-2141