Tag Archives: Northampton School for Girls

Carolyn Johnson Gleason ’46

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johnson gleasonCarolyn Johnson Gleason, 84, of Auburn, died Wednesday, October 3, 2012.

Mrs. Gleason was born in Auburn, the daughter of the late Dr. Raymond and Florence Messer Johnson, and had resided in the Auburn-Fleming area for all her life.

She was a member of the former Sand Beach Church, where she taught Sunday school and served as treasurer. Mrs. Gleason was employed at Auburn Memorial Hospital as an LPN. In addition, she worked for the Cayuga Red Cross, which included coordinating the swimming program at Owasco Lake for many years. She was a caregiver for several elderly friends over the years. She particularly enjoyed attending her grandchildren’s many activities.

Surviving are three sons, Michael Worden of Skaneateles, Kenneth Worden (Sharon) of Owasco, Steven Gleason (Sarah) of Fleming; two daughters, Linda Worden (David Palochko) of Rye, NH, Denise Franklin (James) of Fleming; eight grandchildren, Brian, David and Jeffrey Worden, Jessica, Jason and Jennifer Franklin, Elizabeth and Charles Gleason; one great-granddaughter, Kayla Worden.

In addition to her parents, Carolyn was predeceased by her husband, Charles A. Gleason, of 31 years in 1990 and sister, Elizabeth Phillips of Inver-Grove, MN, in 2006.

Posted in: 1940s, Class of 1946

Eileen Sullivan Vail ’41

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Eileen Sullivan VailEileen S. Vail, 92, of Nashua, and formerly of Northampton, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully Friday, Oct. 23, 2015, in Nashua.

Eileen was born March 30, 1923, in Northampton, Massachusetts, the daughter of Neil and Viola (Sheridan) Sullivan. Eileen attended local schools, graduating from Northampton High School class of 1940. She furthered her education, and graduated from Smith College in 1945.

Eileen entered the insurance field and was a sales and insurance representative for several companies throughout the years. She met and married Thomas Vail and they began their family. They moved to Monson, Massachusetts, where Eileen taught elementary school before the family moved to New Hampshire where they settled.

Eileen was a devout Catholic and attended church in her youth at St. Mary’s in Northampton, Massachusetts, and later in New Hampshire. Family was very important to Eileen and she cherished her time spent with them at gatherings, holidays and vacations.

Eileen was predeceased by her parents, Neil and Viola Sullivan and her husband Thomas Vail who passed away in 2008. She leaves her children Laurie Casey and her husband William of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Thomas Vail, Jr., and his wife Jennifer of Westminster, Colorado, and Shauneen Lund and her husband James of San Leandro, California, and her grandchildren Matthew, Bryan and Lillie Vail and Kim Lund. She also leaves her dear sister Barbara Laughlin of Northampton, Massachusetts, and several nieces and nephews

Posted in: Class of 1941

Virginia Stiles Shepardson ’63

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StilesVirginia Ruth (Stiles) Shepardson, 70, of Parsons Street, passed away Monday, Jan. 25, 2016, at her home.

She was born in Northampton, and is the daughter of Gladys (Aquadro) Stiles of Easthampton and the late Howard D. Stiles.

Virginia graduated from the former Northampton School for Girls and received a bachelors degree from American International College in Springfield. She earned her master’s in education from Westfield State College plus 60 additional graduate credits.

Virginia was a longtime educator in the Westfield Public Schools, retiring in 2009 after 18 years at Juniper Park School. She was a devoted teacher who was known for her great sense of humor and an ability to connect with students. She was passionate about teaching and inspired a love of learning beyond the classroom, to her six grandchildren, who she adored.

Besides her mother, she leaves two daughters, Jennifer Brenes and her husband Brent of Easthampton, and Kathryn Carpenter and her husband John of Florence. She also leaves a sister Elizabeth and brother-in-law Wolfgang Neumann of Switzerland; her grandchildren Megan and Ryan Morissette, Amberlie and Kyle Brenes, and Jack and Grace Carpenter; nieces Juliana, Alexandra, Nathalie Neumann and Sarah Stiles; and nephew Ben Stiles.

Besides her father, she is predeceased by her brother Mark Stiles.

Posted in: 1960s

Rebecca Sowers Peapples ’58

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sowersRebecca Dean Sowers Peapples, age 72, died Thursday, April 18, 2013 at Arbor Hospice from Pancreatic Cancer.

Becky was a wonderfully creative, gentle, and intellectual woman with many varied interests including a great love of literature which she inherited from her mother, and a passion for cooking instilled by her father.

Becky was born in Benton Harbor, a town on the southern shores of Lake Michigan, in 1940 to Lucinda Murray Clark and Bouton Franklin Sowers. She attended the Northampton School for Girls in Northampton, MA for high school. Her post-secondary education was at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Romance Languages. She then earned a Master of Arts in Italian from the U of M.

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Posted in: 1950s

Phoebe Ferris McCoy ’37

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ferrisPhoebe Ferris McCoy died peacefully on November 4th in Greenbrae, California. She was 96.

Phoebe’s keen intelligence, enthusiasm and joy were the foundation of her life. Whether she was Mother Nature at her grandson’s school, or hosting the Dalai Lama at the Sacred Art of Tibet Exhibit at the Asian Art Museum, or running her own winery, she brought a gracious zest to whatever she undertook. Notable for limericks, poetry and obscure songs from the 1930s she maintained her sense of humor and many friendships until the end.

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Posted in: 1930s

Sally Allen Lewis ’48

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Sally AllenSara “Sally” Allen Lewis, age 84, a longtime New Canaan resident and former resident of Mount Kisco, N.Y. died peacefully Dec. 18, 2015 in Stamford.

Sally was born in Greenfield, Mass. on April 23, 1931. After attending The Bement School and The Northampton School for Girls, she earned a BA in Bacteriology from Goucher College in 1952.

Sally’s lifelong passions included horseback riding, theater and extensive global travel. She worked in a variety of positions at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital, the American Cancer Society, and the corporate offices of Dress Barn. Most recently, she was a volunteer at Norwalk Hospital and at Treasure House in Norwalk.

Sally is survived by her children Alexandra (John) DeMarino of New Canaan, and Scott Ballantyne Lewis of Brooklyn, N.Y., granddaughters Kathleen and Elizabeth DeMarino, nephew Stewart (Kathy) Allen, niece Marie Louise (Rick) Martin and three great nephews, all of North Platte, Neb. She was predeceased by her brother, David Field Allen, and her parents Lewis W. and Louise Field Allen.

Posted in: 1940s, Class of 1948

Patricia Schneider ’68

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Patricia J. Schneider, 64, died Saturday, December 27, 2014 at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH after a brief battle with lung cancer.

She was born June 24, 1950 in Reading, PA the daughter of Frank W. and Lavona (DeWald) Schneider. She attended Northampton School for Girls and graduated from Cortland High School in Cortland, NY class of 1968. She attended Bay Path College and graduated from Windham College in Putney, VT class of 1974. She worked for a time at the Ski Area’s of New York and has spent the past fifteen years at Fine Paints of Europe in Woodstock, VT.

Patsy was instrumental in the development of the Watson Upper Valley Dog Park in Hartford,VT and has continued to steer its direction as an active member of the Upper Valley Dog Park Supporters and presiding as its president. She also enjoyed skiing in the winter and kayaking in the summer. But what she loved the most was the time spent out with her dog.

She is predeceased by her parents.

Patsy is survived by her brother Lawrence Schneider of Killington, VT, a sister Sandy Kutkiewicz of Roxbury, NY; several nieces and nephews; and Nathan, a large black Newfoundland.

Posted in: 1960s

Ingrid Hylbom Hetfield ’52

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HylbomIngrid Hetfield, age 81, of Ocean View died Tuesday, October 20, 2015 at home. She was born in Colorado Springs, CO and was the daughter of the late Tor and Elizabeth (Hamlin) Hylbom.

Ingrid was a graduate of Northampton School for Girls and Smith College.

Prior to moving to Ocean View she raised her family in Plainfield, NJ where she was active in Twins Mother’s Club and was a Cub Scout and Girl Scout leader.

She had been employed at Fabric Land in North Plainfield, NJ, Hess Apparel in Ocean City, MD, the Rose Garden in Bethany Beach and Good Earth Market in Ocean View. Since December 1971 Ingrid has been a proud friend of Bill W. She was a Master Gardner who was happiest when working in the garden. She was a world traveler who as a child lived in Sweden and traveled across the United States, Canada, Europe, Brazil and Egypt.

She is survived by a son, Walter L. Hetfield V of Milton; three daughters, Betsy Joyner and husband Greg of Burlington, NC, Kathy Magee and husband Bob of Ocean View and Peggy Horner of Moore, SC; seven grandchildren, Grace and Ingrid Hetfield of Rehoboth Beach, Patrick Magee of Concord, NC, Timothy Magee of Ocean View and Caroline, Katherine and Anna Horner of Moore, SC. Ingrid was preceded in death by her husband Walter L. Hetfield IV, her sister Elizabeth Frazer and brother Martin Hylbom and nephew Paul Hylbom.

Posted in: 1950s

Janet Wolfe ’32

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Janet Wolfe passed away peacefully November 30 at home surrounded by her loving family. She was 101 years old.

Born in NYC in 1914, Janet attended Dalton, Ethical Culture, and the Northampton School for Girls.

During WWII, she served in the American Red Cross in Rome. After the war, she worked with Roberto Rosselini on Paisan, toured with Orson Welles’ Mercury Theater, and taught the rhumba to Arthur Murray.

She married composer Sandy Matlovsky in 1952 and had two daughters, Alisa and Deborah.

Throughout the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, Janet was the inspiration for a series of short stories in the New Yorker’s Talk of The Town. In 1971, she founded the NYCHA Symphony Orchestra, giving opportunity and visibility to classical musicians of color. She served as its executive director for over 40 years.

Janet is survived by her two adoring daughters and two beloved grandsons, Jake and Sam.

Posted in: 1930s

Alice Newton Childs Smith ’32

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Alice Newton Childs Smith, 100, who for more than half a century actively and tirelessly supported many community organizations in Holyoke, died Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, at Loomis Village in South Hadley.

Born Jan. 20, 1915, in Holyoke, Mrs. Smith was the daughter of Katharine (Ware) and Herbert B. Newton. Her father was a well-known paper manufacturer and the president of Newton Paper Co. Her parents had a summer home on Lake Raponda in Wilmington, Vermont, which Mrs. Smith continued to maintain until her death.

After a year at Northampton School for Girls, where she won the school-wide math prize, Mrs. Smith attended Emma Willard School in Troy, New York, graduating in 1932. At Vassar College (Class of 1936) she majored in French and afterwards worked in Northampton and later Boston for several years.

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Posted in: 1930s