Tag Archives: Williston Northampton

Jennifer M. Patton ’86

Jennifer M. Patton, of Waltham, died suddenly on November 21, 2019, nine days before her 51st birthday. She was a world traveler, visiting Turkey, Spain, Greece, England, Scotland, Germany, Ireland, and the Bahamas among other places. Also, Jen was an activist, technical writer and cat rescuer. She had just completed her one-year anniversary working as a Senior Technical Writer at Red Hat.

Jen had lived in many places, including Kenosha, WI, Cary, Il, Saudi Arabia (no place for a teenager as she pointed out), Mountain View, CA, and Baltimore, MD, but Waltham was her home. Jen was an extrovert and could talk to anyone. She was a warm, generous person with a delightful sense of humor. She was very active in many organizations, to name a few: Progressive Waltham, the Waltham Democratic City Committee, Diaper Depot, Green Rows of Waltham (GROW) and The Cat Connection. She was very interested in affordable housing, especially for those who wish to age in place in their home town, as she had hoped to do. She was a feminist through and through and a strong voice for so many.

A proud alumna of Wellesley College, Class of 1990, she was looking forward to attending her 30th class reunion this June – she will be there in spirit. We must tell of her love of the Red Sox. She was an avid reader and loved to discuss books, movies, ideas – well, just about anything. Jen was a member of First Parish Universalist Unitarian Church in Waltham.

She was predeceased by her younger brother, Andrew, who she always remembered. She is survived by her parents, Maureen and Tom Patton, her husband, Scott Shurr, many relatives, her dear friend, Melissa Honig, her friends, Sarah Hankins, Shirley Boschen Traite, Alice Taylor, Belinda Jentz and many others. We would be remiss not to mention her cats, Finn and Fergus, who she loved dearly and took such excellent care of. She was a compassionate, thoughtful woman, and will be missed by many.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made either to The Greater Boston Food Bank, 70 South Bay Ave., Boston, MA 02118, Ph: (617) 427-5200 or The Cat Connection, P.O. Box 541435, Waltham, MA 02454, Ph: (781) 899-4610. A Celebration of Jen’s Life will be held at a future date.

David B. Callahan ’00

David Brennan Callahan, age 36, passed away unexpectedly at his home in Easthampton, Aug. 29, 2017. David was the son of James J. Callahan of North Falmouth, and Susan Long Callahan who pre-deceased him in 2008.

David was born in Amman, Jordan, and grew up in various countries where his father was assigned by the Department of State. He attended the Williston Northampton School in Northampton and the Hoosac School in Hoosick, New York, before completing an associates segree at Holyoke Community College in Holyoke. David loved working at the Green Street Café and the Spoleto Restaurant in Northampton.

In addition to his father, he leaves behind his brother Kevin Callahan, wife Maggie and their children, Vivienne and Kevin Jr of Austin, Texas; and his sister, Robyn Weadock, her husband, Tom and their two children, Anna and Kelsi of Canton; his aunt and uncle, Beth and Kevin Hines of North Falmouth; his uncle Frank Long and his wife, Monica, of St. Augustine, Florida; and his aunt Kayte Long and her partner, Mona of Atlanta, Georgia. He is also survived by a large number of Callahan and Long cousins.

David was a kind and loving son, brother, uncle, nephew and cousin who loved western Mass., its outdoor life and his many friends and family around the world will miss his wonderful sense of humor.

John I. Marshall, IV, ’96

marshallJohn 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.

Brian L. Cowell ’75

Beloved father, brother, boyfriend, uncle, nephew, and friend, Brian L. Cowell of Windsor Locks passed away at Hartford Hospital at the too-young age of 59 on September 6, 2016, surrounded by many who love him. Ever since he was born on April 25, 1957 in Conway, SC, Brian, as one of his favorite aunts put it, was “a big guy with a big heart and a great smile.” He was also funny and very smart. An avid reader, history buff and sports fan, Brian was the one you wanted on your trivia team, especially for questions on the Red Sox, Giants, Patriots, Bruins, college basketball or Notre Dame football. Growing up, he was a natural athlete and always one of the first to be picked for the annual whiffle ball game at the Cowell picnic. Brian graduated from Williston Northampton School and Westfield State College. He was a hard worker and spent most of his career at United Technologies Aerospace Systems (Hamilton Sundstrand), where he served as Operations Manager, retiring in March. Brian leaves behind many heartbroken loved ones: his children, Courtney Cowell of Palmer, MA and John “Jack” E. Cowell II of Agawam, MA; his girlfriend, Ann Magleora, and her children, TJ and Raelynn Voislow of Windsor Locks; his siblings Deb Brown of Amherst, MA, Jackie Cowell of Henniker, NH, Jenny Bourgeois of Wilbraham, MA, and Tom Cross of Plano, TX; and too-many-to-name in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents, Margaret “Gay” (Campbell) Cross, John “Jack” E. Cowell, and Raymond R. Cross.

Ruth Marion Parsons, former employee

Ruth Marion (Chapin) Parsons, 89, of Easthampton, died Thursday, Nov. 26, 2015, at the Fisher Home in Amherst.

She was born July 23, 1926, in Northampton, the daughter of Frederick and Mabel (Wallin) Chapin.

Ruth attended Easthampton schools and graduated from Easthampton High School class of 1943.  She entered the Cooley Dickinson Hospital School of Nursing and became a member of the Cadet Nurse Corps. She graduated in 1946.

Ruth worked at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in many departments and retired as charge nurse of the operating room in 1990. She also was the school nurse for the Williston Northampton School from 1967 to 1972.

After retiring from the hospital, she worked for Associates in Surgery in Northampton. Ruth was a member of the Christ United Methodist Church, the Tuesday Afternoon Club, the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Association of Operating Room Nurses, Ruth volunteered at the Cooley Dickinson Hospital and worked at Red Cross blood drives.

Ruth was predeceased by her sister Marjory Cater and nephew Brian Cater. Ruth is survived by one sister, Phyllis Lamere (Alfred) of Weston, and a brother-in-law Robert Cater of Nashua, New Hampshire. She leaves three children, Calvin Parsons, Jr., of Gill (fiancee Cheryl Faufaw), Rebecca Parsons of Easthampton, and Sally Conant (John) of South Deerfield, and four grandchildren, Timothy Parsons (Sandra and their son Dakota) of Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, Dana Parsons (Youko) of Amherst, Emily Conant of Lubbock, Texas, and Margaret Conant of Burlington, Vermont. She also leaves a niece Susan Cater and two nephews, Vernon and David Lamere.

Jeremy Schriber ’97

SchribnerJeremy J. Schriber, 36, of Shelburne Falls, died peacefully Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015, at the home of his mother with both his mother and his father by his side.

Born Sept. 3, 1979, in Northampton, Jeremy went on to graduate from the Williston Northampton School in 1997 and from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2001 with a bachelor of arts degree in English and Philosophy.

He presently worked as the manager and steward of Burnt Hill Farm in Heath, where, in addition to caring for and harvesting 75 acres of native blueberries, Jeremy spent countless hours exploring and mapping the property and caring for animal habitats.

Jeremy was an accomplished guitarist and song writer/composer as well as an avid rock and crystal collector and a self-taught naturalist.

He is survived by his mother and father, Susan A. (Lampron) and Peter E. Schriber of Shelburne Falls, and Heath; his half-brother David P. Schriber of Portland, Oregon; his half-sister Susan C. Klaus of St. Augustine, Florida; several aunts and uncles; and many friends. Jeremy was also the cherished grandson of the late Paul and Dorothy Lampron of Northampton.

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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Lydia Gillespie ’81

lydiaLydia May Gillespie, 52, died unexpectedly Friday, June 19, 2015, in her apartment on Pleasant Street. The cause of death involved gastro-intestinal bleeding which may have resulted in asphyxiation and/or cardiac failure. Lydia was a woman in long-term recovery who continued to take many medications over a long period of time, which her family believes caused damage to her body and may have contributed to her untimely death.

Lydia leaves behind a brother Vincent Gillespie, presently of Greenfield, a number of other relatives, and many dear friends including Peter Hadley of Greenfield, and her longtime friend Lori Baeumler of Boston.

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Edward “Ted” Sexton ’72

SextonTed Sexton was born in Chicago, Illinois May 3rd, 1954. At the age of 14, Ted moved to Gloucester, Massachusetts where he was raised by his Uncle Tom Sexton. It was here that Ted graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 1977.

After graduation, he started his career in the restaurant industry. He held the position of training specialist and eventually became General Manager of several corporate restaurants. This took him all over the U.S.

Ted had a dream. His dream was to one day open his own restaurant. Little did he know he would far exceed his dream. After opening one of the largest chain restaurant’s in Colorado Springs, Ted met his now long-time friend, Franco Pisani. The two had similar dreams, and set off as Entrepreneurs to create their own multi-award winning Paravicini’s Italian Bistro in April of 2003.

Ted was a self-made man who overcame much adversity in life. This helped him grow and become an inspiration to others. He was a great mentor to anyone he came across.

Ted married his wife,Tricia in 2002, and they would have celebrated 12 years of marriage on June 3, 2014. He leaves behind his devoted wife ,Tricia Sexton; his two step-sons, Michael and Ross Caldwell; his Aunt Jane Kane; and UncleTom Sexton; his 2 brothers, Bill Sexton and Mike Sexton; his sister Debbie Williams. He also leaves behind his best friend, Franco and wife, Lynn along with extended family to include all of his co-workers at Paravicini’s, plus all of the patrons who have made his dream come true.