NEKG - 2005 Obituaries

, 91, of McGill Avenue, St. Johnsbury, Vt., died at St. Johnsbury Health and Rehabilitation Center, on Friday, Dec. 16, 2005, after a long illness. Roger was born on Jan. 10, 1914, to Anna Payer Laferriere and Aldege "Peter" Laferriere in Blackstone, Mass., the youngest of four siblings who predeceased him. He worked his entire career in the textile industry, for Warwick Mills, in Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and St. Johnsbury, Vt. He retired as vice president of the company at age 79, having made significant contributions to the field of textile manufacturing and specialty fabrics. After he retired, he remained active in the field for several years, consulting with the company on many matters. He moved to Waterford, Vt., in 1981, and had lived in St. Johnsbury since 1997. He was active as a volunteer at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital and he leaves many friends in the TLC club of St. Johnsbury. He was an active parishioner and supporter of St. John the Evangelist Church in St. Johnsbury. On Aug. 16, 1937, he married Juliette Roy, and together they raised five children: a son, Roy; and four daughters, Louise, Frances, Alice and Denise. He is survived by his son, Roy and his wife Mary of Jacksonville, Fla., and their sons, Paul and his wife Beth and John and his wife Allison; and his daughters, Frances and her husband Verne Clow of Bradford, N.H., and their son Aaron and his wife Victoria, and Denise and her husband John Perry of St. Johnsbury and their sons Jed and his wife Laurie, and Owen and their daughter Emily and a son-in-law, Miles Waltz, M.D. of North Conway, N.H. and his sons, Mark and his wife Carol, and Ned and his wife Karin and his daughter, Martha. He is also survived by great-grandchildren, Andrew and Benjamin Waltz, Nathan Waltz and Matthew Scott, Kate Perry and Christian Hart. He is especially remembered by his close friend, Kay Powell of St. Johnsbury. He was predeceased by his wife, Juliette, in 1994; and by two daughters, Sister Alice Laferriere, SASV, in 1995 and Louise Waltz in 2001; and by a grandson, Ethan Clow in 1994. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at St. John the Evangelist Church in St. Johnsbury at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 20, with calling hours from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at Sayles Funeral Home, Summer Street, St. Johnsbury. Contributions in his memory can be made to the Vermont Association for the Blind, 10 Main St., Montpelier, VT 05602.

, 74, of Fairfax, Vt., died Thursday, Dec. 15, 2005, in Leesburg, Fla. She was born Feb. 21, 1931, in Wharton, N.J., the daughter of Charles and Flora (VanHoughton) Gauer. Joyce attended Mine Hill, N.J., schools and graduated from Dover (N.J.) High School in 1948. After her schooling, she worked as an operator for Bell Telephone in Dover, N.J. She married Arthur J. Powell on April 24, 1952, in Mine Hill, N.J. They lived in Virginia for a year, then moved back to New Jersey for several years before moving to Vermont in 1966. Joyce enjoyed knitting, needlework, painting, gardening and bowling. In earlier years she had been active with her children's school activities. Her memberships included Fairfax United Church where she was a member of the choir and director of the youth choir; O.E.S. Diamond Chapter 79 in Danville where she had served as past matron; and the Fairfax Rescue having served as treasurer and scheduling officer. She is survived by her husband, Arthur Powell of Fairfax; four daughters, Nancy O'Brien of St. Albans, Barbara Collins of Fairfax, Janet Noyes of Moretown, and Linda Lee of Raymond, Maine; her son, David Powell of White River Jct.; 14 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 1 p.m., at the Day Funeral Home, Randolph, with the Rev. Louis Drew officiating. Burial will be in the Vermont Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Randolph Center, at a later date. Calling hours will be held Tuesday evening from 6-8 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, 20 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701; or the American Diabetes Association, 77 Hegeman Ave., Colchester, VT 05446.

, of St. Johnsbury, and longtime employee of Fairbanks Scales, passed away in Winter Park, Fla., Saturday, Dec. 17, 2005, after a brief illness at the age of 85. He had resided in Winter Park since 2000 after being a winter resident there for many years. He was born May 26, 1920, in St. Johnsbury, the son of Benjamin and Mary Frances (Walsh) Hill. He was predeceased by a brother, Benjamin. Harold graduated from St. Johnsbury Academy in 1938 and married Audrey Bean on June 8, 1941. Audrey passed away Dec. 23, 1994. Harold was inducted in the Navy in 1943, serving 21/2 years during World War II, mostly on submarine duty in the Pacific. He was a member of the Submarine Veterans of World War II. In 1947, Harold and Audrey returned to St. Johnsbury from Dorchester, Mass. He worked at Fairbanks Scales for 36 years until retiring in 1983. He served as union president of local UE 234 on three occasions. Harold was active in the VFW Post 793 and was the post's commander 1950-1951 and served on the district level. For 20 years, Harold served as coach of the Little League Braves baseball team. He was a parishioner of St. John the Evangelist Church. Predeceased by his daughter, Maureen Rodriguez, in 1996, he is survived by his son, Harold "Tom" Hill Jr. and his wife Rose of Winter Park, Fla. (7537 Laurel Springs Dr. 32792); grandchildren, Jeffrey T. Hill, Michael R. Hill, Lori A. Mathis, Timothy A. Hill and James Rodriguez; nine great-grandchildren; brother, Archie Hill of North Concord; sister-in-law, Verna Berube of St. Johnsbury; brother-in-law, Lyle Bean of Springfield, Mass.; and nieces and nephews. Burial with military honors will be held in the spring on Friday, May 26, 2006, at 10 a.m., at Mt. Calvary Cemetery. There will be no services or public visiting hours at this time. Memorial contributions, marked for "Scholarship Fund," could be made payable to VFW Post 793, Attn: Gloria Chamberlain, 204 Eastern Ave., St. Johnsbury, VT 05819.

, 95, of Whitefield, N.H., passed away at the Littleton Regional Hospital after a brief illness on Dec. 3, 2005. Helen was born Oct. 22, 1910, in Whitefield, N.H., the daughter of Richard and Annie (Hughes-Sheahan) Dawson. She graduated from Whitefield High School. Helen and Edward Brooks were married April 25, 1930, in Lisbon, N.H. They had one child, Charley Brooks. She enjoyed going to boxing, baseball and basketball games in Boston. She liked to bowl and enjoyed fishing and hunting. She could always be seen at the high school football games when Charley played. Her love for life and family will always be remembered. Her happiest moments were when she was cooking a meal for hunters at camp in Easton, N.H., or at her Forest Lake Cottage in Whitefield. She just loved having family and friends around. She also enjoyed watching television, reading and traveling. Helen worked at Parkers Drug Store in Littleton and for many years did all the bookkeeping and managed the office for the Littleton Body Shop, which she and her husband, Edward, operated until his death in 1967. After her husband died, she worked at Franconia Notch State Park, The Flume, Cannon Mountain and Crawford Notch State Park until she was in her 70s. Helen is survived by her son, Charley and his wife Marcia Brooks of Littleton and Bradenton, Fla.; four grandchildren, Glenn and his wife June Brooks of Whitefield, Terri and her husband Jon LaBrecque of Bradenton, Fla., Shari Brooks of Littleton, and Scott and his wife Teresa Brooks of Littleton; seven great-grandchildren; and eight great-great grandchildren. Her husband; three sisters; and two brothers predeceased her. A memorial service and burial in Glenwood Cemetery in Littleton, N.H., will be held in the spring, date and time to be announced. Memorial donations may be made in her memory to the American Heart Association, 20 Merrimack St., Ste. 1, Manchester, NH 03101-2244.

, 78, of Essex Junction, died at Starr Farm Nursing Center on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2005, after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born in Sheffield, Vt., on April 15, 1927, the son of George W. and Nellie (Dopp) Dwyer. Ed served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and the Korean War in the Pacific. In 1973, he married Eunice June (Arnatt) Gahran. She predeceased him in February 2000. Ed retired from General Electric with over 30 years of service as a ballistics engineer. He was a member of Jericho United Methodist Church, the Pipes of St. Andrew's Society and volunteered many hours at Starr Farm Nursing Center. He was always tinkering with things to make life easier, and liked to travel. A special thank you to Starr Farm Nursing Center for the wonderful care he received and to his neighbors, especially Peg and Mert Esmond. He is survived by his daughter, Beverly Childress of Nashua, N.H.; his two sons and their wives, Brian and Dativa Gahran of Escondido, Calif., and Christopher and Rosanna Gahran of Lake Forest, Calif.; six grandchildren; a brother, Kenneth Dwyer of St. Johnsbury, Vt.; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, William Dwyer. A memorial service and celebration of his life will be held in the Jericho United Methodist Church on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2005, at 11 a.m. Burial will be in the spring in the Veterans Cemetery in Randolph, Vt. There will be no visiting hours. Memorial donations may be made to the Starr Farm Nursing Center, 43 Starr Farm Rd., Burlington, VT 05401.

, 52, of St. Johnsbury, passed away unexpectedly Dec. 18, 2005. She was born in St. Johnsbury on Sept. 9, 1953, the daughter of Dwayne H. and Eva E. (Moore) Elliott. Barbara worked at a variety of places, but at the time of her death, she was a homemaker. She enjoyed the simplest things in life. She had a fond love for animals and savored endless hours socializing with friends. She was predeceased by her only sibling, a sister, Sandra Jean (Elliott) Tefoe, on Dec. 16, 2000. Barb's mother, Eva passed on June 18, 2004; and most recently, she lost her father, Dwayne, on Sept. 25, 2005. Barbara is survived by her husband, Earl Buchanan; two daughters by her previous marriage, Tina Audette and her husband John of St. Johnsbury, and Kathleen Mac Dougall and her fiancee Craig Stevens of St. Johnsbury; two grandchildren, Renee and Desmund Audette of St. Johnsbury; and other members of her family and close friends.

, 92, of Cross Street, Orleans, passed away peacefully at her home on Monday, Dec. 19, 2005. She was born Feb. 2, 1913, in Richmond, PQ, the daughter of Emile and Emire (Morel) Chainey. On April 19, 1948, Yvette married Fred Croteau, who predeceased her on March 10, 2001. Yvette was a past member of the Daughters of Isabella and a member of St. Theresa's Parish. Besides taking care of her family, she also did the bookkeeping for her husband's garage business. She was an excellent cook, liked to play cards, garden and enjoyed sewing. She and Fred did a limited amount of traveling, but mainly stayed around home enjoying their family. Her many Boston terriers she had over the years brought her much joy and companionship. Yvette is survived by her children, Leo Croteau and his fiancZ < caron > e Sheila Turner of East Albany, Albert Croteau and his wife Nancy of Lyndon Center, Alice Cassel and her husband Rick of Bishop, Calif., Robert Croteau and his wife Joyce of Orleans, and Irene Hinsdale and her husband Clark Jr. of Charlotte; 12 grandchildren, Leo Croteau, Fredrick Croteau, Kelly Croteau-Bartlett, Celina Noyes, Ethan Croteau, Nathaniel Gratz, Danielle Gratz, Stacy Croteau, Alfred Croteau, Philip Croteau, Jacob Hinsdale and Laura Hinsdale; seven great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by all her brothers and sisters. Friends may call at the Curtis-Britch-Converse-Rushford Funeral Home, Darling Hill Road (formerly Sias Ave.), Newport, on Friday, Jan. 6, 2006, from 7-9 p.m. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2006, at St. Theresa's Catholic Church in Orleans at 10 a.m. with the Rev. Daniel Rupp officiating. Spring interment will take place at St. Theresa's cemetery in Orleans.

, of Lyndonville, died Thursday, Dec. 22, 2005 at her home, at the age of 98. She was born in Lyndon, Vt. on Aug. 19, 1907, daughter of the late Ceylon S. and Emma A. (Quimby) Forsyth. In 1925 she graduated from Lyndon Institute. On Aug. 17, 1930 she married Raymond S. Russell. Seven years later they built a new home on Park Avenue in Lyndonville and lived there for 50 years. Evelyn worked as a bookkeeper and secretary for more than 50 years for the Dairy Association in Lyndonville. She held the longest membership in history for the Lyndonville First Congregational Church, joining in 1920. There she served as its treasurer and collector for several years, as well as serving on boards, working on church suppers, and helping on just about anything that needed doing. For many years she was the treasurer of the Village Improvement Society in Lyndonville. She was also a member of the American Legion Auxiliary Post 30 of Lyndon. Winter sports including skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling, brought her great enjoyment. But one of her greatest pleasures was their cottage that they built and owned for 50 years on Willoughby Lake in Westmore, and going for a canoe ride at sunset with Raymond. Survivors include her husband of 75 years, Raymond Russell of Lyndonville; their son, David Russell and his wife Irene of Lakewood, Calif.; nieces; nephews; cousins; and her church community. She was predeceased by five brothers and sisters in-law. A memorial service will be held Thursday, Dec. 29, at 11 a.m., at the Lyndonville First Congregational Church with the Rev. Bruce Cominsky officiating. Spring burial will be in Lyndon Center Cemetery. There will be no visiting hours. In lieu of flowers, donations made in Evelyn's memory may be directed to the Lyndonville First Congregational Church, P. O. Box 193, Lyndonville, VT 05851-0193.

, proprietor of the East Albany Country Market, made her passage at 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 22, 2005, at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vt. She was born in Bethpage, Long Island, New York on Nov. 28, 1950, the daughter of Florence (VanWinckle) and the late Daniel J. Keeley Jr. For the past 17 years, Sharon and her husband, Bill Newman, have shared a devoted partnership, living a life rich in love, family, community and spirit. She is also survived by her mother, Florence Jensen of Ocala, Fla., her sister, Denise Keeley of Long Island, New York and her uncle, Robert VanWinckle of Ridge, N.Y. Friends and family are invited for a celebration of Sharon's life on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2005 from noon to 3:30 p.m. at the East Albany Country Store. Should friends desire, contributions in Sharon's memory may be made to the charity of their choice.

, 44, a West Burke resident, passed away Friday, Dec. 23, 2005, at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital. Donald was born Nov. 19, 1961, in Newport, the son of Edward J. and Shirley L. (Willey) Chabot. He worked as a lift operator at Mt. Mansfield for a number of years. He enjoyed fishing, sports, and was an avid baseball and softball player - he was an excellent pitcher - and as a child, he served as an altar boy. Donald is survived by his mother, Shirley Pearson, and stepfather, Clifton Pearson of Barton; grandfather, Donald Willey, and uncle, Frank Willey, both of Enfield, N.H.; aunts, Sylvia Gates of Hardwick, Virginia Richardson of Morrisville, Linda Smith of Westfield, and Jeanette Guyette of Wilder; dear friends, Tim and Sonyia Dunbar of Westmore, Christy, Parker and Alisha and Kelley Murray and Steve Morse of West Burke, and Stephen, Nicholas, Madison and Shantel; and many other special friends. There will be no funeral service at this time.