Milestones

Births

• Piper Lee Stafford was born Feb. 26 at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital to Luke Stafford and Suzanne Paugh of South Newfane. Piper weighed in at 7.3 pounds and was 19.5 inches long. Also welcoming her is big sister Lucia Elizabeth Stafford, 2.

Obituaries

• Shirley Ste­phens Bonura, 69, of Cape Coral, Fla. Died Feb. 5 following a lengthy ill­ness. Wife of Frank Bonura. Mother of Jack Bonura of Cape Cor­al, Lori Marjowski of Cor­am, N.Y., and Steven Bonura of Ridge, N.Y. Sister of Russell Stephens of Brattleboro, Walter Stephens of Hinsdale, N.H., and Winfield Stephens of Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Born in Brattleboro, the daughter of the late Harold and Hortense Brooks Stephens of Hinsdale, she graduated from Hinsdale High School, Class of 1961. Memorial information: Funeral services were held on Feb. 9 at the Coral Ridge Fu­neral Home in Cape Coral.

• Muriel R. Brown, 94, of Saxtons River. Died Feb. 22. Wife of the late Fred Brown. Mother of David Brown of Williamstown, Mass., and Joanne Wright of Port Jefferson, N.Y. Born in Pittsfield, Mass., the daughter of the late Alfred and Electa (Bailey) Ruesch, she was a graduate of Pittsfield High School and worked in the Saxtons River Post Office for several years. She loved birds, gardening, and working around her house. She also enjoyed attending events at Main Street Arts. Memorial information: A graveside service in Saxtons River Cemetery in the spring at a date to be announced. Donations to the Saxtons River Historical Soci­ety or Main Street Arts.

• Marilyn “Mena” (Hill) Charlton, 75, of Londonderry. Died Feb. 13 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hospital in Lebanon, N.H., after a short illness. Wife of the late Robert Charlton for 21 years. Longtime friend of the late “Whit” Whitcomb. Sister of Lorraine Aldrich and her husband, Roy. Born in New London, Conn., the daughter of Kenneth and Edith Hill, she moved to Chester as a young child, graduating from Chester High School in 1956. Working at Gould's Market and Lisai's, she met many people and had many friends. She enjoyed her home, her cat Skittles, and feeding the birds. She also knitted premie-baby sweaters for Dartmouth-Hitchcock. Memorial information: A graveside gathering will take place in the spring. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society, P.O. Box 702, Brownsville, VT 05037.

• Patricia A. Good, 64, of Guilford. Died Feb 24 after a courageous battle with cancer, just one week short of her 65th birthday. Wife of the late Jim Good for 30 years. Partner of Wayne Wilson of Brattleboro. Born in Wads­worth, Ohio, the daughter of Rosemary Benson (Macie) and the late Edward Benson, she married in 1975 and lived in Akron, Ohio, where her late husband worked in his family's business, J.F. Good, while she worked in a local doc­tor's office. After the company was sold, they moved to Worcester, Mass. While there, the Goods read an ad­vertisement that the Guilford Coun­try Store was for sale. In love with Vermont, they bought the store in 1987 and moved to Guilford. The Goods ran the store together. She enjoyed preparing soups and sandwiches for customers, and offered special treats to cele­brate such times as Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and Hallow­een. Although they had living quar­ters above the store, they also pur­chased a camp in Green River, which they renovated and built an addition. After her husband suddenly died of a heart condition in May 2005, she continued to run the country store. In 2010, she sold it to Friends of Algiers Village Inc., which an­nounced plans to renovate the building. During the restoration, she moved to a Brattleboro apart­ment which she lovingly decorated. She enjoyed walking, taking road trips, and volunteering at Experi­enced Goods. M emorial information : There will be no services. Donations to the Guil­ford Volunteer Fire Department, 108 Guilford Center Rd., Guilford, VT 05301, or Brattleboro Area Hospice, 191 Canal St., Brattle­boro, VT 05301. A community gathering to celebrate her life is planned. For details, contact bfhaumann@myfairpoint.net.

• Wal­ter R. Hewes, 74, of West Brattle­boro. Died Feb. 17 at Thompson House in Brattleboro. Husband of Eleanor (Gaudette) Hewes of West Brattleboro. Father of Walter R. Hewes Jr. and his wife, Joanne, of Candia, N.H.; John H. Hewes and his wife, Christy, of Epsom, N.H.; and Michelle Scanlon and her husband, Ed, of Alton Bay, N.H. Stepfather of Barry Wolff of Norfolk, Va.; Tammy Chapman and her husband, Jon, of West Not­tingham, N.H.; and the late James Wolff. Brother of Norman F. Hewes of Brattleboro and Marion Campbell of Brasher Falls, N.Y. Half-brother of the late Fredrick Hewes, Phoebe Herrick, and Evelyn Thompson. Born in Wilmington, the son of the late Henry and Helen (Fitch) Hewes, he served in the Army. He previously resided in Wilmington and Vernon be­fore moving to West Brattleboro in 1975. He was employed as a la­bor foreman for McMillian, Inc. in Keene before retiring in 2000. He enjoyed woodworking. Memorial information: Per his wishes, there will be no funeral services. A private graveside service will be held in spring. Donations to Thompson House Nursing Home, 80 Maple St., Brattleboro, VT 05301, or a charity of one's choice.

• Randall Alfred “Randy” LaPan, 67, of Peru. Died Feb. 20 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. Husband of Kelen (Davis) LaPan for 32 years. Father of Zachariah A. LaPan and Jeremy R. LaPan. Brother of Jon LaPan of Ladera, Calif., Arlene Mills of Londonderry, Debra Fugatt of Southbridge, Mass., Pam Korzec of Springfield, Mass., Robin Perreault of Chicopee, Mass., and Jackie Shadle of Middleway, W.Va. Born in Springfield, Mass., the son of the late Alfred and Fay (Codere) LaPan, he served in the Coast Guard from 1962 until his honorable discharge in 1966. During his service, he was awarded the Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Authorized Vietnam Service Medal. He was a truck driver for many companies, and did road maintenance for the towns of Windham and Stratton. He also drove the Bromley/Stratton shuttle bus, and was a groomer for Stratton. He retired as a well-known and loved school bus driver at Flood Brook Elementary School in Londonderry after 12 years. He was the founder of the Flood Brook Athletic Association, where he served as the president for 10 years. He was also a member of Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Teamsters. He was a lifetime member of American Legion Post 67 in Chester, as well as the Disabled American Veterans, the VFW, and the National Rifle Association. Memorial information: A memorial service was March 2 at the Peru Congregational Church. Following the service, friends are invited to a potluck reception at the Eagles Club in Manchester. A graveside committal service with military honors will take place in the North Cemetery in Peru, at a time to be announced in the spring. Donations to the Flood Brook School Athletic Association or the Mountain Valley Health Clinic in Londonderry.

• Eleanor O'Neil Scales Dow McDermott, 96, formerly of Bel­lows Falls. Died Feb. 23 in Waltham, Mass. Predeceased by her husbands Asa Scales, Francis Dow, and Thomas McDermott. Mother of Ro­nald Scales and his wife, Sally Buxton Scales, of Spring Hill, Fla., and Lorraine Scales Eagan of Waltham, Mass. Born in Boston, the youngest of five children of the late John and Jennie (Hanlon) O'Neil. She moved to Bellows Falls in 1936 to live with her brother, the late Jo­seph O'Neil, until her marriage to Asa Scales. She was a mem­ber of the American Legion Auxili­ary, former member of the Women of the Moose, and St. Charles Par­ish. She moved to Waltham sever­al years ago to live with her daugh­ter, where she enjoyed the compan­ionship of her great-grandson, Mi­chael Chartier. Memorial information: A private memorial service and burial will be held in Chester.

• Daryl Scott Sargent, 45, of Halifax. Died Feb. 24 at his home. Son of Bradford and Theresa (Glover) Sargent. Brother of Troy Sargent. Born in Brattleboro, he attended Brattleboro public schools and graduated from Brattleboro Union High School, Class of 1985. Throughout his school years, he excelled in baseball. He was the winning pitcher when Brattleboro won the state Division I championship game in 1985. He was a longtime employee at G.S. Precision starting with the company at age 17 while still attending high school. At the time of his death, he was employed as a supervisor of the CC Lathe division at G.S.P.'s Brattleboro location. His true passion was the outdoors and he especially enjoyed hunting and being in the woods. He wanted to create a habitat for the wildlife around his home. He built his log cabin starting with undeveloped land and cherished his time spent at his “home retreat.” Over the years, many fruit trees were added to create an orchard making his wildlife habitat a reality. He was known for his excellent dill pickles. He appreciated where he lived and was proud to be a native Vermonter. Memorial information: Graveside committal services were held March 1 at Meetinghouse Hill Cemetery on Orchard Street.

• Craig Fairbanks Stead, 69, of Putney. Died Feb. 15 after a long fight with prolonged illnesses. Husband of Elizabeth Mueller for nearly 45 years. Father of Brant, Ethan, Elisa, and Ian. Brother of Kimberly and his late sister, Candy. Born in Chicago, he attended Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., earning a B.S. in Chemical Engineering in 1965 and a M.S. in 1966. Upon graduation, he worked for Monsanto in Massachusetts, while earning an MBA from Western New England College. In 1969, shortly after their marriage, the Steads moved to Boulder, Colo., where he first worked at Explosive Fabricators, Inc., forming metal parts through controlled detonations, and later founded an award-winning construction company that remodeled homes. The family moved to Vermont in the 1980s. His interest in Putney's founding and early industry led him to spearhead the creation of the Putney Historical District in 1986 and to restore village buildings and open Martha's Washtub laundromat. His engineering background resurfaced following petroleum exposure which severely affected his health for the rest of his life. In his distinct determined way, he became an acknowledged expert witness for the “underdog” in several successful cases of pollution by petroleum-based toxins. He loved research, writing technical reports and testifying - a perfect match for his sharply focused inquisitive mind. He later worked on water systems at many statewide schools, the Putney Water District, and in waste water, both locally and in Massachusetts. Through work and in leisure, he traveled to his second home on Martha's Vineyard, throughout New England and Europe. Trips to Europe always included family gatherings but also meeting with local engineers to share technology. He had an intensely thoughtful personality and loved a good conversation and the discourse of ideas on any subject from science, engineering, history, and economics to cooking his Vineyard quahog chowder. No subject or person failed to delight and interest him, which was evident in his love of teaching his children, kids in schools, or at technical conferences. Memorial information: A service in his honor will be held at The Putney School Barnes Assembly Hall on Saturday, March 16, at 3:30 p.m. Refreshments will follow, including his favorite chowder. Concluding will be fireworks in the Chinese tradition. Donations to Grace Cottage Hospital or the Engineers Without Borders USA General Fund.

• Cynthia Diane “Cindy” Steel, 53, of Guilford. Died Feb. 17 at Pine Heights in Brattleboro after a long battle with cancer and lung disease. Sister of Deb Gilman and her husband, Joe, of Guilford. Born in Warwick, R.I., she is a graduate of Keene (N.H.) High School. She lived and worked in New Hampshire, and later moved to Florida, where she resided for many years, before coming to Guilford to live with her sister and husband. She loved to take long rides in the country, enjoyed spending time with her adopted cats, gardening, fishing and making everyone around her laugh. Her smile and laugh will be truly missed. Memorial information: Private services will be held at an later date. Donations to Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice of Vermont and New Hamp­shire, P.O. Box 976, White River Junc­tion, VT 05001-0976.

• Dr. George D. Whitney, 94, of Brattleboro. Died Feb. 21 at home. Former husband of the late Nancy (Dines) Whitney. Husband of the late Dorothy Whitney. Father of Caro­lyn W. Sabol and her husband, John, of Pattersonville, N.Y.; Charles D. Whitney and his wife, Nancy, of Ellsworth, Maine; Kate W. Consiglio of Orange, Conn.; and Lee Ha of Brattleboro. He was a renowned New England veterinarian and herpe­tologist, famed in later life as a se­nior 5K runner. For most of his life, except the last four years, he lived in Orange, Conn. He served in World War II and then attended Auburn Univer­sity in Alabama to become a vet­erinarian at the same time as his father, Dr. Leon F. Whitney. The father-son duo operated the Whitney Veteri­nary Clinic, located in Orange, for 50 years. George was a founding member of The Paugusset Club of Or­ange and the New Haven Central Hospital for Veterinary Medicine. He was also active in the Orange Land Trust, Peabody Associates, Rotary Club of Orange (former President), Democratic Town Committee, Nauga­tuck Valley Audubon Society, Con­necticut Herpetological Society, Coa­lition to Abolish the Leghold Trap, Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, and the Eastern States Her­petological League. His interests were al­ways diverse. He was a gardener, a writer, a political activist, a scientific thinker, and an educator. It wasn't un­til the age of 80 that he took up run­ning. What began as a quick jog down the driveway to get the mail left him shocked at how winded it made him. Running soon become an obsession; convinced that running could cure just about anything. As one of the oldest runners at any race, he got ample attention; his brightly colored mismatched socks became a noted trademark. After the death of his second wife, Dorothy, he moved to Brattle­boro to live with his youngest daugh­ter, Lee, whom he loved to refer to as his “keeper.” At 90, he was still entering and driving around New England to races. People around Esteyville in Brattleboro will surely re­call him training in his hunter-orange hat and unusual footwear. He be­came active in the Brattleboro Rota­ry Club, the Senior Bowling League, the Senior Center Writing Group and attended local lectures, a contributor whenever possible. Keeping up with changing times, he even became a blogger, but one of his greatest joys since relocating was growing giant dahlias, and once a week he'd cut a huge bouquet and walk a mile to town, handing one to each woman he passed. He left this life with one major goal unmet that he'd want mentioned and that is to get corporate money out of politics, which he believed is the greatest threat to our democracy. Memorial information: There will be a celebration of his life in the spring in Orange, Conn. Donations may be sent to Visiting Nurse and Hospice of Vermont and New Hampshire, P.O. Box 976, White River Junction, VT 05001, or The Brattleboro Historical Society, 230 Main St., #301, Brattleboro, VT 05301.

• Ruth Elizabeth Winslow, 87, formerly of Brattleboro. Died Feb. 17 in Leba­non, N.H., at the home of her son. Wife of the late Ralph Winslow. Mother of James Hill and his wife, Judy, of Jericho; Ralph Winslow and his wife, Faye of Lebanon, N.H.; David Winslow and his wife, Cathy of Claremont, N.H.; Ri­chard Winslow of Brattleboro; Gary Winslow and his wife, Doris, of West Chesterfield, N.H.; Leonard Winslow of Turners Falls, Mass.; and the late Robert Winslow. Born in Montpelier, the daughter of the late Edward and Jennie (Christie) Barber, she was a homemaker for many years while she and her husband lived in Maine, where he was in the logging business. When the family moved to Brattleboro in 1961, she worked at a number of professions: as a sales clerk at The Casual House, at the Town Crier , and as a nurse at Eden Park. She had a lifelong interest in sewing, knitting, crocheting, macramé, card making, and crafts in general. She created a vast number of beautiful items over the years in all of these genres. She also had a great appreciation for technology and could often be found at her com­puter or cruising the Internet through her iPad. She maintained close con­tact with family and friends through­out the world. She graduated from Thompson School for Practical Nurses in November, 1971. She was a member of Thompson School Alumni Association and past presi­dent of the school's Board of Directors. Memorial information : In accord­ance with her wishes, she will be interred with her husband in Hins­dale, N.H. There will not be a public service and the family requests there be no flowers.

• Jean Brown Win­ston, 99, of Grafton. Died Feb. 16 at Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend. Wife of the late George P. Winston for 61 years. Born in Elbridge, N.Y., the daughter of Albert E. and Adaline (Wall) Brown, she held a BFA from Syracuse Col­lege of Fine Arts and the equivalent of a Masters in Crafts from Oswego State. She was art supervisor in high schools in Elbridge, Middle­burg, Liverpool, and Chittenango, N.Y., Nazareth, Pa., and Phillipsburg, N.J. For three years, she taught indus­trial arts in Middleburg High School. For ten years, she was the scene de­signer for the Lafayette College Little Theater in Easton, Pa. She taught at the Easton Community Art League as well as a course in the History of Western Art at the college. She also was a teacher at the Sturbridge Art Association. She held private classes in her studio in Dudley, Mass. She has lived in Grafton since 1963 and served for three years as presi­dent of the Chester Art Guild. She has exhibited throughout the North­east, working in many media. Her favorite was watercolor, which she said is for­ever challenging. She was an inspi­ration to all who knew her. Memorial information: No formal services are planned. Donations to the Grace Cottage Foundation, P.O. Box 1, Townshend VT 05353.

College news

• Carleen Busick of Wardsboro, an English major and a member of the Class of 2013, was named to the Dean's List at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

• The following local residents earned degrees from Union Institute & University in January 2013: Laurie Greenleaf of Putney and Bridget McBride of Vernon both earned a Bachelor of Arts with a focus in Liberal Studies, and Lindsay Guido of Brattleboro earned a Master of Arts with a focus in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

• The following local students have achieved Dean's Honors, a recognition of students who have earned a grade point average of at least 3.65, or Dean's High Honors, a recognition for students who have earned a grade point average of at least 3.78, for the fall 2012 semester at Connecticut College in New London, Conn.: Chloe Ingalls of Dummerston, a member of the Class of 2013, was been named to the Dean's High Honors list and Emma Straus of Putney, a member of the Class of 2016, was named to the Dean's Honors list.

• Benjamin Dandrea, a member of the Class of 2016 from Brattleboro, and Alonzo Paige, a member of the Class of 2016 from Wilmington, both earned honor roll distinction for the fall 2012 semester at the University of Kansas.

• The following local students were honored for academic achievement in the fall 2012 semester at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, N.H.: Teofelia Tyler of Brattleboro and Robert Davis of Vernon made the President's List, while Marie Ndiaye of Brattleboro was named to the Dean's List.

• Irene Shamas of Putney and Taylor Horn of Townshend both made the Dean's List for the fall 2012 semester at Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington, Mass.

Transitions

• Youth Services' newest employee is Adrien Bagatelle, who was recently hired as a Case Manager for its Big Brothers Big Sisters' school and community-based mentoring programs. She previously worked for United Counseling Service in Bennington as a case manager to adults with chronic mental illness, focusing on housing and resource coordination. She was also a respite worker for Family Emergency Services and worked as an aide in a group home.

Awards

• Philip Steckler of Country Business, Inc. of Brattleboro has been selected as one of the 2012 Pratt's Stats Hall of Fame award winner. Pratt Stats, owned by Business Valuation Resources, is a database of completed transactions. This database provides details of completed sales and is used by business brokers, merger and acquisition professionals, and appraisers, in seeking comparable sales in various industries. Steckler received this recognition for providing information on the many business sales he has managed over the years. Steckler is a member of both the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA) and New England Business Brokers Association (NEBBA).