Births
• In Brattleboro (Memorial Hospital), July 18, 2016, a son, Owen Scott Harwood, to Zachariah Michael and Amanda Lee Harwood of Dummerston; grandson to Brenda and Gary Harwood of Brattleboro, Roselyn and Joseph Mirante of Penacook, N.H., and Kenneth and Angel Bloom of Sugar Land, Texas; great-grandson of Joan deVillafane of Whitefield N.H., Martha Harwood of Shaftsbury, Judith Bloom of Concord N.H., Elizabeth Haralabatos of Concord N.H., and Sadie Mirante of Worcester, Mass.
College news
• Megan Walker of Brattleboro graduated in May with a B.S. in criminal justice with a concentration in investigative services from the University of New Haven in West Haven, Conn.
• Jodi Brown of East Dover, Holly Griswold of West Halifax, and Lindsay Martin of Brattleboro all graduated with the Class of 2016 at Becker College in Worcester, Mass.
• Jem Wilner of Putney graduated with a B.A. in Drama from Tufts University in Medford, Mass. Wilner was also named to the spring 2016 Dean's List, along with Joanna Brown of Dummerston, and Benjamin Janis and Aurora Phillips of Brattleboro.
• Alexandria Reinertson of Whitingham was named to the spring 2016 Dean's List at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.
• Paige Fenn of Brattleboro was named to the spring 2016 Dean's List at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa.
• The following local students earned academic honors during the spring 2016 semester at Clark University in Worcester, Mass.: Molly M. Gurney and Charlotte Marion Maxwell of Brattleboro both earned first honors on the Dean's List, while Meyru C. Bhanti of Brattleboro earned second honors.
Transitions
• Rachel Selsky of West Brattleboro recently assumed the role of president of the Youth Services Board of Directors, succeeding Tom Nunziata, whose two-year term has just ended. Cathy Coonan of The Richards Group was named vice-president. Selsky has been on the agency's Board of Directors for the past four years in a number of leadership positions. She has a background in urban and regional planning.
Obituaries
• Nichols A. “Nick” Johnson, 33, of San Francisco. Died May 20 as a result of a motorcycle accident on the Bay Bridge. He was born on May 21, 1982 in Northampton, Mass., the son of Steve and Elsie Johnson of Manhattan, Mont., formerly of Brattleboro, He attended elementary school at Academy School in West Brattleboro, and graduated from high school in Kalispell, Mont., and later graduated from Montana State University. He worked at Project WET, and at MSU, Sony in Australia, and Triage Consulting in San Francisco at the time of his death. He loved driving his BMW in Sports Club Cars of America events, dirt biking, surfing, bicycling, and riding his motorcycle. He is survived by his parents, and his brother Tyler Johnson of Portland, Oregon, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: Memorial services will be held throughout the summer at various locations. Donations can be made to the charity of one's choice.
• Brian E. Palmiter, 77, of Wilmington. Died July 12 after a long, courageous battle with Alzheimer's disease. Born on March 1, 1939 in Bouckville, N.Y., he was the son of the late Robert Harley Palmiter and Valerae King Palmiter, brother to surviving Ruth Palmiter Neidhardt of Meredith, N.H. Growing up in what is now known as the historic Landmark Tavern in Bouckville, he followed in his father's footsteps to become a distinguished antique and fine arts dealer. He was proprietor of a thriving auction business, Palmiter Auction Gallery, of Waterville, N.Y. During this era, Brian co-founded the Madison-Bouckville Antique Show, which has become the largest outdoor antique show in New York. He was also the manager of W.T. Grant in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., in the early 1960s. After a few years in Anchorage, Alaska, working as a real estate broker, he and family returned to the Northeast to develop the Greensprings Townhomes at Mount Snow. Shortly thereafter, he founded, along with his ex-wife Arlene Palmiter, Palmiter Realty Group in 1986. His success in real estate set the stage for him to pursue his longtime passion for land development and custom home building, establishing Castle Hill Construction of Dover. In addition to his love for real estate and “wheeling and dealing,” he had many other passions. He was often found boating on Lake Whitingham, fishing waters from Vermont to Cape Cod, bike riding around town, walking with his black lab, flying his sea plane, combing the Catskills for gangster Dutch Schultz's buried treasure, playing tennis, enjoying the local fare offered at Dots Restaurant, C&S Diner, and Anchor Seafood Restaurant, or listening to the musical talents of Skip and Laraine Morrow. Not a lover of the snow, he particularly enjoyed vacationing to Sanibel Island and Captiva, Fla. He has been acknowledged by many who knew him as a “class act,” known for his entrepreneurial spirit, quick wit, generous acts, humor, and very strong will. A devoted father and brother, he enjoyed being in the company of those he loved above all. He is survived by his five children: Bradley Palmiter and his wife, Colleen Palmiter, of Staatsburg, N.Y.; Stephen Palmiter and his wife, Victoria Palmiter, of Oakridge, Tenn.; Sarah Palmiter of Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Hannah Palmiter Rosinski and her husband, Russell Rosinski, of Vernon; and Adam Palmiter and his wife, Ashley Palmiter, of Wilmington. He also leaves seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A memorial service will be held on Sunday, Aug. 7, with calling hours from noon to 1 p.m. at Covey-Allen and Shea Funeral Home in Wilmington, and a graveside service to follow at Riverview Cemetery in Wilmington at 1:30 p.m. Donations to the Vermont Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association in care of Covey-Allen & Shea Funeral Home, P.O Box 215, Wilmington, VT 05363.
• William Edward Seppala, 94, of Brattleboro. Died July 17. Wife of Violet (Wojchick) Seppala for 72 years. Father of Judith Monroe and her husband, Stuart, of Hinsdale, N.H.; Barbara Simeon and her husband, Thomas, of East Dummerston; Jo Bailey and her husband, Philip, of Vernon; and Thomas Seppala and his wife, Linda, of Brattleboro. He is also survived by 12 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren, and a great-great grandchild that is on the way. Born in Brattleboro on May 1, 1922, he attended school through the 10th grade before heading into the workplace. He worked at A.G. Spaulding, Dunham Brothers, Berkshire Fine Spinning, and American Optical, all in Brattleboro, before embarking on a 30-year career with the U.S. Postal Service in Brattleboro. During World War II, he served in the Navy as a signalman, and attained the rank of petty officer, first class. He enjoyed playing Bingo, going to the casinos, and hunting. Family was important to him, and his proudest accomplishment was that all four of his children have been married to their spouses for nearly 50 years. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: The family will have a private committal service at a later date. Condolences may be offered at www.kerwesterlund.com.
• Elizabeth Crockett “Betsey” Shay, 58, of Boulder, Colo. Died July 22 at home after a 19-month battle with glioblastoma (brain cancer). Born in 1958 in Dummerston, her childhood years were spent in Providence, R.I., Penn Yan, N.Y., and Appleton, Wis. She returned to Dummerston for high school and graduated with the Brattleboro Union High School Class of 1976. She went on to receive her bachelor's degree in mathematics from Wellesley College in 1980, later studying music composition at Bennington College. She married Robert Shay in Brattleboro in 1986, and is survived by him and their daughter Katherine. She also leaves behind her father, Larrimore Crockett, stepmother Ellen Crockett, and brother John Crockett, all of Vermont. Her mother, Shirley Harris Crockett, predeceased her in 1998. The Shays came to Colorado in 2014, both to work at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She was an assistant director of development in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Earlier in her career, she worked in international education at Youth for Understanding in Washington, D.C., and the Experiment in International Living in Putney. She went on to work for over 20 years in nonprofit fundraising, serving on the staffs of Lyon College in Batesville, Ark., Duke University in Durham, N.C., Wentworth Institute of Technology and the Celebrity Series in Boston, and Stephens College in Columbia, Mo. She was an avid choral singer, notably with the Blanche Moyse Chorale of Vermont and the choir of the Church of the Redeemer (Episcopal), in Chestnut Hill, Mass., where she also served as a member of the vestry. Before her illness, she had recently developed a passion for running, completing a half marathon in New Orleans in February 2014. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: In lieu of flowers, her family invites contributions to the Betsey Crockett Shay Memorial Scholarship Fund, being established at the University of Colorado's Boulder College of Music. Funeral services will be held at a later time.
• James Reppert “Jim” Wilmerding, 66, of Halifax. Died July 11 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., after a brief illness. He had relocated to Vermont in early 2015 after spending most of his adult life in Mt. Shasta, Santa Cruz, and Los Altos, Calif. The middle of three sons of John VanDyke Wilmerding and Mary Virginia Reppert, he was born Feb. 11, 1950 in Santa Monica, Calif. He graduated from Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, N.Y. in 1968, earned his B.A, at Wilmington (Ohio) College in 1973, and following two brief early careers in silversmithing and diesel mechanics, was awarded the degree of Doctor of Chiropractic by Palmer College of Chiropractic (West) in 1983. He established successful medical practices in both Los Altos and Mt. Shasta, the latter of the longest standing. In the 1970s, Jim also earned a U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Skipper's license, and for years he led excursions as a white-water rafting river guide in California, Oregon, and Arizona. In recent months he had also assisted in the management of the Mt. Shasta Farmers' Market. With his late brother Douglas, he participated in the Woodstock Music and Art Festival in Bethel, N.Y., in 1969. He never married and had no children. He was close, however, to his four surviving nephews, Peter A. Wilmerding of Sioux City, IA, Cole and Ansel Notman-Wilmerding of Brattleboro, VT, and Jamison Frazer MacFarland of Marshfield, MA. He is also survived by an older brother, John V. Wilmerding II of Brattleboro, by his half-sister and brother-in-law, Marta and Douglas MacFarland of Marshfield, and by his beloved former stepfather, Carl M. Barmen of Halifax, with whom he was residing in recent months. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: There will be no public funeral. Instead a memorial service will be held at Putney Friends Meeting on Saturday, Aug. 27, at 10:30 a.m., with a potluck meal to follow. Contact John Wilmerding about the arrangements at 802-254-2826 or wilmerding@myfairpoint.net. Donations to the charitable or nonprofit organization of one's choice.
• Graveside committal services with military honors for Todd James Chapman, who died on Jan. 13, 2016, will be conducted on Thursday, Aug. 4, at 10 a.m., in Meetinghouse Hill Cemetery on Orchard Street.