Obituaries
• Gloria Theresa Fernandes, 87, of Hinsdale, N.H. Died April 15. She was born on July 21, 1929 in Hartford, Conn., daughter of the late Ethel L. Ashley and William A. St. Cyr. While living in Hartford as a young woman, she worked for Royal Typewriter. From there, she moved to Brattleboro, where she worked at First National Stores as a meat wrapper for many years, followed by a position at Bridgeport Metals in Hinsdale as a quality control inspector. She was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary. She and her husband, Manuel “Mickey” Fernandes, often went to the Legion for dancing. She was a whiz at crossword puzzles and enjoyed listening to music of all sorts. She loved to play cribbage and cards with Mickey as well as with friends and family. As an avid reader, she liked to sink her teeth into a good story but also enjoyed her daily paper and loved a good old-fashioned phone conversation. She was predeceased by her husband of 52 years, as well as by siblings William St. Cyr and Lorraine Watson. She is survived by her son, Mark John Fernandes and his partner, Bill Slattery, of Bethel, Maine; her daughter, Linda Smith and her husband, Don Smith, of Vail, Ariz.; two grandchildren and two great-granddaughters, Sienna Mae Gardner and Coral Marie Gardner of Chesterfield, N.H. Memorial information: None provided.
• Joseph Charles “Joey” Shencavitz Sr., 96, formerly of Brattleboro. Died April 16 at Vernon Green Nursing Home. Born in Greenvale, Long Island, N.Y., on Dec. 16, 1920, the son of Stanley and Julianna (Dobraska) Shencavitz. He was raised in Greenvale and attended the Roslyn school district, graduating from Roslyn High School, Class of 1939. While attending high school, he was the recipient of the American Legion Bronze Medal Award for God and Country. In 1944, he married Josephine Diaz, who survives. For many years, he and his wife owned and operated The Flower Stop, a small garden center located in Mt. Sinai, N.Y. Previously, he was a salesman and later warehouse manager for Gregory Doyle Farming Supplies, a local company that sold fertilizers and insecticides. In his earlier years he worked on his family's farm in Coram, N.Y. He and his wife moved to Brattleboro in 1989. He enjoyed music and was an accomplished accordion player. He played at many special events that included the annual St. Patrick's Day dinner at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Brattleboro and the Thompson House Nursing Home. He was well known for his “green thumb” and love for working with plants. In 1993, with his wife he established the Garden of Innocence at St. Michaels, which they maintained every year. In conjunction with his love of music and gardening, he also enjoyed golfing. Besides his devoted wife of 73 years, he leaves three sons, Joseph Jr. of Marysville, Wash., Gerald of Mt. Desert Island, Maine, and Peter of Brattleboro, two grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by three brothers, John, Anthony and Phillip Shencavitz ,and two sisters, Stella Malik and Alice Klewicki. Memorial information: A funeral Mass was held April 21 at St. Michael's Catholic Church, with committal rites and burial in Meetinghouse Hill Cemetery. Donations to St. Michael's School, 48 Walnut St., Brattleboro, VT 05301. To send messages of condolence, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• Margaret G. Strong, 103, of Vernon. Died April 15 at Vernon Advent Christian Home, where she had resided for a number of years, after a period of declining health. Born in North Adams, Mass., on March 8, 1914, the daughter of Adam and Margarite (Dresher) Gundecker, she was raised and schooled in Bennington before moving to Brattleboro in 1947 She worked as a proofreader for the Brattleboro Reformer, The Book Press, and American-Stratford Printing Co. for many years. She also worked at the Margolin pocketbook factory. She loved to do crewel work and sewing. She enjoyed the company of her many friends and she also loved to dance. She was an avid Bingo player while at the Vernon Home. She is survived by her children, Nancy Systo of Blufftown, S.C., Kenneth M. Strong and his wife Kathy of Stowe, Frances Jerard and her husband Al of Spofford, N.H., and Steven Strong and his wife, Susan, of Brattleboro. She is also survived by her 11 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Memorial information: Private interment services will take place in Meetinghouse Cemetery in Brattleboro at a time to be determined.
• Irma Nina Weinzierl, 72, of Rockingham, Died Feb. 13 in Fort Myers, Fla. She was born Aug. 30, 1944, in New York City, the daughter of Gelino and Sandra (Blier) Michelini. In 1966, she married John J. Weinzierl. She was employed in human resources as a community outreach specialist with HCRS in Springfield for 30 years. She volunteered with Meals on Wheels program and taught Sunday school. She was an avid flower and vegetable gardener. Survivors include her husband, of Rockingham; two children, David Weinzierl of Bellows Falls, and Julie Strong of Saxtons River; two brothers, James Michelini of Port St. Lucie, Fla., and William Tarn, of Farmington, Conn.; six grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Memorial information: A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 29, at 11 a.m., at Athens Christian Community Church, with burial to follow in Meeting House Cemetery in Rockingham. Donations to Athens Christian Community Church Missions Fund, 1 Miller Road, Athens, VT 05143.
• John Bell Young, 63, of Putney. Died April 7 at his home. Born July 8, 1953 in New York City, he was an accomplished classical concert pianist, music critic, and prolific writer. He performed throughout the Americas, Europe, Russia,and Asia. He was exposed to classical music early in life, influenced by his father, who loved classical music and played piano himself as an avocation. He credits his mother for her belief in him and her constant support and encouragement. He took lessons from an early age. At 14, he attended The Putney School in Vermont where both his musical performing and writing careers began. After Putney, he attended Oberlin College Conservatory, studying music, philosophy and Russian. He spoke Russian fluently. He also attended Bennington College and Mannes College of Music, and studied privately with celebrated teachers including Constance Keene, Margarita Fyodorova, and others in New York, Paris, Switzerland, London, Toronto and St Petersburg, Russia. He made his formal American debut in 1977 at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The same year, he performed in London's Christchurch Spitalfield concert series, at Amsterdam's Koepelzaaal, and in Paris at the Musee Carnavalet in 1987. In the documentary film, Sweet Summer Concert, Dutch television followed him as he performed an open-air concert aboard a tour boat throughout Amsterdam's canals. In 1978, he became the first American pianist to perform in the People's Republic of China, returning the following year and again in 2001. He often performed on radio at WQXR in New York, National Public Radio, TROS radio in the Netherlands and Russian state radio and television. He first came to prominence in the 1990s with his critically acclaimed recordings on the Newport Classical label of the little known musical compositions of 19th century German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzche, the first commercially issued discs of his piano and chamber music. In 1992, he performed Nietzsche's music in Russia ending an almost 75 year ban on the philosopher's work. He was a champion of rarely performed repertoire by underrated composers. Well known for his performances and recordings of the Russian composer Alexander Scriabin, and endorsed by Scriabin's daughters, in 1990 he led the American delegation to the International Scriabin Festival in Moscow and performed in Russia, Latvia, and the United States. He was a consultant to the first Scriabin International Piano Competition in Moscow in 1995, where a special prize was awarded in his name. In 2001, he collaborated with the British actor, Michael York, in recording Enoch Arden, a melodrama for narration and piano by Richard Strauss. He adjudicated many international piano competitions and gave many master classes and lectures all over the world, including at the Moscow Conservatory and The Julliard School in New York. A widely published music critic and commentator, he wrote for many publications. He also published several books beginning in 2008 for Amadeus Press about the music of Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt, Brahms, and Puccini. Young also wrote in recent years about dogs, his other passion, for the online publication, Life With Dogs. Following a stroke in 2013, he retired from the concert stage, no longer able to play. Since then, he continued to produce recordings for other artists, offering his experience as a freelance producer and consultant advising performers about career and publicity strategies. He endorsed and advised young aspiring artists through establishment of his group, Artistic Spirits Productions, which also produced liner notes, press releases, grant proposals, and biographies. He was predeceased by his parents, McKinley Eugene Young and Dorothy Burgess Young, and his brother, Stephen Craig Kent, all of New York. He is survived by his sister, Marilyn Streaty of California, his nephews, Matthew Anderson of Maryland and Rhamis Kent of Cornwall, England, and seven grandnieces and grand nephews. Memorial information: A private memorial service will be held at a later date.