College news
• Brody Meszkat of Londonderry and Miles Ackerman-Hovis of Guilford were named to the Dean's List for the fall 2024 semester at Purchase (N.Y.) College.
• Charlotte Croft of West Dover and Addison Kujovsky of South Londonderry were named to the Dean's List for the fall 2024 semester at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York.
Obituaries
• Judithe L. Clayton, 78, died on Feb. 12, 2025, at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. She was born in Bellows Falls on Jan. 18, 1947, to Charles E. Durant and Violet L. Durant (Taylor). In 1968, she married Karl E. Clayton Sr. They were married 29 years until his death in 1997. Judithe was a loving mother to her children. She is survived by her daughters, Brenda Durant (Pratt), Candy Clayton, Christina Clayton and son, Daniel Clayton. She leaves nine grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her two sisters, Frances Mills and Marie Barker. Memorial information: A private burial will be held at the convenience of the family.
• Alfred O. Leonard, 70, of Bellows Falls. Died on Feb. 17, 2025. Alfred was born on July 6, 1954, in Bellows Falls to Alfred Leonard Sr. and Pearl (Lescord) Leonard. He attended schools in Bellows Falls and graduated from Bellows Falls Union High School in the Class of 1972. He worked as a laborer for Our Place for many years. Alfred is survived by his daughters, Crystal Esslinger, and her husband, Graham of Alstead, New Hampshire, and Samantha Leonard, and her husband, Dennis of Rockingham; grandsons Isaiah and Wyatt Whidden and Timothy Abbot of Rockingham, and Westyn Esslinger of Alstead; his sister, Ruby Parker of Bellows Falls; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents and his wife, Karen Leonard. Memorial information: A celebration of his life will take place at a later date.
• David Craig MacDonald, 76, died of respiratory illness on Jan. 27, 2025. Born Nov. 16, 1948, in New York City, the son of Dr. George E. MacDonald and Verda R. "Tess" MacDonald, he grew up in Newton, Massachusetts, and in his youth often spent time each summer at the family home in Spofford, New Hampshire, once even bicycling the 100 miles to get there. He attended Ithaca College for one year, then moved to New York City, where he worked in bookstores and as a photographer's studio assistant. He and his first wife, Suzanne Fink, lived in Belgium for a time when Fink's father, an Air Force officer, was assigned to NATO. The couple returned to New York and were later divorced. He continued to live in New York for a time, and then moved back to Newton, where he found work at a camera store before moving to Portland. Maine. He and his second wife, Cate DiMarzio, lived in Portland for a number of years. While in Portland, he worked as a photographer for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. He also worked at the Kennebec Journal in Augusta, Maine. He always traveled with a hard hat and boots in his car so he could go wherever the shot took him, but he had a special eye for the full-page-width photographs used to grace the top of various sections of the newspaper and the web site. As a news photographer, he traveled several times to Archangel, Russia, Portland's sister city, always bringing his hosts much appreciated American-made Levi jeans and toilet paper. Divorced a second time, he later moved into the family home in Spofford, where he worked as a photographer and book seller in Keene, New Hampshire. Predeceased by his parents, he is survived by his brother, James E. MacDonald of Natick, Massachusetts, and sisters, Jean E. MacDonald of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, and Susan G. Roy of Park City, Utah. Memorial information: There will be no services. As David was a lover of animals and an advocate for peace, friends who wish may donate in his name to the Monadnock Humane Society, 101 West Swanzey Rd., Swanzey, NH 03446, or Doctors Without Borders, 40 Rector St., 16th Floor, New York, NY 10006. To offer condolences, visit csnh.com.
• Charles Raymond "Charlie" Staib, 89, of Wilmington. Died peacefully on Feb. 21, 2025. Charlie was preceded in death by wives Rita May, Iris, and Kay Smith. He is survived by his sister-in-law Lois O'Connor of Maine, son Ralph (Helen) Staib, and daughter Heidi (Allen) Taylor, all of Wilmington; daughter Gretchen (Carrol) Havreluk Jr. of Jacksonville; grandchildren Ashley (Jason) Perlmutter, Katlyn (Joseph) Engel, Sarah (Ben) Barnett, Jillian (Caleb) Perrault, Meaghan Taylor, Trevor Havreluk (Katie); great-grandchildren Parker, Vanessa, Peyton, Bentley, Hazyl, Anderson, Henry, Liza, and Wynter; and several loving nieces and nephews. Charlie was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on July 29, 1935, the youngest of eight siblings. As a child, he spent many hours in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, on the water with his grandparents. He worked at Pratt & Whitney, where he met the love of his life Rita May. He moved to Wilmington in 1960, where he built his family home and ran his own business, Staib Builders. Charlie is known for building many homes in town. He was a dedicated member of the community, always lending a helping hand to anyone at any time. He received the Chamber of Commerce Community Service Award in 2016. He was a member of the Eastern Star (60 years), Shriners, and Masonic Social Lodge (67 years). He spent winters in Lecanto, Florida, for the past 24 years. Always a kid at heart, Charlie had an adventurous spirit with his love of riding roller coasters and skydiving at the age of 80, as well as bowling, and weekly Bingo. You might remember seeing Charlie joyriding in his green truck with his grandchildren as they were growing up, always with Polka music playing loudly. His love of golf began at 12 when he worked as a caddy at the Rockledge Golf Club in West Hartford. He enjoyed his weekly golf outings throughout his life. Charlie will be remembered for his infectious smile, kindness, flirtatiousness, his sense of humor, and love for his family. His laughter and wisdom were gifts to everyone who knew him. Memorial information: Friends and family are invited to a service at St. Mary's in the Mountains Church at 13 East Main St. Wilmington on Saturday, May 3, at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Wings Community Programs (Golf Program), 1 School St., Wilmington, VT 05363. To send condolences, visit sheafuneralhomes.com.
• Evelyn (Clough) Walker, 81, of Vernon. Died at her home on Feb. 24, 2025. She was born in Northfield, Massachusetts, on April 29, 1943, the youngest daughter of Richard and Dorothy (Wright) Clough. She graduated from Brattleboro Union High School and married Roland "Danny" Walker Sr. in 1961. They were married for more than 25 years and had two children. She worked as a cook at Vernon Elementary School for many years and then at the Vernon Green Nursing Home. She later worked at the Last Straw in Brattleboro and, finally, at Walmart until her retirement. She enjoyed watching NASCAR races, crafting, playing cards, and reading mystery novels. She is survived by her daughter, Joanne (Walker) Leveille and her husband Scott, and her son Roland "David" Walker Jr., and his wife Katherine, all of Vernon. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Julieann, Rebecca (Goodnow), Kristina, Michael, and Danielle Walker, and a great-grandchild, Cameron Mattson. She was predeceased by her siblings, Albert "Skip" Clough and Marjorie Bistrek. Memorial information: There will be a graveside service in the spring at Center Cemetery in Bernardston, Massachusetts, at a time to be announced. To send condolences, email kidco28@yahoo.com.
This Milestones item was submitted to The Commons.