Obituaries
• Shirley Ann Alsvig, 80, of Athens. Died on Aug. 6, 2025, surrounded by her loved ones. She was born in Meriden, Connecticut, on Nov. 17, 1944. She had five children, seven grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren. She beat lung cancer twice. She loved to fish and do her flowers when she was younger. She worked for Whitney Blake Company for many years and retired to relax, read books, and do puzzles at home. Memorial information: There will be a celebration of Shirley's life, including a potluck, on Aug. 30.
• Ruth E. Barton, 83, of Dummerston, formerly of Putney and Westminster. Died in the comfort of her home with her husband at her side, on Aug. 8, 2025, following a courageous fight with cancer. She was born at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital on June 7, 1942, the eldest of four children of John and Mildred (Mortimer) Houghton of Dummerston. While her father fought in World War II, Ruth and her mother lived with her grandparents on the family farm on Houghton Road before moving to Putney and then Westminster. She attended Dummerston and Putney elementary schools and graduated from Brattleboro Union High School with the Class of 1960. Following graduation, Ruth married Erwin Stockwell of Putney, but they later divorced. She then married Merrill Barton of Putney, with whom she enjoyed 48 years of marriage. Ruth worked for several years in the operating room at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital and later worked with her husband at Greenwood School. Ruth was very active in community service. She was on the School Board for both Bellows Falls and Brattleboro high schools for several terms at each school. She worked several years at the polls in Dummerston, served as president of the Putney Historical Society, was active in the ownership and subsequent rebuilding of the Putney General Store, and was a member in good standing of the Dummerston Historical Society. She was a member of the Evening Star Grange of Dummerston and served on the Board of Trustees at Rescue Inc. for several years representing the town of Putney. Ruth was a member of the Dummerston Congregational church and was president of the church's Women's Association at the time of her passing. She was the quiet push behind the Apple Pie Festival and the Strawberry Festival at the church and, though no longer a member of the Grange, was a solid supporter of their activities and fundraisers over the years. She was well known for her zippy deviled eggs. In addition to her husband, survivors include her two sons, George of Putney and John of Dummerston; a brother-in-law, Robert Hayden of Westfield, Massachusetts; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was predeceased by her parents; her brother, George Houghton; two sisters, Linda Arsenault and Betty Ann Hayden; and several aunts, uncles, and cousins. Memorial information: Funeral services were held Aug. 16 at Dummerston Congregational Church with committal services and burial in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Putney. Donations to a local charity of one's choice. To offer condolences, visit atamaniuk.com.
• Herman J. Donna, 74, of Townshend. Died Aug. 1, 2025, at his home. Herman was born in Montgomery Center, Vermont, on May 17, 1951, the son of the late Harlan and Ella (Williams) Donna, and attended local schools. Herman loved working on cars and was an automobile mechanic for his entire working career. He enjoyed racing cars, playing pool, and building race cars. Every weekend he would be at the Monadnock Speedway and Claremont Speedway in New Hampshire. He enjoyed camping and pitching horseshoes, and cherished times spent with his family. Herman is survived by his wife, Debbie (Stanhope) Donna, of Townshend; children Michelle Wilkins of Townshend and Greg Donna (Regina) of Jamaica; grandchildren Travis, Josh, Gabby, Zach, and Miranda; and great-grandchildren Landon, Peyton, Taylor, and Emmett. He was preceded in death by his brother Harlan Donna. Memorial information: A celebration of life for Herman will be held at the NewBrook Fire Station on Sunday, Sept. 7, at 1 p.m. There are no visiting hours. Donations to Grace Cottage Hospital and Rescue Inc. in Brattleboro, in care of Covey Allen & Shea Funeral Home, P.O. Box 215, Wilmington, VT 05363.
• Richard Evers, a longtime and active member of the Brattleboro community, died on Aug. 7, 2025, just a day following his 80th birthday. Whether seen demonstrating for justice, swimming at the Colonial Pool or Marlboro's South Pond, reading the paper at Brooks Memorial Library, or shopping at the Co-op and farmers market, Richard was a presence. His passion for the arts, music (especially playing his guitar), literature, and the environment were lifelong. He was passionate, often expressing his views on the opinion pages of The Commons and Brattleboro Reformer. He is remembered lovingly by his siblings Katharine Kravetz, Robbie Kunreuther, Frances Kunreuther, and Elizabeth Kunreuther, as well as his nieces and nephews, Julie Dougherty, Rachel Kravetz, Daniel Kravetz, Will Halpern, and Paula Halpern. Memorial information: Donations in his memory may be sent to Brooks Memorial Library (brookslibraryvt.org) or the Middle East Children's Alliance (mecaforpeace.org).
• Jean E. Fraser (née Cutler, formerly Salo), 86, of Norwich, Vermont, formerly of Brattleboro. Died peacefully, surrounded by her loving family, on Aug. 1, 2025. Jean was born on March 10, 1939, in Brattleboro, to the late Walter and Evelyn (Kemp) Cutler. She is a 1957 graduate of Brattleboro Union High School and earned a degree in education from the University of Vermont in 1961. Jean remained connected with her high school classmates throughout her life, attending most reunions, including their 67th in 2024. Jean had two children from her first marriage, Fred and Lynn, whom she loved beyond measure, raising them in Keene, New Hampshire, since 1971. Despite the challenges of making ends meet as a single mom, she always found a way to provide memorable summer vacations to Sandy Island on Lake Winnipesaukee, which remain some of their fondest memories. Jean was a teacher for 17 years, then worked in various administrative roles before she found her professional home in the IRA department at TD Bank, retiring in 2004. There, she made lifelong friends with whom she stayed connected until her passing, cherishing their lunches together after her retirement. In the fall of 2004, Jean received a postcard from the UVM Alumni Office. Jack Fraser, whom she had dated in college, wanted to reconnect. Hesitant at first, she did not call Jack until January 2005. That call began a love story that never ended. Jean and Jack married on Sept. 25, 2005, surrounded by their children, family, and friends, proudly joining the Fraser family in Norwich, where she and Jack shared 14 wonderful years before his death in 2019. Jean found great joy in spending time with family. She loved reading her beloved books and playing card games. In recent years, she enjoyed visiting the Bugbee Senior Center in White River Junction, where she looked forward to the Monday and Friday lunches and Bingo games. She also loved visiting Maine and spending time by the ocean. In addition to her parents and her cherished husband, Jack, Jean was predeceased by her brothers, Robert and Donald Pike; a niece, Sheila Ferris; and a brother-in-law, Richard Fraser. Jean is survived by her beloved children, Fred Salo Jr. (Marcy) of Las Vegas, Nevada and Lynn Wood (Doug) of Bedford, Massachusetts; her grandchildren Paige Cook (Ronnie) and Peyton Salo, who were her brightest stars; stepdaughters Cindy Fraser, Wendy Bagley (Bryan), and Cheri Henry (Doug); grandchildren Nati Henry and Jack Bagley; great-grandchildren, Cullen and Vivian Cook, and Tyler Henry; sisters-in-law Marjorie Pike, Jane Britton (Glenn), Betty White, and Cindy Fraser; brother-in-law, George Fraser (Susie); niece, Sharon Pike; and great-niece Bridgitte Ferris, and her father, Rick Ferris. Memorial information: A memorial service will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23, at Norwich Congregational Church, 15 Church St. A reception will immediately follow in the church's parish hall from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. A graveside burial will follow at 1 p.m. at the Norwich Hillside Cemetery. Donations to the Bugbee Senior Center or the Palliative Care Program at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. To offer condolences, visit rickerfuneralhome.com.
• Charles August Miller, 78, of Hinsdale, New Hampshire. Died at his home on July 15, 2025. He was born on Oct. 8, 1946, in Ludlow, Massachusetts, the son of Gregory August Miller and Mabel Ross Miller. He was the husband of Natalie S. Miller. They were married on June 24, 1972, at Saint Anthony's Catholic Church in Springfield, Massachusetts. Charles graduated from Cathedral Catholic High School in 1964. He was a member of the Class of 1970 at American International College in Springfield, and graduated with a B.A. in English. He then attended Springfield Technical Community College, enrolled in their nursing program, graduating in 1979 as a Registered Nurse. He did this while working nights full-time as an orderly. After graduation, he worked as an emergency room nurse before finding his calling in psychiatric care. Charles worked at Wesson Memorial Hospital in Springfield until October 1989, when he moved his family to Hinsdale, and took a job at the Brattleboro Retreat. He worked there for 28 years, retiring in 2017. Charles's parents were artists in the local community and passed down a love of art to him, which he shared with his family by taking them to various art museums throughout the area. He also had a deep love of nature, which he expressed through hiking, cross-country skiing, camping, canoeing, sailing, and fishing. Charles was a volunteer member of the Northfield Mountain Cross Country Ski Patrol, along with his youngest son. He enjoyed gardening, reading, cooking, and baking. He was predeceased by his younger brother Steven Gregory Miller, who died in infancy in 1947, and his wife, Natalie, who died in May 2021. He is survived by his three children, a son-in-law, five nieces, and a nephew. Memorial information: A funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23, at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Brattleboro, with interment to follow at St. Michael's Cemetery. To send condolences, visit csnh.com.
• Jeanne Cowan Walker, 84, died on May 8, 2025, at Covenant Living Hospice Care in Keene, New Hampshire, shortly after suffering a stroke in March. Her final weeks were peaceful, and even joyful. Surrounded by family, she sang along to a few of her favorite Carly Simon songs from her hospital bed on the day she died. A fiercely compassionate, adaptive, and endlessly creative soul, Jeanne lived her life in the service of others. She was born in Denver, Colorado, on Jan. 23, 1941, the younger of two daughters of Dorothy Julia (Jewel) Keating and Lester Augustus Cowan. When she was eight, her family moved to Westport, Connecticut, for her mother's cancer treatment, though Jeanne wasn't told of her mother's illness until shortly before her death on Christmas Eve. This sudden loss left a deep imprint, one that would shape Jeanne's life. Having never had the chance to care for her own mother, she would spend her adulthood caring for others with extraordinary tenderness, humor, and resolve. Jeanne attended Gettysburg College but left before graduating when she married a fellow student, John Stephen Whetstone (Steve), and gave birth to their son, Stephen, in August 1962. The family eventually settled in Guilford, Connecticut, where Steve began his ministry at the Congregational Church. Their daughter, Krista, arrived in 1963. When the marriage unraveled in the late 1960s, Jeanne, still in her twenties, found herself raising two children alone with little financial support. Somehow, she managed to take on every role: mother, "father," breadwinner, protector, and emotional anchor, all with inimitable pluck and flair. In 1971, Jeanne met and married her soulmate, Ray Walker, then a medical student at Yale. Their union brought together Jeanne's two children and Ray's four - Christopher, Scott, Daniel, and David - creating a spirited blended family. On weekends and holidays, their home brimmed with the clamor of six kids, the smells of Jeanne's pies and casseroles, the sounds of Jeanne on the piano and flute, and Chris on the bagpipes, and light-hearted games of charades and "giggle belly," as well as more intense philosophical debates. Jeanne adored her life in Guilford. She embraced every corner of the town: the green, Jacobs Beach, the library (where she served as a trustee), the tennis courts, and the Handcrafts Center. Her home was a haven filled with books, laughter, clay, and music. If Lucille Ball had been a left-leaning New England writer with a potter's wheel and a protest sign, she and Jeanne would have been great friends. During the 1970s, Jeanne fulfilled her dream of completing her education, earning both her bachelor's and master's degrees in English Literature from Connecticut College, writing her thesis on the poet Richard Wilbur. She remained a passionate reader and writer all her life. In the 1980s, with their children out in the world, Jeanne and Ray moved to rural Hanover, Connecticut, where Jeanne raised goats, sheep, and a small herd of miniature donkeys while continuing to write and work in her pottery studio. She also served AIDS patients at Backus Hospital in Norwich, Connecticut, as their ally and advocate, her presence lifting the heavy weight of isolation. She sat with them, cooked for them, listened to them, and touched them. In 1998, Jeanne and Ray moved to an even more bucolic home atop a long dirt road in Guilford, Vermont. They spent more than 20 years there surrounded by hills, gardens, and cows grazing in the lower fields. Once again, Jeanne found community - volunteering full-time as a guardian ad litem, representing the best interests of vulnerable children in the court system. In 2018, Jeanne and Ray moved to Brattleboro, where Jeanne was soon diagnosed with Alzheimer's. As with everything else, Jeanne handled her disease with good humor and honesty. Though increasingly confused, she was able to puzzle through her days and talk about her experience in a remarkably lucid way. And despite the thickening fog, her once denied 10-year-old self would ask her family and friends the question that still mattered most to her - "how are you doing … and are you OK?" Jeanne was predeceased by her sister Susan Knebel of Denver. She is survived by her husband of 54 years, Dr. Ray C. Walker of Brattleboro; her son, Stephen D. Whetstone (Cheryl) of Boston; daughter, Krista Whetstone (Sabin Streeter) of Manhattan; and her four stepsons: Christopher T. Walker (the late Martha Walker) of Unionville, Connecticut; Scott H. Walker (Louise) of Boston; Daniel C. Walker (Leslea) of Greenwich, Connecticut; and David E. Walker (Cary) of Lyme, Connecticut. Fourteen grandchildren also survive her: Max and Sofia; Otis and Hazel; Zion, Josiah (Caitlyn), and Seraphim; Sam (Mckenzie) and Luke; Tim (Johanna), Hannah (Dan), and Doug (Erin); and Lucy and Nick; and great-grandchildren Misaiel, Adalia, Elise, and Mateo; and Caleb, Ben, Lily, and Ray. Memorial information: Jeanne was cremated in accordance with her wishes. Her ashes rest, for now, in a vintage urn - every bit as cool as she was - at home in Brattleboro. One day, they will be mixed with Ray's and laid to rest in the cemetery neighboring the land they loved in Guilford, Vermont. Family, friends, and former colleagues are invited to celebrate her life on Saturday, Aug. 30, at 2 p.m. at the Community Center in Black Mountain Estates, 78 Buttonwood Drive, Brattleboro. Donations in Jeanne's memory may be made to the Vermont Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association at alz.org/vermont.
• Deborah Nancy "Debbie" Wright, 70, of Grafton. Died peacefully, surrounded by her children and close family, at the Jack Byrne Center for Palliative and Hospice Care at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, on July 21, 2025. Debbie was born to the late Francis and Irene Martin on August 18, 1954. She was raised in Acworth, New Hampshire, alongside her four siblings; Susan Westney, Ronald Martin, Richard "Rickey" Martin, and Paula Martin. Debbie was known for her fierce independence, relentless determination, and hard work. She had tenacity to get things done even when told she couldn't do something. Her strength, spirit, and deep love for her family and friends will be remembered and cherished by all who knew her. Her loved ones were the most important part of her life. Debbie lived and worked in Grafton. She was a member of the Windham Foundation, the Grafton Improvement Association, and the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association, volunteering countless hours to her community over the decades. She enjoyed gardening, baking, maple sugaring, feeding and watching birds, being in nature, and attending events for her grandchildren, extended family, and friends. Family and close friends (her chosen family) were the most important thing in her life. Debbie was one of the most kindhearted, caring, and loving individuals on earth. Though small in stature, her heart was huge. She gave more to others than she ever received, and she will be missed by all she touched. She was predeceased by her husband, Robert Wright Sr., with whom she was married for 35 years; and siblings Susan Westney and Ronald Martin. She is survived by daughters Heidi Hope (Robert) Turgeon-Baird and Jennifer Joan (Bruce) Marandino; sons Zebediah Norman Toussaint and Gideon Martin Toussaint; son-in-law Robert (Kristina) Wright Jr.; and grandchildren Owen, Onyx, Ruth, Grace, Hannah, Jaden, Caden, Chloe, Reece, and Elise. Memorial information: A graveside service was held on Aug. 17 at Acworth Cemetery.
This Milestones item was submitted to The Commons.