Obituaries
• Hi Kyung Brandt, 94, formerly of Putney. Died peacefully March 5, 2026, in Shelburne, Vermont. She was born Oct. 25, 1931, in the city of Andong in Manchuria (now northeastern China) to her loving parents Man Cho Chung and Seung Mae Kim. The eldest of five children, she had happy memories of early life in multiethnic Andong, speaking Korean at home and Japanese at school, before the upheavals of war led to a period of displacement and hardship for her family, as for so many in the region. A chance encounter in refugee-choked Busan with a dashing young American diplomat, Vincent “Vin” S.R. Brandt, led to love and a 60-plus-year marriage, along with three children and a long series of adventures that included attending Sarah Lawrence College (and meeting there Yoko Ono, a lifelong “bestie”), sailing a small boat with Vin, a Japanese painter friend, and a cat across the Atlantic (“I will never forget the storms, the waves were like mountains”), and eventually settling in a house she helped Vin build in the woods of Putney. An expert seamstress who sewed many of her own clothes, she enjoyed cutting a stylish and exotic figure. She loved to garden, ski, play tennis, draw and paint, play the piano, play bridge, and socialize with a wide circle of friends who relished her warmth, sense of fun, and excellent cooking. Hi Kyung was a gifted entrepreneur as well as cook, and started two successful food businesses: “Mimi Oriental Products” in Putney, where she and her staff made the delicious eggrolls sold all over Vermont and Massachusetts from the late 1970s to the 1990s; and the Pacific Rim restaurant in Burlington. In old age, she and Vin reluctantly left their beloved home in Putney for Burlington, where she nursed Vin with great devotion until his death in 2019. Hi Kyung is survived by her three children Kim, Richard, and Maea; her two sisters Hi Yung and Hi Eun; and her five grandchildren Ezra, Lulu, Clio, India, and Alexander. Memorial information: A memorial service is planned for Saturday, May 16, at the Korean-American United Methodist Church in Essex Junction. Donations may be made to Vermont Korean-American United Methodist Church, 130 Maple St., Essex Junction, VT 05452.
• Lorna Jane Casa, 93, of Chico, California. Died March 28, 2026. Jane was a traveler, a teacher, a lifelong learner, a devoted mother and grandmother, and an activist who spoke out for justice in Palestine. Maybe she was inspired by the limitless horizon of the Kansas prairie where she was born; maybe by her father’s insatiable wanderlust; maybe it was the 200-mile solo bus trip to Denver as a pre-teen to visit her orthodontist; or defiance of a doctor’s prediction that she would never walk again after polio. Whatever her inspiration, Jane’s life was defined by a magnetic pull to understand and experience the people, customs, languages, and geography of the world. Lorna Jane Goltl was born Aug. 1, 1932, the ninth child, and the seventh daughter, of Sophia Toth Goltl and Mathias Goltl, both of Hungarian immigrant farming families. She was born in the basement of the house that Mathias was building on the family’s 160-acre wheat farm in McDonald, Kansas. Fresh out of girls’ names, Sophie told her daughters that whoever got to the church first for the baptism could name their baby sister. The girls fell into two camps and Jane was always grateful that the ones who favored Leatrice Joy, after a popular silent film star, were the slowest. As daughter No. 7, Lorna was able to sidestep some of the household tasks expected of her sisters. A tall, tanned tomboy who loved her horse, Pearl, and the farm dogs, she idolized her father’s industrious spirit and worked alongside him whenever she could. At 13, she learned to drive at the wheel of a combine during summer wheat harvest. Jane earned a B.A. in psychology at Valparaiso University in Indiana, where, drawn to the allure of global travel, she approached CIA recruiters at a jobs fair. When she didn’t hear back from them, she set out for Washington, D.C., after graduation, marched into CIA headquarters and said she was there for work. As her new job blossomed into a career track set for South Asia, so did her relationship with a charming New Yorker named Sal Casa, a budding artist who asked – what else? – if he could paint her. That sketch of a beautiful young Jane in profile derailed her global intelligence career when Jane and Sam (as she always called him) welcomed a son, Vincent Matthew. The small family moved to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where Sal studied art at the Istituto Allende and baby Matt grew fat on avocados from a tree in the backyard of their small bungalow. Jane basked in a new culture and an ex-pat community bursting with art and creativity, making friendships that would last throughout her life. A year later, the Casa family left for Brooklyn, where they lived above the in-laws who welcomed Jane into their loud Italian family, and where a second baby, Kathryn Josephine, was born. Three years after that, Sam and Jane hitched a U-Haul to their 1957 Chevy, put the kids in the back seat, and made the cross-country trek – with Jane teaching Sam to drive along the way – to join her parents on a farm in rural northern California. Jane enrolled at Chico State University for a teaching credential and began the career she loved as a first-grade teacher at Capay Elementary. She transferred schools when she and Sal bought their own small farm in Orland, Calif., and continued teaching elementary school there. She delighted at the birth of their third child, Stephen Christopher, in 1967. In the late 1970s, with her marriage at an end, Jane took a handful of resumes to Europe and found a job at Frankfurt International School in Germany. She and Stephen spent the next seven years living a continental life with ski trips to Switzerland, school breaks in Paris, camping trips across the U.K., and beach holidays in Greece. Their apartment in Oberursel, Germany, was base camp for friends’ and sisters’ European visits and family trips to Hungary to meet the relatives. She returned to the U.S. after Stephen graduated high school, but took the long way home through India and Africa before settling back in California, where she continued teaching elementary school. Nearing retirement age, Jane launched phase 2 of her career, teaching English as a foreign language first to immigrants in Sacramento, then in Jinan, China, and Riga, Latvia, where she commuted through the icy city winter on a bicycle. When retirement finally took hold, she returned to San Miguel de Allende, where she made another new circle of close friends and designed and built a beautiful Mexican home. Health and family concerns eventually drew Jane back to California, where she enjoyed adult learning classes at CSU-Chico and became a diehard Palestine solidarity activist. At 80, and undaunted by mobility challenges posed by the hills and cobblestones of Bethlehem, she went to Palestine to teach English. Jane loved music, art, language, laughter and learning. She wrote funny, silly melodramas, spent hours over crossword puzzles, and was a fierce Scrabble competitor. Her spirit, humor, and creativity endeared her to her students, who stayed in touch with her long after their classes were over. She made lasting friendships wherever she went, even in her final days and weeks at a nursing home. She insisted on living an interesting and purposeful life, and neither childhood polio, breast cancer, multiple broken bones, nor a very unfortunate encounter with a U.S. mail truck could slow her down. She also endured deep and seminal loss – a beloved older brother, Elmer, who died of a brain aneurysm when she was a child; her sister and dear friend Edith Norwood lost too soon to cancer; and tragically, her oldest son, Matt, in 2017. Jane transformed a lifetime of frugality into boundless generosity, in both resources and love, for her children and grandchildren. Her home was open to all of them at any time, no questions asked. Present at the birth of both granddaughters, she was a caring and influential figure in their lives, imbuing in them both her passion for travel, teaching, and justice. Jane was predeceased by her parents and eight siblings, her beloved son Matt, her ex-husband Sal, and many dear friends and family. Her spirit lives on in her children, Kate and Stephen Casa; her grandchildren, Samia and Amal Abbass, and Robert MacIntosh and his wife, Becky; her great grandchildren Kurtis and Katelyn MacIntosh; dozens of nieces and nephews; dear friends; and the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of students the world over. Memorial information: Donations in Jane’s memory may be made to Gaza Soup Kitchen (gazasoupkitchen.org/donate-now).
• Susan Conley, 70, died on March 26, 2026. A woman of fierce strength and a cornerstone of the Brattleboro community, she was a lifeline for many and a protector of all. While she was the kindest person you could meet, she was truly the strongest woman many knew. Susan’s soul belonged to Ireland; she was a lifelong step dancer who cherished every journey back to her family overseas. She is survived by her daughter Bridget (John) and grandson Jackson; stepdaughter Erica and grandchildren Jacob and Annalyse. She leaves her siblings John (Patricia), Bill (Christie), JoAnn, and Charles (Lucia). Memorial information: A funeral Mass will be held Saturday, April 11, at 10:30 a.m., at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, 47 Walnut St., Brattleboro. Donations to the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont, 15 Grove St., Brattleboro, VT 05301 (aidsprojectsouthernvermont.org).
• Charles Hugh Roberts Hutchison, 74, of Brattleboro. Died March 20, 2026, at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital after a long illness from myelofibrosis and a sudden decline following a fall shortly before his death. Born Sept. 17, 1951, in Tunbridge Wells, England, to Diana (Daphne Betty) and Hugh (William Roberts) Hutchison, he was the middle child between two sisters. Along with his older sister Min, he was sent to boarding school at age 7. The arrival of his younger sister Vicky when he was 10 was one of his happiest memories. Charlie had a passion for learning and a wide range of interests. He found people and life fascinating, and with his encyclopedic mind could converse and listen on just about any topic. His inquisitive mind drew him to science, and his heart led him to education. After attending the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and the Royal Military College of Science during his service in the British Army, where he was a junior officer in a parachute company with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Corps, he left to organize a Save the Whales conference. He then went on to help purchase and become chief engineer for the restoration of a trawler which became Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior. On one occasion, he found himself face to face with an armed French whaling vessel and he and his shipmates successfully interceded with their small boat to protect the whale behind them, After attending University of Edinburgh, he found himself in the United States visiting the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. The friendliness of the people he met there drew him to attend and complete his B.A. degree in 1981. While in Maine, he ran a bakery with a friend for two years, baking and delivering bread. He then taught at The Bay School, a Waldorf School in Blue Hill. Engaging his passion for education, he obtained his M.Ed. from Harvard and then taught at the Fayerweather School in Cambridge, Massachusetts for two years. Along the way, he fought to keep his green card and after immigration lawyers were ineffective, he represented himself in federal court. He won both his case and the respect of the judge, who suggested he had missed his calling and would have been a good lawyer. He stayed in the Boston area working as a science educator for after-school programs throughout the country. He loved teaching hands-on science activities. In 2014, he received the 4-H Science Educator of the Year Award in New Jersey. Charlie had a lifelong love of singing and joined choruses wherever he lived, including the Harvard Chorus, the Metropolitan Chorale in Boston as well as the River Singers in Vermont. He made heartfelt friends who shared the same passion. In 1999, he met Lucy Burdo at a housewarming and, five days later, they had their first date. They married in 2001 and, in 2002, their beautiful son Oliver was born. After relocating to Westminster West in 2016 to be closer to their family, Charlie made many friends in the area. He worked at Compass School as a substitute teacher and eventually drove a school bus for the Windham Northeast Supervisory Union. He shared many stories of the tribulations and joys he experienced interacting with the children. He also served on the Westminster School Board and eventually on the Westminster West Library board as well. Charlie had an extreme fondness for chocolate and had an instinct for finding and eating it without anyone noticing their treat supply was being raided. Friends remember him as a man of gentle humor and kindness who loved nature. Charlie is survived by his wife, Lucy Burdo Hutchison; his two sisters, Min Pinkney and Vicky Hutchison (Chris Hogan) in the U.K.; his cousin Sue (Billy) Steel and their three grown children in Scotland; as well as cousin Susan Feavearyear (Jose Griego) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and his siblings in-law Ann (Carl) Suhrie, Therese Burdo (Rob Miragliuolo), Paul (Laura) Burdo and Peter Burdo; and seven nephews and their wives. He was preceded in death by their beloved son Oliver, who died in 2023 at age 21 after a long battle with black mold poisoning and Lyme Disease, and by his brother-in-law Tom Burdo. Memorial information: A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 9, at 2 p.m. at Dummerston Congregational Church, with a reception to follow at Evening Star Grange. Donations to the Windham County Humane Society, P.O. Box 397, Brattleboro, VT 05302, or the Westminster West Library.
• Priscilla Scott“Pokey” Lyman, 87, of Townshend. Died peacefully March 28, 2026, at the Center for Living and Rehabilitation in Rutland. Priscilla was born June 4, 1938, in Huntington, Long Island, to the late BW (Jack) and Ruth (Thompson) Lyman. Pokey was a natural educator and traveler. After high school, she went on to earn her B.S. in Elementary Education from the State University of New York at Cortland in 1960, and then her M.Ed. from the University of Hartford. During that time, she taught the children of the U.S. Armed Forces in the 1960s and 1970s at military bases in Germany and Japan. After extensive world traveling, she returned to the States and settled in West Hartford, Connecticut, where she taught for many years. Pokey eventually moved and settled in Townshend, so she could care for her aging parents, whereupon she worked as a hostess for the Grafton Inn. After her parents’ deaths, Pokey returned to teaching, working at the Newfane Elementary School until she retired at 62. When she wasn’t working, Pokey was active in her community. She was very involved with the Townshend Church, singing alto in the choir and the community chorus for a number of years. Pokey was a devoted volunteer at the Grace Cottage Hospital Fair Day. She spent her final years with peers at Valley Village Independent Living and then Valley Village Assisted Living in Townshend. Unfortunately, her condition declined significantly requiring her transfer to Rutland Center for Living and Rehabilitation. In addition to spending her retirement volunteering, Pokey began to embrace her inner artist, focusing on printed block art which could be viewed at the annual Hospital Fair Days over the years. Her art was also displayed in other art shows and could be seen in various locations. Along with her parents, Pokey was predeceased by her older sister Pauline L. “Polly” Wright, and a niece, Mildred (Muffie) Locke. Pokey is survived and will be missed by her brother A.T. “Tom” Lyman and his wife Joan in Fort Mill, South Carolina; her nieces, Ruth T. Fleming and spouse Eddie J. Benoit, Jr. of Townshend, Holly L. Fleming and spouse Edward B. Marrinan of West Townshend, Stacy and Howard Murphy of Waxhaw, North Carolina, her nephews Harry H. Fleming of Maine, Tom and Margaret Lyman of Ellicott City, Maryland, and Jim and Wendy Lyman of Fredericksburg, Virginia. All the nieces and nephews have memories of Pokey sharing in the family time together in Vermont. Her family fondly remembers her cooking skills, especially with her homemade pies. Thanksgiving and Christmas were extra special with her contributions each year. She was always interested in what was happening with each of them throughout their lives. Pokey also leaves behind multiple great-nieces and great-nephews whom she loved dearly. There will be no formal services at Pokey’s request. Donations to the Grace Cottage Foundation or the Windham County Humane Society. To offer condolences, visit phaneuf.net.
• Ken O. “KO” Moberly, 86, of Wardsboro. Died March 8, 2026, at the Vermont Veterans Home in Bennington. Ken was born June 27, 1939, in Worcester, Massachusetts, and attended Classical High School and Worcester Junior College. After college, he served four years stateside in the Navy as a medic. He was proud of his Vermont heritage and spent summers as a youth at the Dutton family homestead in Windham. He would always attend family get-togethers at the farm and first came in the mid-1960s to the family camp in Wardsboro, which was converted to a year-round residence in 1977. Ken worked in the retail trade in the 1960s at Woody’s Cracker Barrel in Londonderry and at EMS Sports. From 1992 to 2015, he was co-owner of Manchester Footwear. Ken will be remembered as a world traveler who was always ready for an adventure, whether riding his penny-farthing cycle in the Wardsboro Fourth of July Parade, or showing off one of the vintage cars in his collection. He had an eye for the artistic possibilities in everything from bowling balls swaying on tall iron stakes in the garden landscape at his home to hobby horses swinging from the limbs along the woodland paths on the property. He is survived by his life partner and husband Michael Cooney of Wardsboro. Ken was predeceased by his brothers, Ralph and Verne. He had many nieces and nephews. Memorial information: A gathering of remembrance and storytelling for Ken will be announced for a date in June 2026 to be held in South Wardsboro.
• William Osgood “Bill” Murphy, 77, died at home March 26, 2026, with loved ones present, just as he wished. Bill was born July 29, 1948, to William Patrick Murphy of Bellows Falls and Lois Lingley Osgood of Saxtons River. Bill attended Bellows Falls schools and was a 1967 graduate of Vermont Academy, where his mother was employed. He received his bachelor’s in education from American International College in 1971 and a master’s in administration from Keene State in 1986. He married Christine Gallagher of Bellows Falls in January 1970 and they remained married for 43 years until her death in 2013. Throughout his working career in New England that spanned from the early 1970s until recently, Bill primarily worked as an educator, while also taking on roles as a recreation director, coach, journalist, and radio sportscaster. He spent the first 52 years of his life in Bellows Falls, later residing in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Bill began his education career as a teacher of a variety of subjects at Westminster Center School working under the tutelage of John Porter. Following 15 enjoyable years in Westminster, he ventured into administration, being named teaching principal at Grafton Elementary School. Ten years later, he moved to the assistant principal position at the Bellows Falls Middle School for seven years, and then completed his educational career as the assistant principal at Hartford High School for eight years, retiring on June 30, 2010. Driven by a deep and unwavering passion for sports, education, and community and youth athletics, Bill dedicated his life to pursuing meaningful work across each of these fields. He became the recreation director for the town of Rockingham in 1970, after his junior year in college, and served in that capacity for 18 of the next 32 years. His coaching days actually began when he was in college, when he started a 10-year period of coaching the Moose in the Bellows Falls Junior League, a period in which Bellows Falls won the only state title in the league’s history in 1973, finishing seventh in the Eastern Regionals. He also coached the Jets in Pee Wee Football, and spent a dozen years with the Westminster fifth- and sixth-grade basketball teams. He eventually became the varsity basketball coach at Bellows Falls Union High School, where his Terriers won the school’s only two state basketball championships in 1993 and 2000. He concluded his coaching career with a five-year stint at Vermont Academy, again coaching basketball. A veteran Northern New England sports media figure, he is best known for keeping fans in the know about their beloved Boston Red Sox. His career spans decades, beginning as a writer for the Bellows Falls-Springfield Times Reporter, Brattleboro Reformer, the Eagle Times of Claremont, New Hampshire, Baseball Bulletin, Sports Journal, and the Vermont Journal and Shopper, while freelancing for the Boston Globe. His radio career started in the late 1970s as sports director at WCFR and WBFL, later working for Vox Radio, 1510 the Zone, and for nearly 30 years with Great Eastern Radio. Bill spent countless hours at Fenway Park and traveling to see the Sox within drivable distances. He attended any sporting event he could find as often as possible. After the COVID-19 pandemic, he never attended another professional event, but spent much time at regional high school events. Bill was a large part of the Bellows Falls community — deeply respected, loved, and admired by many. His dedication to working with youth left a lasting impression, as he continued to maintain meaningful connections with many of the students and athletes he mentored. Through his guidance, he helped shape not only their athletic paths, but also supported them through difficult times and decision making in their lives. He was humbled when the community showed their appreciation in 1994 and made him one of the first inductees into the Terrier Hall of Fame. In addition, Bill was named the Bellows Falls Chamber of Commerce Person of the Year in 1999. Most recently, he was chosen as Grand Marshal of the 2023 Alumni Parade. He is survived by his daughters; Melissa (Murphy) Erickson of Lithia, Florida, and Heather Murphy of Bellows Falls; his longtime companion, Dianne Giffin of Lebanon, and her family; his beloved grandchildren Daniel Erickson of Lithia, and Murphy Smith and her husband, Bailey, of Westmoreland, New Hampshire; and great-grandchildren Scarlett and Hazel Smith. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all whose lives he touched. Memorial information: There will be calling hours at Fenton & Hennessy Funeral Home in Bellows Falls Friday, April 10, from 5 to 7 p.m. A funeral Mass will be held at St. Charles Church Saturday, April 11, at 11 a.m., with burial to follow in St. Charles Cemetery. Donations to the Vermont Academy Baseball Program, P.O. Box 500, Saxtons River, VT 05154.
• Robert Richard “Bob” Perusse Sr., 96, of West Brattleboro. Died peacefully March 29, 2026, in the comfort of his home surrounded by his family following an extended period of declining health. Bob was born June 28, 1929, in Agawam, Massachusetts, son of Francis and Lillian (Root) Perusse. He was raised and educated in the greater Springfield area and attended West Springfield High School. He worked for many years at Suburban Propane in Brattleboro, which he retired from following 24 faithful years of service with the company. Previously, he worked at Crosby Milling Company (Wirthmore Feeds) on Vernon Road, and, when he first came to the Brattleboro area, Bob worked for the late Grey Goddard. For many years, Bob was an active volunteer in the transportation department at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. A man of faith, he was a member of First Congregational Church in West Brattleboro. Bob loved the outdoors and puttering around his home. Every summer he kept a large garden, sharing his fruits and vegetables with friends and neighbors. He will be remembered for his spirit of friendship and generosity. On May 13, 1957, in Brattleboro, Bob married Mary Smith, who survives. The couple shared 68 wonderful years of marriage together. Bob also leaves a daughter, Elizabeth Perusse; a son, Matthew Perusse; a granddaughter, Sarah Thomas and husband, Sam; great-granddaughter Heidi Thomas; and a sister-in-law, Nan Perusse. Memorial information: In keeping with Bob’s final wishes, there are no funeral services scheduled. He will be buried in West Brattleboro Cemetery on Mather Road. Donations to First Congregational Church, 880 Western Ave., Brattleboro, VT 05301. To offer condolences, visit atamaniuk.com.
• Theresa M. Smart, 77, of Dummerston. Died peacefully March 25, 2026, after a short illness. Born in Putney May 10, 1948, she was the daughter of Walton and Irene (Dunham) Jewett. She received her education at St. Michael’s Catholic School in Brattleboro and graduated in 1967. She grew up in Putney, but resided in Dummerston after marrying Richard D. Smart Aug. 26, 1967. They had a wonderful marriage of 33 years, until his death in 2001. Theresa worked at the Basketville warehouse in Putney, where she wove baskets alongside many of her family members, including aunts, uncles, cousins, and her mom and younger sister. Once she started her own family, she had an in-home daycare so she could be home with her girls. Theresa loved her family deeply and nothing made her happier than spending time with them. Family barbeques, shopping with her girls, and the annual family vacations at Lake St. Catherine making memories with her family were her favorite things. Theresa was predeceased by her husband and her parents. She is survived by her sister, Sandra Jewett; two daughters, Lisa Edwards and husband Joe, and Christie Smart and partner Branden Bosse; grandchildren Tyler Edwards, Lindsay (Edwards) Martinez, and Logan Bosse; great-grandchildren Aliyah and Xander Edwards, and Caelen, Kamden, and Ronan Martinez; and many cousins who were dear to her heart. Memorial information: At Theresa’s request, there will be no calling hours. A graveside service will be held Saturday, May 2, at 11 a.m. in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Putney, with a celebration of life to follow at Evening Star Grange in Dummerston Center. Donations to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 6704, Hagerstown, MD 21741, or Dummerston Cares, Inc. P.O. Box 302, West Dummerston, VT 05357.
Services
• Graveside committal rites for Elaine M. Tkaczyk will be conducted Saturday, April 11, at 10 a.m. in St. Joseph’s Cemetery on Plain Road in Hinsdale, New Hampshire. Elaine, a resident of Indian Acres Drive in Hinsdale, died March 10, 2026, at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, following a lengthy illness. To view her full obituary or offer condolences to the family, visit atamaniuk.com.
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