Obituaries

Obituaries November 12, 2014

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obit EasonKate Elizabeth Eason

Kate Elizabeth Eason, 32, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, died on Saturday, November 1, 2014, at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center in Myrtle Beach.

Born in Newport, she was the daughter of Douglass and Deborah Haselton.

She was a registered nurse at Carolina Bone and Joint Surgery Center.

She was a gentle soul and free spirit who touched everyone she met.

She loved to shop, especially for shoes and jeans, and always remained frugal. She wholeheartedly made the earth a better place. She loved her family and her husband.

Survivors include her husband, Christopher Lynn Eason, of Myrtle Beach; her parents; a brother, Kurt Douglass Haselton, and his wife, Michelle; her grandparents Grammy and PaPa Simoneau; her father-in-law, William Eason and his wife, Linda; her mother-in-law, Barbara Eason; her brother-in-law Michael Eason; two sisters-in-law: Michelle Sykes and her husband, Steve, and Lauri Springsteen and her husband, Eric; and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins, along with a great number of friends.

A celebration of life was held on November 8, in Derby.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, LLS MA Chapter, 9 Erie Drive, Natick, Massachusetts 01760.

Sign a guestbook at www.goldfinchfuneralhome.com.

obit FortinColombe Rita (Faucher) Fortin

Colombe Rita (Faucher) Fortin, 85, of Newport died on November 2, 2014, in Newport.

She was born on February 12, 1929, in Magog, Quebec, to Ernest and Mariange (Cliché) Faucher.

On August 3, 1946, she married Roland Fortin, who predeceased her on August 28, 2013.

She is survived by her children: Rosaire and Brenda Fortin of Derby, Joseph and Lillian Fortin of North Troy, Reginald Smith of West Charleston, Francine and Earl Martin Jr. of Island Pond, Andre Fortin and his wife, Cathy, of Coventry, and Gilles and Mary Fortin of Chazy, New York; her 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; and by her sisters and brothers: Jean Rocke, Omer, Jean Claude, and Origene Faucher, Marie Berthe Faucher, Yolande Robert and her husband, Yves, and ReJeanne Bombardier all of Magog, Quebec;

She was predeceased by one daughter, Rolande Fortin, of West Charleston; two brothers: Emilien and Onario; and by two sisters: Marguerite and Suzanne.

Funeral services were held on November 8, in Derby. Interment followed in St. Edward’s Cemetery in Derby Line.

Should friends desire, contributions in her memory may be made to the Church of God, P.O. Box 245, Newport, Vermont 05855; or the Alzheimer’s Association, Vermont Chapter, 300 Cornerstone Drive, Suite 128, Williston, Vermont 05495.

Online condolences can be sent to curtis-britch.com.

obit GatesJames R. Gates

Peacefully surrounded by his family, James R. Gates died on November 4, 2014, after a courageous and strong willed two-plus-year battle with leukemia.

He was born on April 24, 1946, in Hardwick.

He proudly served his country in the Vermont Army National Guard.

He leaves to mourn, his wife, Helen Gates; along with his children: Aaron and his wife, Amy Gates, of Brimfield, Massachusetts, Anthony Gates and Kara of Hyde Park, Amanda and her husband, Sam Gabaree, of Hardwick, and Alissa and her husband, Tracy Harvey, of Walden; her stepchildren: Cory and his wife, Jackie Rivard, of Newport, Joey and his wife, Susie Rivard, of Hardwick, and Tammie Rivard of Charlestown, Massachusetts; her siblings: Patricia Gates of Vero Beach, Florida, Reginald Gates of Hardwick, Barbara and her husband, Howard Keough, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, and Betty and her husband, Lynn Heney, of Port St. Lucie; his 13 grandchildren: Josh, Zack, Alleigh, Ryan, Russell, Tyler, Tanner, Tessa, Ethan, Avery, Piper, Tyler and Kelsie; and many nieces and nephews along with family and friends.

He was predeceased by his parents, Ed and Onis Gates; and by his siblings: Sheila, Bob, and Beverly.

He began working at Gates Salvage Yard in 1960 alongside his family members and he became sole owner in 1990. Since then he has owned and operated it making it one of the largest salvage yards in the state of Vermont. His other passions included racecar driving, driving truck, operating his equipment, hunting, fishing, farming, bowling, dancing, horseshoes, playing cards with his buddies, and above and beyond all, spending time with his grandchildren. Most recently his passion for outdoor recreation led him to open Buffalo Mountain Powersports in 2010.

Mr. Gates’ life lessons he would like to leave behind would be to work hard, waste nothing, and remember to dance.

Funeral services were held on November 7 in Hardwick. Committal followed at Lake Elmore Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to Hope Lodge, 237 East Avenue, Burlington, Vermont 05401.

obit GerawChester H. Geraw

Chester H. Geraw, 89, of Glover died peacefully on November 7, 2014, in St. Johnsbury.

He was born on November 23, 1924, in Orleans, to Bert and Lydia (Mergs) Geraw.

In 1972, he married Desneiges Coderre, who predeceased him on November 27, 2012.

He was a janitor for the Canaan Elementary School and also worked at Ethan Allen Manufacturing in Orleans for several years.

He loved spending time with his grandchildren and watching old Westerns on television.

He is survived by his children: Chester Geraw Jr. and his wife, Sheri, of Bristol, Connecticut, Raymond Geraw and his fiancée, Tammy, of Glover, and Eddie Geraw of Glover; his grandchildren: Vikki, Destiny and Dylan; and by his sisters: Eva Geraw of California, and Irene Forest and her husband, Gary, of Forest Dale.

He was predeceased by his son Freddie; by his grandson Michael; and by his brothers: Charlie, Peter, and Perley.

A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, November 12, at the Westlook Cemetery in Glover with the Reverend Timothy Naples officiating.

Should friends desire, contributions in his memory may be made to the St. Johnsbury Health and Rehab, 1248 Hospital Drive, St. Johnsbury, Vermont 05819.

Online condolences at curtis-britch.com.

obit RiceLeona M. Rice

Leona M. Rice, 95, of Brownington died on November 3, 2014, in Newport.

She was born on May 28, 1919, in Brownington to Clyde and Mable (Marsh) Herman.

On March 21, 1936, she married Merrick M. Rice, who predeceased her in 1991.

When they were first married they ran a farm and when they were done farming she worked for several families in the area. At one time she cooked meals for hot lunches in schools.

She enjoyed going to Home Dem meetings and was a member of the Ladies Christian Club and also was a member of the Brownington Village Church.

She also enjoyed playing cards, making afghans, which made prize possessions for family members in addition to ones that she sold and others that she gave away. Along with everything else, she enjoyed playing board games and crossword puzzles.

She is survived by her children: Linda Child, Robert Rice and his wife, Laurie, and Carla McCoy and her husband, Peter, all of Brownington; her grandchildren: Karen and Rick Marston of Naples, Maine, Wendy Child of Portland, Maine, Michael Child and his wife, Melissa, of Dover, New Hampshire, Sharey Rice and her friend, Joseph Lund, of Burke, and Adam Rice and his wife, Yuka, of Walden; her five great-grandchildren: Haley Hammond, Kasey Rice, Alexandria and Emily Child, and Cameron Rice-Lund; her brother Willard Herman and his wife, Nancy, of Collinsville, Connecticut; and by several nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by a brother, Arnold; and by her sisters: Pauline Green and Velma Cook.

Funeral services were held on November 7, in Brownington. Interment followed in Irasburg Cemetery.

Should friends desire, contributions in her memory may be made to the Brownington Village Congregational Church, 126 Parker Road, Brownington, Vermont 05860.

Online condolences at curtis-britch.com.

obit stoneMargaret Bernice (Ford) Stone

Margaret “Maggie” Bernice (Ford) Stone of Richmond died peacefully on Thursday, November 6, 2014, in the Vermont Respite House in Williston, after a long and beautiful life.

She was born in Compton, Quebec, on August 29, 1922. Her family moved to East Charleston in 1928 to live on the Tripp Hill farm and later moved to a farm on Echo Lake. She attended the one-room Echo Lake schoolhouse in her early years. She graduated from Orleans High School, and nursing school at Brightlook Hospital in St. Johnsbury.

During World War II, she worked at a hospital in Jersey City, New Jersey, where she met Eleanor Roosevelt. Mrs. Roosevelt was an inspiration for her throughout her life.

A graduate of the University of Vermont, she taught nursing and, in later years, worked at Aesculapius Medical Center in South Burlington.

She married Fred Stone in 1950 and together they raised two daughters, Elaine and Dorothy.

She was an active volunteer for the Richmond Rescue, the VNA, and a devoted member of the Richmond Congregational Church. She loved her faith, her family, and her profession.

She returned every summer to her beloved Echo Lake. Many happy family times were had at her mother’s cottage and her own log cabin overlooking the lake. Though she lived in different towns in Vermont throughout her life, she always considered herself a country girl from the Northeast Kingdom.

She is survived by two daughters: Elaine and her husband, Greg Carpenter, of Fairfax, and Dorothy Stone and her partner, Zacciah Blackburn, of Richmond and Ascutney; her grandchildren: Amos Parker of Lee, New Hampshire, Ben Parker and his wife, Liz, of Montpelier, Caitlin and her husband, Michael Woodard, of Copper Mountain, Colorado, Elliot Smith and his partner, Carrie, of Nederland, Colorado, and Ian Carpenter of Fairfax; her great-grandchildren: Forrest and Fisher Woodard and George Parker; her brother Albert Ford of East Charleston; many nieces and nephews; and by two special cousins: Russell and Robert Nichols of Compton.

She was predeceased by three sisters: Mabel Schenk, Marion Petell, and Dorothy Farrell; and by her brother George Ford.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, November 24, at 10 a.m. at the Richmond Congregational Church. Interment will be at Riverside Cemetery in Stowe at a later time.

Donations may be made in her name to Richmond Rescue, P.O. Box 404, Richmond, Vermont 05477.

obit willisJohn Melvin Willis

John Melvin Willis, 72, died in Inverness, Florida, on November 2, 2014, after a courageous battle with cancer.

He was born on November 14, 1941, to Melvin and Thelma (Willey) Willis.

He worked for many years at Butterfield’s as a machinist, where he proudly served as union president. He later worked as bartender at the American Legion, where he made many lifelong friends.

Mr. Willis lived life fully and enjoyed hunting, politics, bocce ball, travelling, reporting the weather, and spending time with his family. In recent years, he enjoyed annual trips to St. Pete Beach with family. He was an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots.

He is survived by his wife, Donna (Griffin) Willis; his children: Cathy and her husband, Dan Lowell, Lisa Spooner, and their mother, Rosemary Rowe, Chris Willis and his wife, Jamie, Adam Willis and his fiancée, Jessica Hastings, and their mother, Ruth-Ann Fletcher; his mother, Thelma (Willey) Willis; his grandchildren: Rob, Danny, Tom, Zach, Olivia, Emily, Natalie, Natalee, Trysten, Lily, and great-granddaughter Meka; his siblings: Duane “Red” Willis, Marlene Bullis, Trudy Roberge, and Jody Cleveland; and by his stepsons: Ben, Jason and Tyler Marcoux. He was joyfully anticipating the birth of a new grandchild. He also leaves many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He was especially close to his brother and sister-in-law, Red and Bev; his nephew Todd and his wife, Cindy, and to his stepson Tyler. He will be sadly missed by many dear friends in Vermont and Florida.

He was predeceased by his father, Melvin Willis, in 1972.

As per his wishes, there will be no funeral.

Donations in his memory can be made to Hospice of Citrus and the Nature Coast, P.O. Box 641270, Beverly Hills, Florida 34464.

Death notices

JoAnne Warner

JoAnne Warner, 69, of Derby, beloved wife of Stanley Warner, died on November 9, 2014, in Newport.

Graveside service will be held on Friday, November 14, at the North Troy Village Cemetery, at 11 a.m.

Maxine Todd

Maxine Todd, 77, of Orleans, beloved wife of Durwood Todd, died on November 9, 2014, in Newport.

A funeral Mass will be held at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Orleans on November 14, at 11 a.m. with the Reverend Yvon Royer officiating. Interment will follow at Brownington Village Cemetery.

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