Walter H. Tarbox Jr.
The land of old farmers lost a dedicated soul on December 4, 2023, when Walter H. Tarbox Jr., died. Working on the chores of his small farm until nearly his last breath, Walter surprised his family with a quick exit.
Walter was born on May 22, 1939 to Muriel (House) Tarbox and Walter Tarbox Sr. He joined three brothers and one sister. At a young age, Walter went to live with his sister and her three daughters, Janice, Judy and Joan, when his mother died.
Walter was active in FFA (he was FFA state secretary his senior year), was on the student council, played basketball, and graduated with honors from Orleans High School in 1957.
On January 27, 1962 Walter married Lorraine Beauregard. They had three wonderful children, Jeffrey, Julie, and Peter. They were later graced with seven grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren.
Walter took over the family farm when he was 16 years old and he remained a farmer for his entire life. Walter loved animals and being outside in his fields, the woods, or down by the river. He loved to watch and feed the birds. He was an avid gardener and loved to fish and hunt. Walter was a trapper and a true outdoorsman. He was a collector of old books, antiques, and many other things. Walter looked forward to going to yard sales and finding “treasures.” One of his favorite pastimes was volunteering at “Mildred’s Barnyard” at Orleans County Fair, in remembrance of Mildred Nault. He enjoyed learning about his family history and attending family reunions.
Besides being a dairy farmer and raising beef cattle, Walter worked for DHIA for 35 years. He loved going to other farms and made many, many lifelong friends.
Walter was a dedicated husband and father. He worked hard to provide for his family and will be greatly missed.
Walter is survived by his wife of 61 years, Lorraine (Beauregard) Tarbox, and by his children: Jeffrey Tarbox, Julie Chase, and Peter Tarbox and spouse, Carmen (Fortin) Tarbox; his grandchildren: Jessi (Eddy) Staples, Joseph Bickford, James Bickford, Brittany (Clayton) Tarbox, Jericho Densmore, Crystal (Andrew) Tarbox and Cassie (Dan) Johnstone. He is also survived by thirteen great-grandchildren, many nieces, nephews and cousins.
He was predeceased by his father Walter Tarbox Sr., his mother Muriel (House) Tarbox, his sister, Arlene (George) Cummings, his brothers, Milton Tarbox, Carlton (Gertrude) Tarbox, and Neal (Daisy) Tarbox.
Services will be held on December 17, 2023 at the Newport Church of God. Calling hours will be at the church from 1 to 2 p.m. and the service will begin at 2 p.m. Light refreshments will follow.
Faylene U. Steere
Faylene U. Steere (Brooks) of Glover, aged 75, died peacefully on November 29, 2023, at Maple Lane Nursing Home in Orleans. She was born in Newport on March 27, 1948, to the late Earl W. and Arlene A. (Goss) Brooks. She graduated from Barton Academy in 1966 and was predeceased by her husband Ronald Steere, of Lowell, Massachusetts.
Faylene was an active member of the St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Barton for many years, and she particularly enjoyed singing in the St. Paul’s choir. She was a talented pianist and singer who learned to perform at a very early age and often played with her parents. She performed at various events in the area over the years. She was also a member of the American Legion Auxiliary in Barton.
Faylene is survived by her nephew, Andrew Biancardi and Jennifer Nietopski of Buffalo, New York; her niece, Jeana (Biancardi) and Glenn Dill of Middlebury; her grandnieces and grandnephews: Brennan Balch of Portland, Maine, Kyle and Ivet Biancardi of Pomfret, Connecticut, Savanna (Balch) and Christian Battles of Middlebury, Kevin Biancardi and Cathrine Williams of Keene, New Hampshire, Alexandria Biancardi of Henniker, New York, Juliette Dill of Middlebury, and Ivy Dill of Middlebury. Faylene is also survived by six great-grandnieces and great-grandnephews as well as numerous cousins. She was predeceased by her parents, her sister, Denise B. Wright, and grandnephew, Kirk A. Biancardi.
Faylene was welcomed into the home of the late Howard and Beverly Conley of Glover, where she happily lived most of her adult life, and was adored by this second family. She is survived by Larry and Gloria (Perron) Conley and family; Bruce and Janice (Dewing) Conley and family; Douglas and Judy (Perron) Conley and family; Edward and Donna (Conley) Perron and family; and Kim (Vezinho) and Eric Greico and family.
Faylene especially enjoyed holidays with Edward and Donna’s family. She had close bonds with their children, Darren Perron and his partner Kris Boyd; Melissa (Perron) and Nate Plowman and their girls; and Dwayne and Rhonda (Dion) Perron and their boys. Faylene especially loved the chance to go four-wheeling and to go on picnics with Donna and her grandsons: Alex and Connor.
A graveside celebration of life service will be held in the spring at Westlook Cemetery in Glover. In lieu of flowers, a donation in memory of Faylene may be sent to the Glover Ambulance Squad, 48 County Road, West Glover, Vermont 05875.
Mary D. McKelvey
Mary D. McKelvey, 91, died on December 5, 2023, at the Grafton County Nursing Home in North Haverhill, New Hampshire. Mary Therese Downs was born in Manchester, New Hampshire, on September 12, 1932, to Frank J. Downs and Alice M. Cunningham.
Mary graduated from St. Joseph High School in 1950 and then graduated from Notre Dame College in Manchester, New Hampshire, with a bachelor of arts in music in 1954. She married George C. McKelvey Jr. on September 3, 1955, in Woodsville, New Hampshire. Mary taught for 33 years in the Haverhill School system, teaching music, and later science. Mary then worked for 7 years as the enrichment coordinator at Blue Mountain Union School in Wells River arranging speakers, field trips, and providing career education.
Throughout her life, Mary enjoyed traveling with her family and spouse to Ireland, Bermuda, and Toronto, as well as music of all kinds, including playing violin with the New Hampshire Symphony Orchestra and fiddle with The Boys, a local band. She also got pleasure out of driving her many Camaros, dining at the Happy Hour Restaurant, flower gardening, and cultivating African violets. Mary had many interests including astronomy and astrology and wrote about them in a column for The Bridge Weekly. One of the highlights of her life was meeting and sitting on a panel with candidate Barack Obama. Mary loved talking to people from all walks of life, spending time with her many dogs over the years, shopping with friends and family, feeding birds, and watching wildlife in her yard.
Mary was predeceased by her parents, her husband, George C. McKelvey Jr. and siblings, David Downs and Eleanor Riordan. She is survived by her son George McKelvey III, daughter-in-law, Judy Griffin McKelvey, of Newport and granddaughter Meredith McKelvey of Watertown, Massachusetts. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews. Mary is also survived by her longtime Horse Meadow neighbors, Peter and Shauna Kimball, as well as Elizabeth Morrill and Tim Card.
Calling Hours are on Monday, December 18 at 1 p.m. followed by the funeral at 2 p.m. with Melissa Gould as funeral celebrant at the Ricker Funeral Home & Cremation Care of Woodsville, 1 Birch Street, Woodsville, New Hampshire. Burial will be in the Horse Meadow Cemetery, North Haverhill, New Hampshire, on Friday June 7, 2024, at 10 a.m.
The family would like to thank the dedicated caring staff and administration of the Grafton County Nursing Home for their extraordinary care. In lieu of flowers, please donate in Mary’s memory to the Grafton County Home Association, 3855 Dartmouth College Highway, North Haverhill, New Hampshire 03773, or a charity of one’s choice.
To offer the family an online condolence please visit rickerfh.com.
Frank O. Goad
Frank O. Goad, of Newport Center, died on December 4 at the age of 79 years old. He was born on February 11, 1944, to James and Leona Avis (Shedd) Goad of Albany. Frank was one of seven children. He attended Albany Graded School and graduated from Craftsbury Academy.
During Frank’s teenage years, he worked on local farms nearby and sometimes teamed up with his horse Rob. He was employed at Ethan Allen Manufacturing in Orleans for over 40 years, working on the double end. On September 5, 1964, he married Judy (Regan) Goad, and into their marriage they welcomed three daughters. Frank became a member of the United Church of Newport and loved his time on the Magoon Park Committee. Family time was spent tending large vegetable gardens, canning, cutting firewood, tinkering with tractors, camping, and fishing until August of 1992, when Judy died from ovarian cancer. In 1994, Frank met Nancy Coggin, and they spent the next 29 years building a life together, eventually marrying in July of 2009. They shared time between their homes in Montgomery and Newport Center, enjoying hiking in the woods, yard sales, raising their German shepherds, and their cat Rusty. They also enjoyed gatherings in Montgomery for picnics, fishing, swimming, listening to the waterfalls, and the tree house that is full of good memories for the family. Frank’s love of tractors has passed on to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as his love of reading, especially history. His numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren have brought him a lot of joy. However, Frank’s health problems over the last few years, especially his limited vision, prevented him from enjoying life as fully as he would have liked.
Frank leaves behind his wife, Nancy Coggin Goad; his sister Brenda Dulude and partner, Allen Hall; his daughters: Andrea (Dennis) Myrick, Susan (David Douglas) Flynn, and Lori (Dale) Tabor; his stepdaughter Georgia Rouse (Dan) Rice, and stepson John Rouse; his grandchildren: Alyssa Flynn and her partner, Tom Hansen, Mariah Flynn her partner, predeceased Tyler (Tiny) Collins, Cameron Flynn and his partner, Hannah Hayes, Amber (Dustin) Royer, Joshua Tabor and his partner, Desmah Horner, Colin Myrick and his fiancée, Alyssa Naylor, and Ben Myrick and his partner, Bailey Davis. Frank leaves behind his stepgrandchildren: Rachel Mossman, Trista Rouse (Paul) Blankenship, Brooke Rouse (Michael) Coveney, Audrey Rouse (Aaron) Loydahl, Virgina Rice, and Samuel Rice. Great- grandchildren range from 2 to 14 years of age, with 2024 bringing two more to be welcomed into the family. Frank also leaves behind numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends who will miss him.
Frank was predeceased by his first wife, Judy Goad, his brother-in-law David Regan, and his stepchildren, Beth Rouse Mossmann and Howard Rouse. In addition, Frank was predeceased by his siblings Marie Camley, Patricia Maynard, John Goad, Sarah Isham, and his infant sister Melba.
An announcement of a celebration of his life and graveside service will be at a later date in the spring of 2024. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may donate in his memory to Vermont Association for Blind and Visually Impaired (VABVI), 60 Kimball Avenue, South Burlington, Vermont 05403, or Magoon Park care of United Church of Newport, 63 Third Street, Newport, Vermont 05855.
Dr. Marilyn Daniels
Dr. Marilyn Daniels, 87, of Newport died Thursday, November 30, in Whitefield, New Hampshire. She was born on May 30, 1936, in Butler, New Jersey, to the late Phyllis (Tripp) Tintle and Myron Tintle.
She was predeceased by her late ex-husbands Anthony M. Maltese and Robert L. Daniels. In addition to her former husbands, Marilyn was predeceased by her sisters, Lorraine and Sandy, nephews, Robbie and Colin, and her beloved son-in-law, Richard Spaulding.
Marilyn held dual doctorate degrees from Princeton University and New York University in religious history and communications.
She was a professor of communication arts and sciences at Pennsylvania State University. She was both nationally and internationally known as an expert on using American Sign Language to improve children’s literacy. For more than two decades, she taught at Penn State University — producing visionary research, writing, lecturing, and instructing parents, caregivers, and educators on the benefits of the use of ASL. Her book, Dancing with Words; Signing for Hearing Children’s Literacy, is one of the most used and quoted books in America on the subject.
Marilyn traveled across the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan to conduct research studies and present her findings. She also authored a series of books to help parents successfully and informatively sign with their children at each stage of development. Sign to Speak: Babies Can Talk and Sign to Speak: Toddlers at Play.
In addition to being the author of five books, Professor Daniels published more than twenty-five articles in peer-reviewed journals. Her research received attention in popular media and in magazines such as Business Week, Family Circle, Psychology Today, Better Homes and Gardens and many radio and television segments on outlets like NPR’s Morning Edition and NBC’s Everybody is Talking. She has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors.
In 1979, Marilyn received her bachelor’s degree in speech communication, summa cum laude, from William Paterson. She was granted a master’s degree in communication arts, summa cum laude, also from William Paterson University in 1980. Marilyn then earned her Ph.D. from New York University in 1989.
Marilyn was a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She had a strong appreciation for the arts. She enjoyed visiting art galleries, reading, poetry, writing, singing, music, and the theater. She adored the outdoors, traveling, cross-country skiing, swimming, and biking. She loved spending time with her family and friends. Marilyn was also a devoted parishioner at many churches throughout her life and served as youth minister for several reformed churches. She was a loving mother who wanted to give the best of experiences to her children and grandchildren. Every year she took her family to Cape Cod in the summer and Vermont in the fall. She instilled in her children to always look for joy, fun, and excitement in all places and to always “be happy.”
Marilyn is survived by her son Marc Daniels, his wife, MaryBeth, and their children: Lyndsee (husband, Armando, and their children: Anthony, Lia, and Vincenzo); Timothy (and his daughters: Teagan and Isla); Jessica (husband, Joe), Roy, and Shavane; Lisa Spaulding and her children: Tucker (and his children: Elijah, Findlay, and Winter); Brendon (partner, Liza); Shannon (partner, Justin); and David Daniels and his children: Ashley (partner, Travis, and their daughter, Madison), and Ethan (partner, Jessica).
Her commitment to learning is evidenced by the fact that she donated her body to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical School. When she finishes teaching the medical students, there will be a service at Dartmouth for her cremation. Although deceased, Marilyn’s legacy continues to live on by providing future doctors with invaluable learning opportunities.
In late June, the family is planning a celebration of life. More details to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to fight Alzheimer’s at act.alz.org.
Dean J. Bergeron
Dean Joseph Bergeron died in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 9, 2023. He is survived by his three sons, Michael, Matthew, and Don, and his dearest friend, his caretaker, his everything, Jose.
Dean was born in a farmhouse in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom on February 6, 1939 to Chloe and Joseph Bergeron. He received his early schooling in a one-room schoolhouse in Barton, where he was taught by his mother and where he first learned to teach other young people. Later, attending high school in Orleans, he encountered teachers and mentors who encouraged him to pursue his passion for history and education. Over time, this only child, lovingly mocked and spoiled by his many cousins, grew to be a selfless and giving teacher and mentor.
After studying education at St. Michael’s College, Dean received his graduate training in history at Villanova and Brown University. Between the two graduate programs he briefly taught at a high school in Windsor. It was there that his gift for touching the lives of students —even the most wayward among them — was first tested. When the superintendent assigned Dean to the most hardscrabble class, the principal scoffed that he wouldn’t last a week. Instead, Dean’s humor, authenticity, and unique style of tough love quickly earned him the respect of the students and the dedication of the 1964 yearbook by the graduating class.
In 1965, Dean received a teaching appointment at Lowell State College — the future South Campus of UMass Lowell — where he taught history and political science for more than 40 years. Over that time, he pursued multiple causes outside the university, including the peace movement of the 1960s, George McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign, and the creation of a Franciscan community called Bethany House that provided hospice care for AIDS patients in the late 1980s.
In 1984, Dean started the initiative that he is best known for and the one for which he was most proud — Lowell’s Model United Nations Program. Since then, hundreds of students from the university have competed in national and international tournaments related to global peace and security. In the end, however, it is through his students that Dean’s heart, his vision, and his legacy, lives on.
Someone once said that students don’t care what you know until they know that you care. This was Dean’s gift. Dean dedicated his life to the intellectual, spiritual, and personal growth of young people. Because he could always find the kernels of potential that they couldn’t recognize in themselves, many speak about their journeys as “Before Dean” and “After Dean.”
Services will be held in Newport in the summer of 2024.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation may be made to UMass Lowell in support of the Dean Bergeron and Joyce Denning Endowment Fund. Donations can be made online at alumni.uml.edu/deanbergeron or mailed to: UMass Lowell Advancement Office, 45 Lawrence Drive, Lowell, MA 01854. Checks should be made payable to UMass Lowell and note that the gift is in memory of Dean Bergeron.
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