Lois Wolfe
Lois Wolfe died on November 1, 2024, at home in California.
She was a graduate of Barnard College in New York City and later earned a master’s degree from Johnson State (Vermont) College.
For more than 25 years she taught at Derby Elementary School in Derby Line, during which time she initiated gifted and talented student development in regional elementary schools and enhanced the Right to Read program.
After retiring from teaching, she served for many years as a trustee of the Haskell Free Library and Opera House.
She was a lifelong opera fan, from waiting in line for stand-by tickets at the Metropolitan Opera House during her college years to hosting performers and supporting the many productions at the Haskell.
She was employed by the U.S. Army in Panama during her husband, Paul’s, enlistment. There, she developed a passion for photography with which she recorded their travels through Central and South America, and later, family life in Vermont and beyond.
Lois is survived by Paul; three daughters: Heather (Dan), Emily, and Abigail; and her grandson, Jordan (Jenny).
Pauline Pooler
Pauline Cecile “Polly” Pooler died in her sleep on Saturday, November 16, 2024, under the glow of the super moon.
She was born the middle child of Elphege and Hilda (Garrow) Messier on August 15, 1943, in Barton, and grew up in Newport Center on the family farm. She graduated from Newport Center High School in 1961. She worked for years as a nurse’s aide, initially at Broadview Hospital, and also at Bel Aire Nursing Home, Newport Health Care Center, and at the old North Country Hospital. On May 2, 1970, she married Arlis Steven Pooler, who predeceased her in 1975. She returned to school in 1983 and earned her LPN license. Following that, she worked at North Country Hospital, primarily in the ICU, until retirement in January 2010.
She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Tina and Kevin Messier; by her three grandsons: Devon and Christina, Justin and Brittany, and Dylan and Kiley Currier; and by five great-grandchildren: Lia, Jacob, Emma, Ian and Maci. She is also survived by her sisters Diane Geoffroy and Patricia Royer, and brother-in-law Gerard Royer, as well as fourteen nieces and nephews, their spouses and two more continually expanding generations of nieces and nephews. It’s hard to keep up with all of them but she sure tried and was pretty much the “crazy aunt,” always up for pranks and jokes.
She will be missed by many, especially her neighbor Carol Darling who did so much to help her, and her friend and co-nurse, Kim Major, who was with her to the end.
She was predeceased by her parents and husband, as well as her sister and brother-in-law Jeannette and Landon Davis and her nephew Robert Davis; her brother and sister-in-law Richard and Joyce Messier and her nephew Michael Messier; her brother-in-law Philip Geoffroy Jr., and her baby sister Gloria.
She will be remembered for her sharp wit, her ready smile, and her ability to respond quickly when caught “bending the rules” playing tuck. In her words, she “enjoyed reading, gardening, traveling, shopping, and most of all, spending time with my daughter and her family.”
Funeral services were held on Friday, November 22 at 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Church in Newport, with Father James Butts officiating. Interment followed at St Mary’s Cemetery. The family received visitors at the church at 10 a.m. prior to the Mass.
In lieu of flowers, if friends desire, memorial contributions may be made to Mater Dei Parish, 191 Clermont Terrace, Newport, Vermont 05855, or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tennessee 38105.
Online condolences may be made to curtis-britch.com.
Evelyn Hurlburt
Evelyn May Hurlburt, 97, died peacefully with family nearby on November 6, 2024. Born on October 20, 1927, to Archie and Mary Chilafoux, she was a native of Vermont and lived in Orleans, Barton, and Brownington. She also lived in Connecticut for many years where she raised her children, and returned to Vermont in the ’70s. She was a resident of Maple Lane Nursing Home at the time of her death, but spent 18 years living at Sunrise Manor in Island Pond.
Evelyn loved her grandchildren and decorated her apartment with their pictures. They always brought a smile to her face and her arms were always open for a large hug for them. She loved her country and the freedom that her family and friends fought to preserve. She had a strong faith in God, family, and her country. She loved wacky word puzzles, quilting, collecting angels and Santa Clauses. She was a lifelong member of the Brighton American Legion and was a past member of Vermont Grange in Orleans.
She is survived by her children: Owen Choiniere, Michele (Choiniere) Zoldak, and Raymond Choiniere; her grandchildren: Denise Zoldak, Monica Zoldak, Elisha (Kissinger) Milton, Eric Kissinger, and Erin Choiniere; and many great-grandchildren. Special thoughts and thanks to the surviving nieces and nephews: Starlin, Rance, Keeno, Sharon, Fawnda Chilafoux, Robin Lacoss, Marie Cheney, Brady VanZile, and all the other nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her dearly beloved friend Helga Romanek, and her dear friend and hairdresser Karen Chaffee.
She was predeceased by her husband, George Hurlburt, and daughter Rhonda Kissinger.
Burial services will be held in the spring of 2025. If friends desire, memorial contributions in Evelyn’s name may be made to the Brighton Fire Department, P.O. Box 369, Island Pond, Vermont 05846, or to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, Kansas 66675-8516. Online condolences may be made at curtis-britch.com.
Pete Cocoros
Pete “Corey” Cocoros was a legend. He was born on March 28, 1929, to John and Lela Cocoros, and had two older brothers, Bill and Steve Cocoros. He died on November 6, 2024, in Barton.
His family and friends knew him as the warm, jolly, talkative godfather who made a mean leg of lamb, struck up conversations with strangers, and implemented a welcoming open-door policy to his cabin. Many have heard his stories, seen his photographs around the town of Barton and in the newspaper, heard him play “Taps” during Memorial Day, and “Oh Holy Night/Joy to The World” at St. Paul’s Church for Christmas.
There is a lot known about Pete. Simply being in his company would make you privy to an excerpt from his unwritten autobiography. Mention the name to anyone in Barton, and there’s a story to be told.
During the Great Depression in Brooklyn, Pete had a shoeshine stand and used the money to buy his first cornet. Then at 14, while he was an usher at a movie theater, he was served martinis at the bar across the street due to his tuxedo. Pete joined the 11th Airborne at 18 and was a paratrooper for three years during the post-World War II occupation of Japan. After he served his tour, he returned to New York only for more adventures to find him. In 1958, as a 29-year-old civilian, he selflessly ran into a burning Manhattan Museum of Modern Art and helped rescue several works of art including Monet’s “Water Lilies.” Soon after, even though he struggled with math as a child, he easily obtained his pilot’s license, a skill he never really explored once achieved. At this point a savant trumpet player, he continued performing professionally around the world: from the Radio City Music Hall in New York to the USO in Iceland, Greenland, Morocco, Cuba, Greece, and East Berlin (to name only a few).
Fall of 1969 saw Pete relocate to Barton, buying his forever home: “The Green Cabin on Crystal Lake.” In 1972 he met Jeannine Berard and formed the band The Shangri-Las, which later included Jeannine’s sons Roger E. and Paul Berard, performing all over New England and Canada for 15 years. From that first day on, Pete was a constant fixture with the Berards and never even missed a Christmas gathering. The bond became so strong that later in life Roger E. chose Pete to be the godfather to his second born son.
While in Barton, he owned and operated a diner for a time called the Gallery (although it was forever jokingly referred to as the Greasy Spoon). Customers would routinely come in just to hear Pete’s stories. He lived by the motto, “I always like to see the other side of the mountain,” and in his later years began routinely driving out to Montana to take photographs. While there, he befriended both local cowboys and the indigenous Crow Nation, granting him the ability to capture images no one else had access to.
This is just a broad summary of Pete’s many stories. For more details about his life, family and friends recommend reading Joseph Gresser’s December 23, 2014, article in the Chronicle, and the August 25, 2006, piece in the Newport Daily Express submitted by Green Mountain United Way, but even those merely scratch the surface. Like, how about the time he was hit by a train and walked away? Or when he once drove his car into a bank? The same bank where his photographs adorn the walls, as they do with numerous local businesses, and countless homes and newspaper articles. The challenge of attempting to find pictures of a brilliant photographer is he’s always behind the lens, immortalizing moments for others.
Pete is survived by his nephew Dion Cocoros; niece Lela Cocoros-Goldstein; grand-nieces Noelle Cocoros and Helena Cocoros; the Berard family (Jeannine, Gilles, Paul, Lynne, Roger A., Lucas, and Sophia) with whom he showed and received endless laughs and love; the town of Barton that adopted him; and Kukla the Cat.
Please join Pete’s loved ones at his Celebration of Life on Saturday, November 30, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the downstairs area of the Barton Memorial Building.
He was a legendary man who truly went out and achieved his goal of seeing the other side of the mountain.
Alfred Caron
Alfred “Al” Joseph Caron, 79, of Troy, died on November 19, 2024, at his home in Troy with his family at his side. He was born on September 22, 1945, in Hartford, Connecticut, to Azarias Raoul and Celia Belle (Sheltra) Caron. On September 9, 1967, he married Linda Cheney who survives him.
Al graduated from Barton Academy and worked at Ethan Allen Manufacturing right out of high school. He also worked for a time at Pratt and Whitney in Connecticut, and retired in 2014 from Tivoly USA. After his retirement, he was a driver for Hayes Ford.
He enjoyed playing horseshoes, cribbage, dancing, hunting, NASCAR, especially his favorite driver, Joey Logano, going on back road drives with Linda, and playing cornhole at the beach. Al had a gift of gab and he enjoyed buying scratch tickets.
He is survived by his wife, Linda Caron, of Troy; his children: Lisa Westover and her husband, Randy, of Derby Line, Laurie Roberge and her husband, Rick, of Derby, Joseph Caron Jr. and his wife, Karen, of San Antonio, Texas, and James Caron and his wife, Liberty, of Newport Center. He is survived by 12 grandchildren: Travis Bathalon and Kyla of Derby Line, Jeremy Bathalon of Whitefield, New Hampshire, Amanda Westover of Derby Line, Adam Westover and his companion, Allison Fournier, of Derby Line, Bradley Roberge and his wife, Dekota, of Derby, Kristen Roberge and her companion, Colin Sykes, of Derby, Amber Roberge and her companion, David Desrochers, of Derby, Rejean Roberge of Newport Center, Joey Caron and his companion, Autumn Cortez, of San Antonio, Texas, Destine and Shane Caron of San Antonio, Texas, and Ivy Boomer and her husband, Davey, of Newport Center. He is also survived by 22 great-grandchildren and by the following sisters-in-law: Mary Poulin of Richford, Bonnie Stone of Irasburg, Marie Cheney of Newport, and Donna Cheney of Derby; and by his brother-in-law Dana Cheney and his wife, Kathy, of Newport, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his parents, Azarias (Zeke) and Celia Caron; by his brother Adrian Caron, his father- and mother-in-law, Francis and Jeannette Cheney, and by his brother-in-law Francis Cheney Jr.; and by his dog Gizmo.
Friends called from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 23, at the Curtis-Britch & Bouffard Funeral Home, in Newport. Should friends desire, contributions in his memory may be made to the Mary Wright Halo Foundation, 1073 Upper Quary Road, Newport, Vermont 05855. Online condolences at curtis-britch.com.
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