Naila Schneider
Naila Marie Schneider, loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, died peacefully in the hospital on Wednesday, March 16, 2022. She was 77 years old.
On May 17, 1944, in Manhattan, New York, she was born Naila Marie Santos to Helen and William Santos. On May 22, 1963, Naila married the love of her life, Charles Schneider, whom she met at nine years old and with whom she remained until the end.
In 1975, they moved to Island Pond, Vermont, to find a more peaceful place to raise a family. Naila worked multiple jobs which included a school librarian, catechism teacher, and was involved with the St. James Catholic church for years. She loved working with people and was a second mother to extended family and many neighborhood children. Naila always had an open door to those in need. More than anything, she was a dedicated homemaker, mother of her 6 children, and wife to her husband. She loved music and could always be heard singing the songs of her favorites such as John Denver, Neil Diamond and her best-loved musical, West Side Story. She enjoyed plants and gardening, was a wonderful artist and a perfectionist in everything she did.
Naila is survived by her husband, Charles Edward Schneider; and her sisters: Harmony, Symphony, and Carole; and was predeceased by her sister Melody.
Naila is survived by her children and their families: Lisa and her children: Andy, Thomas, Diane, Amanda, and Gabby; Rob and his faithful companion, Mutt; Beckie and her significant other, Jody, with her children: Dan and Andrea; Pete and his children: Nadine, Samara and Zachary; Craig and his wife, Mercedes, with his daughter, Kira; Charles and his wife, Monique, with their children: Adeleide and Sebastian. She is also survived by nine great-grandchildren.
Private ceremonies for the immediate family will be held at a later date.
Online condolences may be made at curtis-britch.com.
Leo Paul Letourneau
Leo Paul Letourneau died peacefully at his home on March 23, 2022, in Newport Center at 68 years old, with his wife by his side.
Leo was the third child of eight born to Paul and Rhina (Piette) Letourneau on May 15, 1953, in the family home in Holland. The family later moved to Derby.
In 1973, Leo joined the Marines as a combat engineer, then served time in the Army, then the National Guard where he ended his career as a recruiter as a sergeant. He belonged to the Shriners and the American Legion.
Leo worked at many places and was a man of many talents. He worked at Ethan Allen, Metal Flex, and North Country Engineering as a machinist. He operated a dairy farm on the Morgan Road and drove a school bus. He loved working with wood; he built several houses including his own house and sugarhouse. He loved the outdoors, snowmobiling, riding his Can-Am Spyder, taking long trips, camping in his RV, tending to his gardens and orchards that he planted on his property, feeding the birds, and puttering around his land on his John Deere tractor.
Leo met his wife, Debra (Pevine), in 2015, and they were married on the Northern Star on Lake Memphremagog on August 20, 2016. They enjoyed breakfast at Brenda’s (now Hillmer’s) on Main Street almost daily. They made a lot of friends there.
Leo loved spending time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren when he was able.
Leo is survived by his wife, Debra; four children: Sara Lee and her husband, Scott Kimball, of Derby, April Letourneau of Newport Center, Jason Letourneau and his girlfriend, Windy Bowman, of Newport Center, Jonathan Letourneau and Kellie Peters of Newport; six step-children: Kristal Anderson of Tilton, New Hampshire, Nicholas Anderson and his wife, Erin, of Florida, Nathaniel Anderson of Franklin, New Hampshire, Angel Bray of Bristol, New Hampshire, Kevin Johnston and his fiancé, Becky Carron, of Barnstead, New Hampshire, and Autumn Johnston and her fiancé, John Nesteruk, of Northfield, New Hampshire; his mother-in-law Rita (Gagnon) Pevine of Franklin, New Hampshire; 12 grandchildren: Michael and Jenna Letourneau, Brandon Letourneau, Landon Bowman, Chance, Mark and Ava-Rose Anderson, Kaleb and Trinity Anderson, and Harbor and Westley Bray, Colton Johnston; five great-grandchildren: Bentley, Mia, Connor, and Bryson and Colton; his seven siblings: Pauline Couture and her husband, Jacques, of Westfield, Lillian Bathalon and her husband, Raymond, of Troy, Jane Snider and her husband, Larry, of Derby, Marie Chapman of Derby Line, Richard Letourneau of Derby, Linn Elko and her partner, Sylvain Roy, of Derby, and Linda Letourneau of Texas; and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. Leo also leaves his cat, Thumper.
Leo was predeceased by his parents Paul and Rhina Letourneau.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Orleans-Essex VNA, 46 Lakemont Road in Newport, Vermont 05855.
Friends may call from 10 a.m. noon on March 31, 2022, at the Curtis-Britch and Bouffard Funeral Home, 4670 Darling Hill Road, Derby. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 31, 2022, at St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Newport. A spring interment will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 6, 2022, at St. Edward’s Catholic Cemetery in Derby Line.
Online condolences may be made at curtis-britch.com.
Dolores Campbell Lantagne
Dolores “Bam” Campbell Lantagne, 93, died peacefully on March 25, 2022, at Newport Health Care in Newport.
She was born March 21, 1929, to Ovila and Antonia (Brasseur) Campbell.
She graduated from Newport High School. After graduation she married Clarence Lantagne on April 19, 1947, who predeceased her on July 6, 2021. Bam’s first enjoyment was spending time with her “four bratty boys” and their families. Spending her summers in Vermont and her winters in the later years in Florida. She enjoyed playing cards, shuffleboard, bocce, bowling and swimming her afternoons away.
Dolores is survived by her children: Michael and Lise Lantagne of Newport, Craig and Kathy Lantagne of Lyndonville, Douglas and Evangeline Lantagne of Fairfax, and Dennis and Annette Lantagne of Newport; her grandchildren: Michael K. Lantagne of Colorado, Laurie and Karsten Hueffer of Alaska, Krista and Derek Poquette of Vermont, Kara and Justin Hayes of Vermont, Alycia Lantagne of Spain, Mark and Karen Lantagne of Derby, Bryan and Nora Lantagne of Maine, Jason and Ann Lantagne of Colorado, Katelyn and Christopher Varney of Ohio, Curtis and Amanda Lantagne of Vermont, Crystal Haselton and fiancé, Joseph Prebich, of Oregon, and Nathan Haselton of Colorado; 14 great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law: Marguerite Demers of Massachusetts, Jessie Lantagne of Newport, and Josephine Lantagne of Newport; and several nieces and nephews.
Dolores was predeceased by her husband, Clarence; her brothers, Ange Emile Campbell and John Campbell; her sisters: Bibiane Lamarche, Yolande Howe, Yvette Leblanc, and Carmen Sheltra; her sister-in-law Bernice Campbell; all of her brothers-in-law; and great-granddaughter Emaline Lantagne.
The date for her Mass followed by interment will be released at a future date.
Donations can be made to Orleans Essex VNA Hospice Inc., 46 Lakemont Road, Newport, Vermont 05855.
Online condolences at curtis-britch.com.
Raymond Nye Gilfillan
Raymond Gilfillan of Orleans, died in Hanover, New Hampshire, March 8, 2022. Raymond was born in Brownington, on September 2, 1943, to parents, Nye and Marion (Moore) Gilfillan who preceded him in death.
Raymond attended Orleans High School graduating in 1961 at which time he entered the Navy and served on aircraft carrier U.S.S. Bon Homme Richard.
In 1989 he married Shirley Dow, who preceded him in death in 1998.
Raymond drove trucks for construction companies, drove milk trucks, and worked for Sprague and Henwood, a drilling company out of Pennsylvania.
He loved to deer hunt, fish and spent many hours fishing on Willoughby Lake. He enjoyed family and visiting with friends, playing pool, reading westerns, and doing jigsaw puzzles. He was a member of the American Legion and enjoyed helping them out by providing rides to appointments and delivering meals on holidays.
Raymond is survived by his stepdaughter, Peggy (Mason) and husband, Normand Meunier, of Hartland; sister Anna and husband, Arnold Curtis, of Amenia, New York; brothers: Eric Gilfillan of Derby, and Willis and wife, Betty Gilfillan, of Island Pond, sister-in-law Marlene Gilfillan of Holland; many nieces and nephews, and grandnieces and grandnephews.
Raymond was preceded in death by his stepdaughter, Pamela Porter, his stepson Douglas Mason, brother Gilbert Gilfillan, and nephew John Gilfillan.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to American Legion Post 23, P.O. Box 45, Orleans, Vermont 05860.
Services will be at a later date at the convenience of the family.
Online condolences may be made at curtis-britch.com.
Gilles Edmond deLaBruere
Gilles Edmond deLaBruere, 83, died peacefully at his home in West Charleston, surrounded by his family.
He was born November 18, 1938 in West Stewartstown, New Hampshire, the tenth of 12 children to Hector and Florentine (Lestage) deLaBruere.
Gilles was a true Franco-American, who navigated both sides of the border throughout his life. In his youth, he played hockey and attended schools in Canada. He was especially proud of graduating from College Sacre-Coeur in Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada, as a business student. He would later use his knowledge in the United States to pursue several business ventures.
He would travel frequently back and forth from Connecticut’s French Canadian communities to the Eastern Township in Quebec, where he met and married Jeannine Lavigne. Together they raised five daughters in the Northeast Kingdom, primarily in West Charleston.
Later, Gilles was to raise and adopt Jeremy deLaBruere.
He gained three more daughters through his marriage to Christine Butler.
Gilles and Christine shared a love of animals and family. Their home became the home to several horses along with cats and dogs who always competed for his attention. He enjoyed watching the horses frolic on his land and making sure they were well cared for. They also found homes for several rescue horses.
Grandchildren were often seen at their home learning how to hunt, fish, play pool and cards, and mix him a good Scotch. He would also teach them to tend the animals and the satisfaction of hard work well done. He was frequently seen giving them and his dogs rides on his ATV, snowmobiles, tractors, excavator, and bulldozer. The grandchildren could always count on their grandpa to take them on a ride to the hunting camp through his meticulously maintained trails. The hunting camp was one of Gilles’ happy places, where a lifetime of cherished memories were created.
He shared his love of music playing the piano, harmonica, and accordion.
Many of his grandchildren developed their own musical talents and loved to join their grandpa Gilles in song at family get-togethers.
He enjoyed projects from the conception and design to completion, whether it was an ice skating rink, a hunting camp built with his brothers, an outdoor riding rink, or an addition to the house and barn.
Family was extremely important to Gilles. When his brothers and sisters began to winter in Florida, so did he and Christine. During their ten winters in Lake Worth, they enjoyed weekly family bowling, Nascar racing, and even hockey when the Tampa Bay Panthers played the Boston Bruins.
Gilles’ perseverance and hard work ethic were evident throughout his career in the auto industry. He started by reconditioning cars and became known as “one-a-day Gilles” for selling a car a day at Ken Frawley Chevrolet, and eventually opened DeLaBruere Auto Sales in 1982. Seven years later, he acquired the GMC franchise. The community has come to know that “DeLaBruere delivers for you.”
He was not only dedicated to his business, but also to his employees. Even in the last few months, he reviewed weekly reports, plugging numbers into his adding machine to ensure that the computer had not made a mistake. His employees looked forward to Gilles’ weekly visit to the dealership where he provided lunch and ensured that all was running smoothly.
He showed compassion, not only to his family and business, but within the community. He frequently took in cows and eggs on trade or offered personal loans to some who could not afford a car. He would make donations to everything from local sports teams to the Newport Jazz Festival. He is a lifetime member of the Elks.
Gilles could always be counted on for his generosity.
Gilles knew and loved so many people. He was a friend to all and always saw the good in others. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.
Gilles is survived by his wife, Christine deLaBruere; daughter Lucie deLaBruere and husband, Craig Lyndes, daughter Joanne deLaBruere and partner, Pat Smith, daughter Linda deLaBruere and husband, Keith Hults, daughter Chantal deLaBruere O’Connor and partner, Tom Costello, daughter Kathy deLaBruere Jacobs and husband, Jon Jacobs, daughter Angel Young and husband, Chad Young, daughter Lisa Poirier and husband, Brian Poirier, and daughter Tammy Rowell Richardson and husband, Brian Richardson; son Jeremy deLaBruere and wife, Leslie deLaBruere; grandchildren: Ryan Podd, Adam Podd, Matthew Podd, Shayne deLaBruere, Sean O’Connor, Michael O’Connor, Sierra Jacobs, Matthew Jacobs, Joel Jacobs, Robert Burdick, Wyatt Young, Parker Young, Caitlyn Poirier Glodgett, Evan Poirier, Branden Vigeant, Kelsi Hatley, and Connor deLaBruere; great-grandchildren: Simon, Cedar, Rosie, Oliver, Julian, Dakota, and Natalie; brother John deLaBruere and wife, Helena deLaBruere; sisters: Helen Routhier, Jeanne Harvey, and Louise deLaBruere and husband, Noel Boutin; and sisters-in-law: Carol Currier, Anita Dion, Linda Carter; and Clayton Butler and Alan Butler.
Gilles was predeceased by his granddaughter Alexandra deLaBruere, brothers: Roland, Maurice, Gerard, Rene, Roger, Eugene, and sister Teresa.
A wake will be held on Friday, April 1, at the Church of God from 5 to 8 p.m. The funeral will be held at the Church of God on April 2 at 11 a.m. A live stream from the Church of God will be on its Facebook page.
In lieu of flowers, the family would like donations made to the Newport Church of God Living Waters Hospice House Project by sending donations to Church of God, P.O. Box 245 Newport, Vermont 05855, or to the Gerda’s Equine Rescue by sending donations to Gerda’s Equine Rescue, P.O. Box 1352, West Townshend, Vermont 05359.
Online condolences at curtis-britch.com.
Gregg Bennett
It is with great sorrow that the family announces the sudden death of its loved one, Gregg A. Bennett on March 12, 2022, at Westside Regional Hospital in Plantation, Florida.
Gregg was born April 25, 1955, in Newport, and spent his younger years in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. He was a 1973 graduate of Lake Region Union High School where he excelled in music and as an athlete.
He attended the University of Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as Keene State College where he majored in music and was a member of the basketball teams.
Gregg worked at several different jobs in manufacturing and sales before becoming the business manager at Twin City Subaru in Berlin, for 12 years. From there he moved to Provincetown, Massachusetts, to be with his life partner, Rene Perriolat. While in Provincetown he worked at Cuffy’s in clothing sales and customer service.
During their partnership they enjoyed visits to the Plantation, Florida, area and moved there in 2012. Rene died in the first year of their Florida residency and Gregg remained. He then started his own business as a house painter and was sought after as a reliable and conscientious worker.
He made numerous friends and was encouraged to audition for the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida. Having a strong background in music as well as perfect pitch he decided to use his voice as his instrument and was excited and proud to join this professional group of singers. He became a leader among the bass section and was highly involved in all aspects of the chorus’ mission. He was very proud of the community interaction of the chorus and also became a member of the Tropical Wave group. He enjoyed singing the national anthem at professional sporting events and other special occasions.
He had a tremendous passion for the game of basketball and March Madness would find him in his glory. He supported both the men’s and women’s collegiate games especially, but still remained a diehard Celtics fan.
Gregg was thought of as a dear friend by a wide range of people and was known to never have a bad word to say about anyone. He was supportive, empathetic, and always willing to lend a hand. Friends enjoyed his homemade pies at regular gatherings. Gregg always believed that friends and family were the most important gift one could have. He will be greatly missed by those who had the privilege of becoming his friend.
He leaves behind his brother Gary and wife, Cathy, of Irasburg, as well as his sister Donna and wife, Maryellen, of Madison, New Hampshire. He also leaves behind his beloved niece Dr. Alyssa Bennett and husband, Gursu Samancioglu, and their son Luca. He will be missed by his numerous cousins as well as his Florida “family.”
He was predeceased by his parents Carleton and Jean Bennett and his nephew Nathan Bennett.
As per his request, Gregg will be interred in the family plot in Irasburg.
Gregg has asked that those who wish may remember him best by donating to the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida, 2040 North Dixie Highway, Suite 218, Wilton Manors, Florida 33305.
Arrangements will be announced at a later date.
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