Ruth Taylor Clapper
Ruth Taylor Clapper, 96, of East Charleston, died on May 30, 2016, at her family’s longtime cottage on Echo Lake in her beloved state of Vermont. She was surrounded by the love of her two daughters, as was her wish.
She was born on August 17, 1919, in North Fork, Nebraska, to J.D. Taylor and Edna (Gibson) Taylor.
Mrs. Clapper spent her early life on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota — on horseback, of course.
Her school years were spent in Bellows Falls, where she was embraced by a large, caring, extended family. She excelled in sports, music, and academics.
Her father was against his daughter going to college, so Miss Ruth Taylor attended business school. Meanwhile an irate sister confronted Mr. Taylor, insisting that he send her to Middlebury College. As a result, Miss Taylor and her three siblings graduated from college.
When she graduated from Middlebury College, with a bachelor of arts degree, she began teaching. In Oklahoma, on February 28, 1942, she married her college sweetheart, Charles Myron Clapper, of Newport. Mr. Clapper died in 2000 after 58 years of marriage.
After World War II, which changed many things, she said, the family moved to Woodstown, New Jersey. When her daughters were in school, Mrs. Clapper began her 21 years of teaching French at Woodstown High School.
In addition to teaching, she was a longtime Girl Scout leader and was an extremely active member of the Asbury Methodist Church of Woodstown. For many years, Mrs. Clapper was a volunteer driver for Meals on Wheels and was a driving force for the American Field Service Foreign exchange student organization.
Mrs. Clapper loved playing cards and belonged to several bridge clubs. She enjoyed learning new information, reading, doing crossword puzzles, and gardening.
Mr. and Mrs. Clapper played golf, bowled, traveled, and were diehard Flyers and Bruins fans, and Patriot football fans. They both were formidable defenders and knowledgeable “referees.”
This knowledge transferred over to five grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren’s sports events and community activities. In fact, if a car was going anywhere, Mrs. Clapper was in it.
Mrs. Clapper is survived by her two daughters: Bonnie Hopkins of East Charleston, and Becky Spear of Fairbanks, Alaska; her five grandchildren: John Hopkins Jr. of Augusta, Georgia, Derek D. Hopkins of Deerfield, New Hampshire, Scott C. Hopkins of Indianapolis, Indiana, Tarik William Spear of Fairbanks, Alaska, and Darrah Lea Fitzpatrick of Fairbanks. She is also survived by numerous great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; her sister Leila Taylor Baggett of Keystone Heights, Florida; and her sister-in-law Kjellrum Taylor of Litchfield Park, Arizona.
She was predeceased by her sister Phyllis Taylor, and her brother, Lieutenant Colonel David D. Taylor, who was 92 years old.
Rest in peace Bema and Gram.
Services will be held at the convenience of the family.
Memorial donations should be sent to the Island Pond Health Center, P.O Box 425, Island Pond, Vermont 05846, where several family members received excellent and convenient healthcare for seven decades.
Online condolences at curtis-britch.com.
Patricia M. Driscoll
Patricia M. Driscoll, 91, of Island Pond, formerly of Warwick, New York, died on June 23, 2016, at her home in Island Pond.
She was born October 7, 1924, in the Bronx, New York, a daughter of Edmund C. Farrell and Mae (Brodbeck) Farrell.
She graduated from Cathedral High School in New York, New York, in 1941. She was a veteran of World War II, having been honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps in 1946.
In 1948 she married John T. Driscoll. She donated time and energy to numerous activities. She was a member of the American Legion Post #214 of Warwick, New York. She was an active member of St. Stephens Catholic Church in Warwick as a member of the choir and Catholic daughters of America chapter.
Mrs. Driscoll enjoyed planting flower gardens and feeding the birds.
She is survived by the following children: Thomas Driscoll and his wife, Stephanie, of Cherry Valley, New York, Walter Driscoll and his wife, Marcia, of Island Pond, Kathleen Garulli and her husband, Mike, of Goshen, New York, Brian Driscoll and his wife, Jeannette, of Little Rock, Arkansas, Daniel Driscoll and his friend, Michelle, of Shohola, Pennsylvania, Donna Egan of Shohola, Terence Driscoll of Island Pond, and John Driscoll Jr. and his wife, Izzy, of Denver, Colorado; by 13 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; three sisters; and several nieces and nephews.
Services will be held in New York at the convenience of the family. Should friends desire, contributions in her memory may be made to the Island Pond Health Center, 82 Maple Street, Island Pond, Vermont 05846.
Online condolences at curtis-britch.com.
Jack Frederick Healey
Jack Frederick Healey of Woodstock, Virginia, died on June 16, 2016, after several years of battling Lewy body dementia, with his loving family at his side.
He was born in Irasburg on December 3, 1937, the only child of Clyde and Pauline Healey.
He graduated from Orleans High School in 1955 and the University of Vermont in 1960.
After college, Mr. Healey joined the Army for three years, and then began his career with the United States Army Intelligence and Security Command at Arlington Hall Station and Fort Belvoir. He worked there for 30 years, and retired in 1993 as the deputy director.
Mr. Healey will always be remembered for his loyalty and love for his family, his irresistible smile, and personality that drew people to him. He was humble and kind and often the life of the party.
He was an experienced traveler both during his working years and after his retirement in 1993. He traveled to many places in the United States and around the world.
Mr. Healey will always be known for his love of the Washington Redskins and Nationals. His many hobbies included woodworking, landscaping, cooking, and crossword puzzles. He was literally a “Jack of all trades.”
He is survived by his loving wife of 53 years, Grace Healey, of Woodstock; his son Sean Healey and his wife, Leah, of Ellicott City, Maryland; his daughter Debbie Bevins and her companion, Scott Snelgrove, of Westfield; his grandchildren: Ian Healey, Megan Healey, Colin Healey, Hannah Bevins, and Charlie Bevins; his brother-in-law Charles Stevens; sister-in-law Cathy of Rock Hill, South Carolina; a niece; nephew; several cousins; and his little dog, Buddy.
Mr. Healey was predeceased by his parents, Clyde and Pauline Healey, and his aunt Doris Vance.
A memorial service for Mr. Healey was held on June 21 in Virginia. A graveside service will be held at a later date in Irasburg.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Lewy Body Dementia Association at lbda.org, or at 912 Killian Hill Road, Southwest, Lilburn, Georgia 30047, or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation at jdrf.org, or 26 Broadway, Fourteenth floor, New York, New York 10004.
Family and friends can sign the Stover Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., online guestbook at stoverfuneralhome.com.
Marjorie Miller
Marjorie Miller, 86, of Morrisville, died at her home on June 8, 2016, surrounded by her loving family and dear friends Joann Prescott and Judy Stancliff.
She was born October 21, 1929, in Westbrook Valley, New Jersey, a daughter of Warren A. and Marjorie Ellen Bowen Stephens. She married Mac Miller on April 12, 1952, in Upper Montclair, New Jersey.
Mrs. Miller is survived by her husband, Mac; their children: Patrice Ladd and Loren, Mac Jr. and Linda, Frank, and Warren and Kathy; by her grandchildren: Shannon, Erik and Wendy, Kelly, Kyle and Melinda; by her great-grandchildren: Terrance, Landon, and Brooklynn; a sister, Anna (Elson) Hust; and many nieces and nephews and friends.
Mrs. Miller was always taking care of people, and loved to babysit for any babies that were born to family and friends. She loved to travel, cook, and watch the wildlife and birds on her hill.
She was a member of Morristown Rescue for many years and worked at Copley Hospital for 35 years.
A memorial service was held Tuesday, June 21, at the First Congregational Church in Morrisville. A reception followed at the church.
Online condolences may be made by visiting faithfh.net.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Mrs. Miller’s name may be made to the Lamoille Area Cancer Network, 198 Farr Avenue, Morrisville, Vermont 05661.
Stephen Barrett Tanner
Stephen Barrett Tanner died peacefully on June 20, 2016, in St. Johnsbury.
He was born on November 4, 1922, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to parents William Maddox Tanner and Daisy Barrett Tanner, both from Texas.
While he was a student at Yale University, majoring in German literature, he was drafted into the U.S. Army in March of 1943. He served in the Army Signal Intelligence Corps and participated in the Italian campaign of World War II. His fluency in both German and Italian were instrumental in decoding and translating radio transmissions intercepted by his unit from German forces.
At the end of the war he hunted for, arrested, and interrogated German officers and Nazi collaborators. He then returned to Yale to complete his degree and, while there, he taught two courses in Italian. Upon graduation, he was recruited by, and joined, the CIA. He was an able and successful Cold War warrior, focusing his many talents on gaining intelligence about the Soviet Union. When living overseas his cover was the U.S. Department of State, which meant that he had to do two jobs at the same time, the regular work of a Foreign Service employee plus his job for the CIA.
After retiring from the government, he worked as a consultant for various American and European companies doing business abroad. He also briefly became a professional tennis teacher and wrote and published several books of humor.
The time he spent as a high school student at the Putney School in Putney was a very important, formative time of his life. His love for the school and devotion to fund-raising never wavered throughout his adult life. He also attended the Middlebury College Summer Language School, where he met a student whose family owned a summer place on the shores of Willoughby Lake in Westmore — it was love at first sight!
On June 7, 1947, he and Anne Wallis Swift were married in Princeton, New Jersey.
In later life his favorite sport was tennis, but as a young man it was figure skating. He was a member of both the Cambridge and Boston skating clubs, and in 1940 he won the U.S. Junior Pairs Championship with skating partner Dorothy Glazier.
His favorite hobby was opera, particularly Italian opera, and he took singing lessons whenever he could. In his retirement years he became an avid impresario and was always organizing concerts, soirees, and other entertainments. He frequently used those events to raise money for various local causes — to help buy the North Beach of Willoughby Lake for the town of Westmore; to refurbish the kitchen of the Westmore Community Church Friendship Hall after it was damaged by fire; to establish the Neighbor Helping Neighbor Fund; to provide scholarships for local children, and more. He felt that raising money to help others was his most important activity in his later years.
He is survived by his wife, Anne (Nancy) Tanner; his son Bruce Tanner; his daughter Kersten Tanner; his grandson William Tanner; and his granddaughter Kelly Tanner.
A memorial service, followed by interment of his ashes in the Lake View Cemetery in Westmore will begin at 2 p.m on Wednesday, July 27, at the Westmore Community Church, Westmore. Instead of flowers, a donation may be made in his memory to the Westmore Community Church, or the Putney School, in Putney.
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