alumni at large
O B I T U A R I E S Louise Dyer Hall ’32, March 8, 2010, in Augusta, Maine, at 98. She was a library assistant in Brooklyn, N.Y., and in Portland, Maine, where she worked until she was 79. Described as “a grand lady of wisdom and humor in speech and in action,” she is survived by her children, Nancy Perkins and Daniel Hall, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Frederick G. Demers ’37, Feb. 8, 2010, in Owls Head, Maine, at 93. He earned degrees from John Marshall Law School and from Harvard’s School of Business Administration. He served with the Navy during World War II and then worked for the Department of Defense, serving in posts all around the Pacific and Indian oceans until he retired in 1974. He was a professional philatelist and was a class correspondent and class officer for Colby. Survivors include his children, Frederick Demers Jr., Sydney Radka, and Florence Donovan, six grandchildren, and a great-grandson. Alfred H. Wheeler ’37, April 24, 2010, in Waterville, Maine, at 94. After attending Cincinnati College of Embalming, he joined his father at Wheeler Funeral Home in Oakland, Maine, eventually becoming funeral director. He was proprietor of Wheeler’s Housekeeping Camps on Salmon Lake. He loved music and sang around the campfire, at the grange, and in church. Predeceased by his wife, Barbara Towle Wheeler ’40, survivors include his sister, Ruth Wheeler Wood ’35, two children, Marilyn and John ’66, and four grandchildren. Gordon S. Young ’37, Jan. 24, 2010, in Bar Harbor, Maine, at 95. He earned a D.M.D. from Harvard Dental School in 1941 and served in the Dental Corps in both World War II and the Korean War. He practiced dentistry in Bar Harbor for more than 40 years and was president of the Maine Dental Association. He was active with his church, the Masons, and the Lions Club and enjoyed biking and gardening. Survivors include his brother, Craig, two children, and several grandchildren. Virginia Wing Francis ’38, April 27, 2010, in Tallahassee, Fla., at 95. A dedicated mother and homemaker, she also volunteered at her local library and hospital and created handicrafts. Survivors include her children, Joan Hoffmann and Hal Francis, three grandsons, two great-grandsons, and
58 Colby / SUMMER 2010
nephews and nieces, including Joanne Sturtevant Stinneford ’56. Charles H. Rimpo ’38, March 22, 2010, in Salisbury, Md., at 94. He served in the Army during World War II and then worked as an office manager. He was predeceased by his brothers, Maurice ’41 and Edward ’49, and is survived by his wife of 51 years, Jeannette, and two stepsons. Leroy N. Young ’38, Dec. 7, 2009, in Auburn, Maine, at 95. He served with the Air Force during World War II and the Korean War. He later taught school in Maine and then at the Long Island Agricultural and Technical Institute. Along with his wife, Eileen, he raised two children. Anne Simpson Miller Koch ’39, May 21, 2010, in New Harbor, Maine, at 93. She worked as a women’s apparel buyer in New Jersey until she moved in 1952 to the Virgin Islands with her first husband. After his death she moved to an apple orchard in Walpole, Maine, with her second husband. Survivors include two stepchildren. Elizabeth Sweetser Baxter ’41, April 27, 2010, in Bar Harbor, Maine, at 89. In Newington, Conn., her home for 60 years, she was a lay moderator and Sunday school teacher, active with the PTA and Cub Scouts, and served as town historian. She was instrumental in preserving the historic Kelsey House in Newington and wrote a weekly column for the Town Crier. Predeceased by her mother, Phyllis Sturdivant Sweetser ’19, she is survived by her husband of 66 years, Elmer Baxter ’41, three sons, Ledyard ’67, David ’70, and Benjamin, four grandchildren, one greatgrandchild, and a brother. Priscilla Wyman Samways ’42, March 27, 2010, in Providence, R.I., at 90. She worked in libraries in Rhode Island and was an animal lover who belonged to the former Rhode Island Cat Protection League. Survivors include her daughter, Elisabeth, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Marilyn Ireland Steeves ’42, June 6, 2010, in Yarmouth, Maine, at 90. For 25 years she taught in public and private schools in Maine, California, and Massachusetts. She was active with the Unitarian Universalist church and served on
the board of the Family Services Association of Greater Boston. She worked as a book reviewer, collected pewter, played the piano, was a voracious reader, and loved to knit and make bread. She was predeceased by her husband, Rev. Addison E. Steeves ’42. Survivors include three children, Sally, Ellen ’80, and Mark. Robert S. Barton ’45, March 17, 2010, in Jensen Beach, Fla., at 87. He graduated from the Maine Maritime Academy and served with the U.S. Merchant Marine. He also attended the New England School of Mortuary Science and owned Barton Funeral Home in Lincoln, Maine, for 34 years. Survivors include his son, Bruce, five grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. Norma “Jill” Taraldsen Billings ’46, June 3, 2010, in Augusta, Maine, at 85. She was a homemaker who gardened, journaled, and loved to dance. She supported the Augusta Mental Health Institute, where she worked for a period. She was predeceased by her husband, Richard W. Billings ’48, and is survived by her children, Cynthia Bufithis, John Billings, and Amy Billings, six grandchildren, and five greatgrandchildren. Lester L. Soule ’47, March 30, 2010, in Myrtle Beach, S.C., at 87. He was a Navy pilot and flight instructor during World War II and graduated from Colby after the war. He worked in sales for various companies in Maine, volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, and served on the South Paris (Maine) school board. He was a woodworker, a ski instructor, and a storyteller. Survivors include his wife of 54 years, Pat, two daughters, three grandchildren, and two siblings. Barbara Bond Wasserman Goucher ’48, Jan. 21, 2010, in Wareham, Mass., at 84. She taught kindergarten in Wareham and was active with Wareham’s historical society and garden club. Predeceased by her first husband, Robert Wasserman ’48, and her second husband, John W. Goucher, she is survived by her children, Richard Goucher, Carol Wasserman Green ’71, and Lani Smith, two grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Virginia Cole Daggett ’49, March 16, 2010, in Leeds, Mass., at 81. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from the University of Massachusetts and then worked as a coronary care nurse and a gerontological nurse. She taught classes at community colleges and health centers and belonged to several nursing associations. She loved classical music, gardening, snowshoeing, and walking. She was predeceased by her former husband, Robert B. Daggett ’51. She is survived by her sons, Timothy and Thomas, and a granddaughter. Laughlin B. Jennings ’49, Nov. 24, 2009, in Williamsport, Pa., at 89. He served with the Army during World War II. He earned a master’s in education from Bucknell and then for 31 years taught high school history and social studies in New Jersey, where he also was head basketball coach and assistant football coach. He was a devout Catholic and a devoted Notre Dame fan. Survivors include his six children, Joseph, John, Jean, Elvira, Martin, and Laughlin Jr., and 13 grandchildren. Bertram E. Stritch ’49, May 23, 2010, in Albany, N.Y., at 87. He served in the Army during World War II, graduated from Colby, and then began a 30-year teaching career at Hoosick Falls (N.Y.) Central School. He earned his master’s in education in 1962 from the University of Massachusetts. Survivors include his wife, Patricia, three children, 10 grandchildren, and five siblings. Raymond F. Brackett ’50, May 2, 2010, in Londonderry, N.H., at 85. He served as a radioman with the Navy during World War II. He was an insurance underwriter for Liberty Mutual and also worked as a minor league baseball umpire. Survivors include three children, Pamela Matzek, Andrea Baldwin, and Edward Brackett, three grandchildren, and six siblings. Earle R. Fayle Jr. ’50, April 28, 2010, in Millinocket, Maine, at 88. He served in the Navy during World War II before attending Colby. He worked as an electrician for Great Northern Paper in East Millinocket for 35 years. He belonged to the American Legion, played cribbage, and loved to hunt and fish. Survivors include his wife, Margaret, four children, 11 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and a sister.