OBITUARIES

Phi fraternity. He graduated from UVM in 1986 with a B.A. in agricultural economics and business management.

After his graduation, Bill held customer service-related roles at Carlson Orchards, Monitor Group, Harvard Realty, Gosnold Treatment Center, and Walpole Woodworkers. He most enjoyed his seventeen-year career as a telecommunications project manager with Monitor Group. At this job, he was able to fulfill one of his many ambitions — to travel the world — installing and administering communication systems in the company’s many international offices. Although he loved to travel, Bill was happiest spending time at home with his dogs and entertaining friends and family.

As an adult, Bill learned woodworking and made beautiful tables, bowls, and plates, which he gave as gifts. He was an avid gardener of perennials in his yard and vegetables in his meticulously handcrafted raised beds. Bill was an exceptional cook; he showcased this talent at gatherings from casual backyard barbecues to elegant holiday parties, which he and his now-deceased husband, Chris, hosted at their home.

In addition to his mother, HelenAnn, Bill is survived by his sister Margaret (Meg) Hartwell, and her husband, Kevin, of Ashland, Mass.; his brother Michael McElhaney, and his wife Susan of Swansea, Mass.; his niece, Jaimie Hartwell, of Boston, Mass.; and his nephews, Nolan, Kyle, and Shane McElhaney, of Swansea. He is predeceased by his husband of ten years, Tracy “Christopher” Brandano; his father, William James McElhaney, Jr.; and his grandparents, William James and Agnes McElhaney and James and Helene Rich.

Tony Voce ’00 passed away suddenly on July 8, 2024, at the age of 43. A three-sport varsity athlete at Lawrence, Tony earned all-league honors in football three times and was named league MVP as a senior. He graduated as the Academy’s all-time leading scorer and rusher and led the football team to an ISL championship in 1998. It is in hockey, however, that Tony made his greatest mark in the LA record books. His four years on the hockey team saw three ISL championships, capped by an undefeated season in 2000. With 206 career points, he remains the all-time leading scorer in Lawrence Academy hockey history, and he holds the same honor in the ISL.

Tony stayed true to form at Boston College, where he was twice named MVP of the hockey team. Six years in the pros followed graduation from BC, as Tony was signed as a free agent by his hometown Philadelphia Flyers. Playing for their AHL minor-league affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms, he was one of the team’s top scorers, with 50 goals in two seasons. Stints with other teams followed, and Tony ended his professional career playing for German and Austrian hockey leagues. He was inducted into the Lawrence Academy Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015.

Tony was the loving father to his three daughters, Mia, Raya, and Gianna; the love and life partner of Barb Basile; the step-father to Jason and Josh Player; and an uncle to Palmer Voce and Joey and Gianna Martino. He is also survived by many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

Former LA art teacher Horst Dürrschmidt died in Lugano, Switzerland, on Feb. 19, 2022, after a short stay in the hospital. He was 79. Though he taught at Lawrence for only four years, from 1970 to 1974, he quickly won the respect and affection of everyone who knew him. Kind, endlessly creative, and possessed of a lively sense of humor, he did much to lay the foundations of today’s strong arts department.

Horst was born in Germany, though he attended college in the U.S. After four years at LA, he decided it was time to return to Europe. He interviewed in New York with the headmaster of TASIS (The American School in Switzerland) and was offered a job teaching photography.

It was during his time teaching at the Lawrence Academy summer program that Horst first picked up a camera. “They had a nice darkroom and lab,” he remembered. “And they asked me to teach it, even though I knew little about it. The summer school tennis camp children I was teaching taught me to develop and print, and that’s how I learned the basics.”

Horst taught photography at TASIS for 35 years. He inspired generations of students, many of whom went on to careers in photography and design.

Bev Jeffers, widow of longtime faculty member Dick Jeffers, died on July 21, 2024, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. She leaves daughters Kristina Lawler ’84 and Jennifer Delaney ’86, as well as three grandchildren. Bev was a beloved fixture on the LA campus for 40 years, and we will miss her!