1971 Richard Alan Grant ’71 Richard Alan Grant, age 62, of Plymouth, formerly of Milton and Marshfield, died on June 29, 2014, after a lengthy and courageous battle with cancer. Born in Boston to Wilfred (Woody) and M. Phyllis Petersen Grant, he was a graduate of Thayer Academy and received his bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University. As a Thayer student, Richard was active in the performing arts, and was a member of the baseball, basketball, hockey, and wrestling teams. He was cocaptain of the baseball team. Richard owned and operated Budget Liquors in Mattapan and Harwichport for 30 years. He will be remembered for his athletic ability, kind nature, and sense of humor. He was an avid golfer, and he loved spending time with his family and wide circle of friends. He is survived by his beloved wife of 38 years, Valerie Jannotta Grant; his daughter Lauren and her husband Thomas Spencer of Plymouth; and his son Richard Grant II of R.I.; his grandchildren Haley and Michael Taraska and Kelsi and Allison Spencer; his sister Karen and her husband Paul Ponichtera of Hingham; his brothers Christopher Grant ’84 and his wife Linda of Milton; Robert Grant and his wife Barbara of Boxford, MA; Wilfred L. Grant, Jr. ’72 and his wife Jeanne of Buffalo, NY; Peter J. Grant and his wife Susan of Corinth, TX; and his brother-in-law Kenneth Jannotta and his wife Patricia of Hanover.
William Eric Tobin ’71 William Tobin, a District Fire Chief for the City of Boston died on November 10, 2014 from a line-of-duty illness, and was buried with full honors. Fire department members dressed in Class A uniforms and many Thayer teammates were in attendance. “It was a spectacular send-off,” said Bill’s lifelong friend Mike Latessa ’73. “Bill was spectacularly humble, so he would’ve hated all that fuss, but I’m sure his family was comforted to see this sign of respect from the fire department, where he worked for more than three decades.” Rising up through the ranks, Bill was appointed as a firefighter on December 6, 1978, was
standout goalie on the soccer team, and cocaptain of Thayer’s Southeastern New England Conference Championship wrestling team. (That championship was the first in the Thayer team’s history.) Bill is survived by his wife Mary Busa Tobin; his daughter Jennifer and her husband Jay Amador of San Antonio, TX; his son Thomas Tobin of Palm Bay, FL; his sister Michael Rozas and brother Christopher Tobin, both of Milton; nine loving grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
1980 Darlene Butler Miller ’80
subsequently promoted to lieutenant, and then captain. In February of 2009, he was again promoted to district fire chief. Co-workers in the department saw him as a true leader and held him in high esteem for keeping his men safe in dangerous situations. Bill contributed to safety and contingency plans for rescues involving hazardous materials, tunnels, and high-angle distress situations. He was a highlydecorated officer, having worked in some of Boston’s busiest companies and on the special operations squad during the Big Dig, protecting both construction workers and commuters.
Darlene Butler Miller, of Taunton, MA died unexpectedly on October 4, 2014. She was born 52 years ago in Norwood, the daughter of the late George F. and Thelma (Caiazzo) Butler. After graduating from Thayer Academy, Darlene attended Northeastern University in Boston, and then graduated from the Katherine Gibbs School. She worked as office manager for the Epstein, Becker & Greene Law Firm in Boston. She enjoyed spending time with her family.
Bill was a dedicated member of the Boston Fire Department, but above all else, he loved his family and his dogs Spanky and Buckwheat – he rarely went anywhere without a canine companion. He was a sincere friend with a heart of gold, a fervent champion of the underdog, and always available to those in need. He had an adventurous spirit and hoped someday to sail to Spain in a steel-hulled sailboat. He was a voracious reader, interested in historical non-fiction, especially books that could teach him something new about the rich history of the Boston area where he had lived most of his life. He had a passionate interest in the sport of wrestling, and after his own competitive career was over, he would travel great distances to see matches contested by the sons of old wrestling buddies whose friendship he valued and enjoyed.
She is survived by her husband Brian Miller ’80; her sons Jonathan Miller ’12 and Ethan Miller; her sister Lucille Butler of Hanover, MA; her nephew Brenton Wilder of Wake Forest, NC; and her grandniece Paige Wilder of Wake Forest, NC. Darlene was also the sister of the late Joanne Wilder ’73 of Bridgewater, MA.
At Thayer, Bill was vice president of the student council and participated in the Columbia Point tutoring program. He was a
IN MEMORIAM: 1960s - 1990s
Michael is survived by his wife Cindi Adams Bucken; his daughter Caitlin Barbieri of Waterbury, CT and his son Kevin M. Bucken of Milford; his brother Thomas Bucken ’66 of Pepperell, MA; and his sisters Ann B. Wolf ’68 of East Falmouth, MA; Patricia B. Timmeny ’71 of Londonderry, NH; Nancy J. Bucken ’75 of North Falmouth, MA; and Jacqueline S. Caron ’79 of Standish, ME. He was predeceased by his sister Maureen E. Bucken ’73 (in whose honor prizes are given each year at Commencement and Last Chapel).
1994 David P. Amdur ’94 David P. Amdur of Emmaus, PA, died on May 31, 2014. He was 38 years old. At Thayer, David was a high honor roll student who worked on school publications (Prologue and Tiger’s Eye). He was a member of the Community Council, the
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