OBITUARIES Meghan Ham, and Joseph and Jeffrey Oriani; one great-granddaughter, Ophelia Evelyn Oriani; two sisters, Dr. Priscilla Alexander of Sacramento, Calif., and Esther Dalrymple of Lansing, Mich.; as well as several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, Rev. Dr. Clifford Ham, of Pittsburgh, Pa.
Major John J. Mozzicato ’49 John Joseph Mozzicato, 83, of Peoria, AZ, passed away on January 9, 2015. He will be remembered for his gentle nature, humor, but most of all for his love and dedication to his family and friends. Beloved husband of the late Joyce Mozzicato, he is survived by his daughters Linda Bunt (Jim) of Scottsdale, AZ and Diane Mozzicato (Brian Gershon) of Kansas City, MO; his brother James Mozzicato (Burlington, MA); and sisters Marianne Wilcox (Billerica, MA), Sr. Catherine Mozzicato (Belmont, MA) and Nancy Allison (Hebron, CT). Born 1931 in Medford, MA to James and Margaret (Ahern) Mozzicato, he made many places his home including Wichita, KS; Plant City, FL and lastly Peoria, AZ. A retired Major of the USAF and graduate of The Citadel, class of 1954, he served 21 years and was a veteran of the Vietnam War. His second career was with Boeing Military in Wichita, KS. Although he was an avid numismatist, he spent most of his retirement volunteering his time coaching and mentoring kids, with church activities, and supporting political candidates and causes for the betterment of the country he served.
Bill Reid ’49 William F. passed away on Thursday July 30, 2015 at the age of 84. He is survived by his wife Phyllis, daughter Mary Ann, and sons William Jr. and Stanley. He is also survived by brother Robert, grandson William, and other nieces, nephews and cousins.
Frank B. Dow ’53
Reaves Strobel ’56
Frank Beckman Dow, Jr., 80, longtime Newburyport resident, passed February 8, 2016 after a period of declining health. He was the former husband of the late Anne R. Dow and the former husband of Alexzandra Z. Dow.
RAs written by classmates Tom Urmy ’56 and Dave Pennock ’56
Born in Newburyport, September 23, 1935, he was the son of the late Frank B. and Helen M. (Black) Dow. He was a graduate of Governor Dummer Academy in Byfield then went on to graduate from Boston University.
Reaves grew up in Connecticut. After graduating from then Governor Dummer in 1956 he attended Amherst College, from which he graduated in 1961. He was twice married, first to the late Martha Narensky and then to Paula Strobel. Both marriages ended in divorce, although Paula and Reaves were living together at the time of his stroke. They had two sons, Alex and Sam.
Over the years Frank enjoyed choral singing, camping, canoeing, and hiking. He volunteered at Lowell’s Boat Shop in Amesbury and the Custom House Maritime Museum in Newburyport. He is survived by his son, Christopher “Topher” Dow of Sydney, Australia and his wife, Lisa; his daughter, Isabelle Z. Dow of Waltham; his grandchildren, Atticus B. Dow, Gideon B. Dow, and Electra W. Dow, all of Sydney, Australia; Indigo Dow of La Jolla, Calif., and dear friends from near and far. He was predeceased by his daughter, Heather W. Dow of Cambridge, who died in 1993.
Allen Needham ’54 Allen K. Needham of Peabody, Massachusetts, died December 28, 2015, age 81. Allen was formerly of Manchester by the Sea, loving father of Jessica Drinkwater and her husband, Corey of North Kingstown, RI, Sarah Franco of Cranston, RI, and Allen K. Needham III and his wife, Audrey of Berwick, ME, grandfather of Ellie, Clara, Thea, Alex and Natalie and brother of George L. Needham of Boxford.
James Diephuis ’55 James Diephuis, 78, of Lyerly, Georgia, passed away October 21, 2015.
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The Archon | Spring/Summer 2016
Reaves Strobel died on April 5, 2016 from complications following a stroke. He had lived in Deep River Connecticut.
After Amherst, Reaves worked in New York for Life Magazine. In the 1970s he and an Amherst friend owned and operated a boatyard in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, where he acquired the nickname “Cap”, which remained with him for the rest of his life. He then returned to publishing, working at My Weekly Reader and later as a mail order consultant. He also operated a small charter sport fishing business. In the 1980s and 90s he and Paula owned The Crosswords Club, which published high quality crossword puzzles for its members. He retired in 1995. Reaves was sui generis. His particular wit and intelligence were unrivaled. He was a skillful woodworker and a masterful trout fisherman. He often said that the sport of fishing lay only in enticing the fish to strike, as opposed to fighting or landing it. After his family, he loved the Mets, fishing, reading, beer, boats, his dogs and his friends, in no particular order at any particular moment. At different points in time he explored the Everglades in a canoe with his dog, set out to hitchhike from Utah to Maine with 25 cents in his pocket and rode in an empty box car across the Great Salt Lake. There were doubtless many other adventures and exploits of which we are not aware. He rarely turned down an interesting opportunity.
Reaves’ life was by no means a fragrant bed of roses. Yet he always maintained his sense of humor, and you could always count on him for a robust response to a good joke. He didn’t make strong friendships easily, but once a relationship was established, it was there for the long term. He remained loyal to all his friends, who came from widely differing walks of life, and all of them will both mourn his passing and celebrate their adventures with him throughout the years.
George Starbuck ’57 George W Starbuck, 77, died November 17, 2015 in Grand Isle, VT surrounded by his family. George was born in Burlington, VT, 1938 — son of George W Starbuck and Rachel Closson. George grew up in Fair Haven/ New Bedford, MA and went to The Governors Academy in Massachusetts. In 1962, George graduated from the University of Vermont. After college, George worked for the State of Vermont Department of Water Resources and Webster Martin. In 1975, he formed Aquatec Inc., an Environmental Testing and Consulting firm where he continued his love for the water, boats and the environment. He is an avid deep-sea fisherman and hunter. Over his lifetime, he served and contributed to numerous boards, trustees, and committees: Village of Essex, Essex Youth Hockey, UVM School of Engineering and Science, Echo-Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Lake Champlain Land Trust, Vermont Land Trust, and Vermont Commons School. He is survived by his wife, Pammella Shorts Starbuck of Manchester CT, wife of 57 years, his sons, George “Bill” W Starbuck IV of Los Angeles, CA, Robert B Starbuck of Amman Jordon,