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Rhonda Lee O'Neill
January 22, 2004
Rhonda Lee O'Neill, 42, of Warren passed away unexpectedly at the Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin on January 13, 2004. Born in Barre on June 10, 1961, she was the daughter of Jane (Shepard) Pierce and the late Harold Pierce. On May 22, 1982, she married
John O'Neill in Warren.
Rhonda was a 1979 graduate of Harwood Union High School in Duxbury. She was employed by the Sugarbush Inn in Warren as the supervisor of housekeeping as well as operated her own housekeeping business until declining health forced her retirement. She enjoyed fishing, boating, and traveling to the Bahamas.
Survivors include her mother of Warren; her husband of Warren; a son, James O'Neill of Warren; a brother, Larry Pierce and his wife, Debbie of Warren; a niece and nephew, Eydye and Nathan Pierce; five grand-nieces and nephews, Harley, Bayley, Devan, Nathan, and Anthony; two aunts, Jean Coleman of Waitsfield and Donna Stone and her husband, Albert, of Wellington Tennessee; her father-in-law, John E. O'Neill of Connecticut; as well as several cousins. She was predeceased by her father on February 23, 1982.
It was the request of Rhonda that there be no services or calling hours. Committal services will be held this spring in the Warren Village cemetery. Arrangements are in the care of the Perkins-Parker Funeral Home in Waterbury.
Scott F. Pedley
January 8, 2004
Scott F. Pedley, Mad River Glen's first doctor and honorary National Ski patrolman #1, died peacefully at the Mayo Nursing Home in Northfield on November 8, 2003. He was 91.
Dr. Pedley was born in Lyndonville, Vermont, on October 5, 1912. He graduated from the Lyndon Institute in 1931 and then from Dartmouth College in 1936. While at Dartmouth, he was a classmate of Dr. Edgar Hyde, Mad River Glen's Honorary National Ski Patrolman #2. Scott went on to receive his medical degree from the New York University Medical School, after which he returned to Dartmouth to serve as the first resident of the Mary Hitchcock hospital (now the renowned Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center) in Hanover, New Hampshire.
During his undergraduate years at Dartmouth, Scott was very active in the outing and ski clubs. In 1935, he married
Harriet Cowles, his wife of 68 years, who still lives in Northfield. They had four children: James (Jay), Polly, John and Mark.
In 1945, the Pedley family moved to Northfield, where Scott and his college classmate, Dr. Edgar (Ed) Hyde, opened the Green Mountain Clinic, which was located on Main Street in Northfield. In addition to his practice at the clinic, Scott served as a general surgeon, obstetrician, and general practitioner at the Mayo Memorial Hospital, which once existed in Northfield.
Scott was an avid outdoorsman. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, boating and, especially, skiing. During one of his ski trips to Tuckerman's Ravine in 1939 to watch the American Inferno Race, which ran from the top of Mt. Washington to Pinkham Notch, he saw Toni Matt, the newly-immigrated Austrian ski instructor, inadvertently make the most famous schuss in skiing history when, because of poor visibility, Matt missed the check-turn gate at the top of the headwall and, much to the horror and astonishment of spectators, schuss straight down the entire headwall. (The badly shaken Matt survived, easily set the all-time record for the Inferno Race, and later acknowledged that, once he realized what had happened and was inextricably committed to the schuss, he didn't dare to even attempt a turn, which most likely would have lead to a catastrophe of some kind.)
Scott was the first doctor at Mad River Glen when the area opened in December of 1948. A pioneer in on-site medical treatment, he set up and equipped the original first aid room at Mad River Glen, which was located in the Basebox where the bar now exists. Toboggans were passed in and out of the room through a door in the backside of the Basebox. In 1950, he installed an x-ray machine and viewing screen so that broken bones (of which there were many in those years) could be x-rayed and cast within minutes of the accident, a procedure which lasted at Mad River Glen until about 1972, when more sophisticated medical facilities were established in The Valley and elsewhere. It was also about 1950 when Dr. Hyde, Scott's long-time friend and partner at the Green Mountain Clinic came on board to work at Mad River Glen. By 1953, it was obvious that the first aid room needed to be expanded. Fortuitously, by then, the new, easterly, cathedral-ceilinged addition to the Basebox was completed, so the first aid room was moved into the basement of the addition, in the room where the ski school children now gather for lunches and other social events.
The first aid facilities at Mad River Glen were quite extraordinary for any ski area at the time, and for his innovative and comprehensive care of injured skiers at Mad River Glen, the first Honorary National Ski Patrolman award was bestowed on Dr. Pedley, in about 1951, by Roland Palmedo, who founded both Mad River Glen and the renowned National Ski Patrol System.
Soon after, Dr. Hyde, also a skier and medical practitioner at Mad River Glen, was awarded the second Honorary National Ski Patrolman badge. Perhaps no ski area in the country, at that time, had a more qualified first aid facility, staff, and ski patrol than did Mad River Glen.
In 1954, Dr. Pedley built a small cabin across the brook and to the north of the Basebox. It was called the Small Molecule, in deference to Roland's little cabin, the Minuscule Molecule, which stood where the Cricket Club is today. Access to the Pedley cabin, where Scott and his family often spent Friday and Saturday nights, was by way of a footbridge over the Mill Brook, more or less where the present vehicular culvert exists today.
In 1956, the Pedley family carved and painted a large and very authentic looking totem pole. It stood at the westerly side of the cabin, supported by guy wires, for many years. Another interesting aspect of the cabin was that a branch line of the ski patrol first aid field telephone system, which had hand-cranked battery-powered telephones at strategic locations on the mountain and was used by skiers and patrolmen to report accidents, went directly to Scott's cabin.
Thus, every time an accident was called in, the phone in Scott's cabin would ring, alerting him (should he be in residence) of the accident so he could meet the toboggan when it arrived at the first aid room. Last, but not least, the cabin was the site of many a ski patrol après ski party, which were almost a regular weekend occurrence.
In 1956, the year of the first Kandahar race at Mad River Glen, and two years after the Small Molecule was built, the Hutch complex was constructed. In 1959, when Scott left Mad River Glen and Vermont to start a medical research project at Eastman Kodak in Rochester, New York, the cabin was sold. It has subsequently been physically incorporated as an addition to the unit at the westerly end of the Hutch. But it is still distinctly recognizable.
Scott and his family were all avid Mad River Glen skiers, especially son Jay, who learned the fine points of ski racing from race coach and mentor Warren Chivers while attending Vermont Academy in Saxton's Falls.
Scott Pedley was, indeed, a dedicated and venerated member of the early Mad River Glen family.
Hail and farewell, old friend. We'll miss you.
Bill Heinzerling, Fayston
Jonathan Adams van Tubergen
December 18, 2003
Jonathan Adams van Tubergen
Jonathan Adams van Tubergen, 44, of North Hero, passed away at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington unexpectedly on Sunday morning, December 14, 2003.
Jonathan leaves his children, Adam and Anita at home in North Hero; his mother, Nan Thomas of Tortola, British Virgin Islands and North Hero; and his sisters, Sallie West of Waitsfield and Elizabeth Walker of Duxbury. Jonathan grew up in the Mad River Valley, skiing, playing in the woods, and generally speaking, willing to jump off from anything. Stein Erickson even taught him to do a flip when he was only 7 years old. A broken leg never stopped him from skiing, he was such a little devil.
He did grow up in one piece in spite of himself and became a master plasterer, eventually building straw bale homes, excelling in his craft and art.
Jonathan was by nature, very loving. His larger than life laugh was only matched by his tremendous hugs. He loved his family, always able to forgive. He was a man who loved his golf, his dog "Khan", his home, his family, but his love shined brightest in his devotion to his two children. Through the tragedies of life, particularly Adam's debilitating neck injury, Jonathan faced his fears and shortcomings to learn and grow as a person.
Adam and Anita "know that he is in a better place and is happy in heaven, golfing with his Dad, with his brother Peter and of course, his dog Kahn."
Please join his family in celebrating Jonathan's life on Friday, December 19, 2003 at the Perkins-Parker Funeral Home in Waterbury where visitation will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. concluded with a service at 3 p.m. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts be offered to the Shiner's Hospital for Children, Attention Administration, 3551 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140.
Barbara A. Morse
December 18, 2003
Barbara A. Morse, 88, of Duxbury, passed away peacefully in her sleep at home on Tuesday, December 16, 2003. Born in Duxbury on March 24, 1915 at the foot of Camel's Hump, she was the daughter of the late Frank and Jessie (Morse) Callahan. On December 31, 1936, she married
Willis H. Morse in Waterbury. Mr. Morse passed away on February 17, 1974.
Barbara began her education in Duxbury and was a 1932 graduate of Waterbury High School. Having lived all of her life in Duxbury, much of it on the family farm, Barbara served her Town as Treasurer, Auditor, Justice of the Peace, Assistant Town Clerk and was Town Clerk for 16 years, retiring in 1986.
Barbara very much enjoyed her life. She loved Camel's Hump and spending time at the beach in Maine with her sisters and brother-in-law, going for Sunday rides in the summer, but most of all she loved her family and spending time with them, especially at reunions, Thanksgiving and Christmas. She was an excellent cook and was particularly noted for her baked beans and homemade bread. An avid and loyal Red Sox fan, she also enjoyed NASCAR racing, playing cards, bingo, doing crossword puzzles and reading. Her memberships included the Waterbury Congregational Church, the PTA and the Grange.
Barbara is survived by her seven children, Marjorie Foote and her husband, Donald of Berlin; Judy Douglas of Duxbury; Joyce Gingras and her husband, Jim, of Berlin; Bill Morse of Duxbury; Martha Jillson and her husband, Philip, of Readsboro; Mark Morse and his wife, Bonnie, of Duxbury; and Laura Titus and her husband, Greg, of Waitsfield; 14 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren; 3 sisters, Mary Reagan of Waterbury; Tina Wilder and her husband, Francis, of Duxbury; and Anna Godzik of Danvers MA; as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. She was predeceased by 5 brothers, Rex Callahan, George Callahan, Henry Callahan, Tim Callahan and David Callahan 2 sisters, Katherine Hayes and Marguerite Bartlett; and 4 grandchildren, Robert Douglas, Philip Jillson, Lisa Jillson, and Jennifer Morse.
Funeral services will be held from the Waterbury Congregational Church on Sunday, December 21, 2003 at 2 p.m. Friends may call at the Perkins-Parker Funeral Home in Waterbury on Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice, 600 Granger Road, Barre, VT 05641. Spring interment will take place in Duxbury Corner cemetery.
Robert H. McAleer
December 11, 2003
Robert H. McAleer, 90, husband to Verda (German) McAleer, of Manchester-by-the Sea, died November 10, 2003 after a brief illness, at the Hospice Unit at Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Robert was born June 9, 1913 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was raised in Brookline, where he attended Brookline High School. He attended Harvard University, where he was a member of the ROTC and graduated with the class of 1936. Several years after graduation, he enlisted for a yearlong tour of duty in the United States Navy and ended up serving for the duration of World War II. He served his entire naval career at sea in the Pacific, from the South Seas to the Aleutians. He served aboard the USS St. Louis, one of only two ships to escape Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. he was awarded the Bronze Star following the Battle of Leyte Gulf for his heroic and meritorious conduct. He retired from the Navy with the rank of Captain.
Upon his return to civilian life, he worked as a civil engineer for various engineering firms in the Boston area, finishing his career with United Engineers and Constructors. It would be difficult to drive out of Boston today without traveling the bridges or highways he designed.
Robert was a home-loving, quiet man with a wonderful sense of humor that endeared him to those who knew him well. He skied until recent years, having learned with his younger brother, Gordon, under Hannes Schneider, the man thought by many to be the Father of Modern Skiing. Robert loved sailing and was a member of the Manchester Yacht Club. True to his alma mater, he was also a member of the Harvard Faculty Club and the Harvard Club of Boston. He was an ardent lover of classical music, particularly Haydn, and had the ability to identify a piece of music after hearing only the briefest part. After Robert's retirement, he and his wife made numerous trips to the British Isles, exploring England, Scotland and Wales.
He was the son of Charles L. McAleer and Martha (Quinn) McAleer. He was predeceased by his two brothers, Charles E. McAleer and Arthur Gordon McAleer. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Verda (German) McAleer; his sister, Mary McAleer Merritt, and her husband Robert of Glastonbury, CT; his three children; and six grandchildren. They include his daughter, Suzanne Morrison Wolski , and her husband, Mark of Waitsfield, VT; and Suzanne's two sons, Ian Morrison of Atlanta, GA and Luke Morison of Exeter, RI. His son, Christopher R. McAleer and wife, Laurie, of Ipswich, McAleer; their daughter, Jessica McAleer, of Charlestown, McAleer and their son, Justin McAleer of Stockholm, Sweden. His daughter, Phyllis M. Randell, and her husband, Davis, reside in Portsmouth, NH, with their daughters, Alexis and Elizabeth. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Nancy Stevens McAleer of Bolton Landing, New York , as well as eight nieces and nephews.
A memorial service was held at St. John's Church in Beverly Farms, MA on Saturday, November 29. His ashes will be interred at Mount Auburn cemetery in Cambridge, MA.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Jimmy Fund or to North Shore Hospice.
Robert Rose, Waitsfield
June 19 1921- November 23 2003
Longtime Valley resident, Robert Rose passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, November 23. Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Mad River Valley Ambulance Service.
Alice M. Farnsworth, 81
November 20, 2003
Alice M. Farnsworth, 81, of Northfield Falls, passed away at Mayo Healthcare, where she has resided for the past two months, on Wednesday, November 12, 2003.
Born in Richford on July 15, 1922, she was the daughter of the late George and Elizabeth (O'Donnell) LaFleur. On June 12, 1959, she married
Raymond Farnsworth in Moretown.
Alice graduated from Richford High School and moved to Springfield, Massachusetts to work in a defense plant during WWII. Moving to Moretown following her marriage to Merrill Norris, she owned and operated Linda's Snack Bar until 1957. Mr. Norris passed away in 1955. Alice worked as a waitress and housekeeper at the former Caravan Motor Inn in Moretown for several years and later was employed for many years at the M & R Grocery Store in Waitsfield as a clerk. She most recently worked at the Moretown General Store, retiring in 1984. Raymond and Alice lived in Duxbury for 17 years and have resided in Northfield Falls for the past year.
Her memberships included the Moretown Grange, the Mad River American Legion Auxiliary Unit #75, the Moretown United Methodist Church, the Moretown Home Demonstration Club and the PTA.
The most important aspect of Alice's life was her family and the ability to spend time together. She instilled that in her children and their families, becoming the foundation in which to live their lives.
Alice's leisure time was spent enjoying crossword and jigsaw puzzles, needlepoint, and spending time at Kampersville in Salisbury.
She is survived by her husband of 44 years, Raymond Farnsworth of Northfield Falls; her children, Linda McGrath and her husband, Mike of Moretown; Suann Lackey and her companion, Daniel Vilbrin of Northfield Falls; Lisa Farnsworth and her companion, Paul Fassler of Cabot; Michael Norris of Northfield Falls, and Randy Farnsworth and his wife, Renee of Northfield Falls; 13 grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Alice's life was held from the Wesley United Methodist Church in Waterbury on Monday, November 17, 2003 at 1 p.m. Interment will be in the Mountain View cemetery in Moretown in the spring.
Memorial gifts may be made to the Mayo Healthcare Patients Activities Fund, 71 Richardson Street, Northfield, VT 05663.
Howard Dalton Carr, 84
November 20, 2003
Howard Dalton Carr, 84, died unexpectedly at his home in Fayston on Tuesday, November 11, 2003. Born in Bloomfield, Connecticut on May 23, 1919, he was the son of the late Andrew and Anita (Horner) Carr.
Howard attended public schools in Bloomfield, Connecticut. After graduating, he worked in a bank, prior to his moving to the Mad River Valley in 1954, where he became the leader of the Mad River Glen ski patrol, retiring from that position in 1967. When not running the ski patrol, he was employed as a carpenter by the late Andres Hengsteller, the late Robert Harris, and the late Allen Clark, all of the Mad River Valley. He also worked as an independent contractor in Vermont and other places throughout the East.
Howard was an expert, meticulous finish carpenter, building his own home and working on many of the early ski chalets at Mad River Glen and throughout The Valley. He was an avid and very proficient skier, one of the founders of the Hartford (CT) Ski Club, and a founding member of Chalet 10 at Mad River Glen. He also enjoyed sailing, being an accomplished sailor, skeet shooting, and motorcycle riding, owning many motorcycles since the early 1960s.
He was an active member of the Burlington BMW Motorcycle Club, and had many friends within the motorcycling community. He crossed the U.S. twice on his motorcycle and, after retirement, spent winters in Florida and in the hill country of Texas where he rode his motorcycle extensively. Perhaps the most memorable recollection of Howard is seeing his beloved black Labrador retriever, "Mimo", riding on the back seat of his maroon BMW motorcycle in an ingeniously constructed protective metal frame, from which Mimo viewed the landscape through specially-rigged ski goggles. She seemed to love motorcycle riding, and she accompanied Howard on many extensive trips, never falling off or being injured. Numerous pictures of Howard and Mimo together on his motorcycle appeared in newspapers and magazines throughout the country. Howard last rode his motorcycle in September of this year, just prior to having open heart surgery.
He also enjoyed nature, feeding the numerous hummingbirds in his back yard and watching the brook trout, merganser ducks, blue herons, and other aquatic creatures and wildlife from his living room lounge chair, overlooking the Mill Brook.
And he had a good sense of humor, evidenced most recently after his heart surgery. As related by his intensive care nurse, while coming out of anesthesia, he was placed in a bed restraint. Shortly thereafter, someone tapped the nurse on the shoulder. She turned around and there stood Howard, suggesting that the jacket (restraint) was a little too loose and could he please have a tighter one...
Howard, a good friend of Roland Palmedo, the founder of Mad River Glen, played a significant role in the history of the ski area, where he had many, many friends. He was a quiet, reserved, unassuming man, always ready to help others. When first running the ski patrol, he was the only professional on the patrol, but, like patrol leaders Hawley Slayton and Allen Clark before him, he assiduously trained his volunteers, maintaining a tradition of excellence which endures to this day. He loved Mad River Glen and the large, extended family of skiers who came back generation after generation. Certainly, he will always be part of the rich heritage of Mad River Glen. Ski heil, old friend!
Survivors include a niece, Barbara Flores, of West Hartford, Connecticut. A sister, Gladys Elizabeth (Carr) Brown, predeceased him.
A memorial service in celebration of Howard's life will be conducted by the Reverend Nancy Spencer Smith, a former Mad River Glen ski patrolwoman and a close friend of Howard, on Friday, November 21, at the Basebox lodge at Mad River Glen, at noon. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Mad River Glen Ski Patrol, PO Box 1089, Waitsfield, VT 05673-1089, or to the Carr Memorial Fund, c/o Bill Heinzerling, 106 Top of the Valley Road, Fayston, VT 05673.
Kathryn Hallock Palmer
October 23, 2003
Kathryn Hallock Palmer, 93, of Waitsfield passed away at her home, embraced by her family, on Thursday, October 16, 2003. Born in Waltham on August 19, 1910, she was the daughter of the late Henry and Mary (Muhlfreidel) Hallock. On June 10, 1931, she married
Everett W. Palmer in Waltham. Mr. Palmer passed away on May 3, 1996, just one month prior to their 65th wedding anniversary.
Kathryn was a graduate of Vergennes High School and continued her education, graduating from the former Castleton Normal School. She taught for a year in Starksboro.
Kathryn was a tremendous homemaker, avid gardener and lover of flowers, particularly gladiolas. She was also well known for her wonderful decorated cakes made for weddings, birthdays and other special events for relatives, friends and neighbors throughout the Mad River Valley.
Her memberships included the Emerald Rebekah Lodge 33, the Home Demonstration Club, the Waitsfield Federated Church (now UCC), its affiliated Ladies Auxiliary and was a Sunday School teacher for many years. She also served on the planning committee for the present Waitsfield Elementary School when it was built and served as a 4-H leader for several years.
From the time of their marriage, Kathryn worked with Everett in their maple sugaring operation. She spent many hours drawing off the syrup while Everett fired the boiler. She also had available dozens of doughnuts and jars of pickles for the many visitors who came to watch the operation and sample the delightful end product. Together they won many "Best of Show" and "1st Place Awards" for their maple syrup. Starting in 1963, they began a mail order business that continues to this day under the careful guidance of their son, Delbert.
Kathryn is survived by her four children, Delbert Palmer and his wife, Sharlia, of Waitsfield, Joyce Rowe and her husband, Robert, of Montpelier, Lois Richardson and her husband, Alan, of Springfield, Massachusetts, and Carol Atwood of Milford, Connecticut; nine grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren; a brother-in-law, Dwight Palmer of Duxbury and Winter Haven, Florida; as well as many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her brother, Kenneth Hallock; four sisters, Irene Hallock, Marion Hallock, Vonda Sheldon, and Anna Curler; a granddaughter, Shelah Palmer; and twin great-grandchildren, Sara and Jonathan Broadmeadow.
A celebration of Kathryn's well-lived life was held from the Waitsfield United Church of Christ on October 20 at 2 p.m. with a reception that followed in the church dining room. Private burial was held in the Waitsfield Common cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice, 600 Granger Road, Barre, VT 05641. Arrangements are in the care of the Perkins-Parker Funeral Home in Waterbury.
