World 01_10_18

Beth E. McKinstry
Beth Ellen McKinstry, 52, of
Ridgewood Terrace passed away on
Monday, January 1, 2018 at her home
after a brief illness. Born May 13,
1965 in Burlington, she was the
daughter of Thomas and Melanie
(Walker) Magwire. She attended Barre
Town Elementary School and graduated
from Spaulding High School
with the class of 1983. After graduation
she made her home in Barre Town. Beth was
employed as a para-educator and administrative assistant
with the Barre City School System for over 25 years. She
was a member of the Vermont and National Education
Associations. In her spare time, Beth was a bargain
hunter and enjoyed poking around thrift stores. She loved
going to the beach and helping others. Most of all, she
loved spending time with friends and family, especially
her grandson. Survivors include her partner Michael A.
Walker of Barre Town; her parents, Thomas and Melanie
Magwire of Graniteville; her daughter Lauren McKinstry
and her fiancée, David Gilbert, and their son Karsen
Gilbert, of Williamstown; her son Stephen McKinstry
and his fiancée, Mandy Imburgio, of Williamstown; her
brother Darin Magwire and his partner, Amanda Young,
of Graniteville; her sister Cynthia Fitzgerald and her
partner, Gary Couture, of Ward, CO; her paternal grandmother
Shirley Webb of Graniteville; and her uncle
David Walker and his wife, Sandra of Chester, VT; as
well as numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased
by her maternal Grandmother Idabelle Walker and
her husband, Lawrence; and her paternal Grandfather
Harold Magwire. A Celebration of her life will be held on
Saturday, January 13, 2018 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the
Hedding United Methodist Church, 40 Washington
Street, Barre, VT. There are no calling hours. In lieu of
flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the
Central Vermont Humane Society, PO Box 687,
Montpelier, VT 05601 or to the American Cancer Society,
Vermont Division, 55 Day Lane, Williston, VT 05495.
The Hooker and Whitcomb Funeral Home, 7 Academy
Street, Barre assisted her family with the arrangements.
For a memorial guestbook, visit www.hookerwhitcomb.
com
Donna L. Putney
Donna Lee Putney, 69, of Taylor
Drive passed away on Sunday,
December 31, 2017 at home with her
loving family at her bedside. Born
November 20, 1948 in Barre City, she
was the daughter of F. Waldo and
Antoinette (Verge) Taylor. Donna
attended Chelsea Elementary School
and graduated as Valedictorian from
Chelsea High School in 1966. On
June 6, 1970, she married Ronald S. Putney in the St.
Frances Cabrini Catholic Church in East Barre. Following
their marriage, they made their home on Taylor Drive in
Chelsea. Donna started her career as a Lab Technician at
the former Barre City Hospital and the Central Vermont
Hospital, she then became the Clinic Manager at the
Chelsea Health Center and retired from the accounting
department at Union Mutual Insurance Company. She
also helped on the family farm as well as being a fulltime
mother, grandmother and wife. Her memberships
included the St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church where
she was the head of the parish council for many years. In
2010, she started the Central Vermont Apostles of Divine
Mercy. She was also a faithful member of the prayer
group line. Donna enjoyed gardening- she especially
loved flowers, and she loved to read, also she enjoyed
cooking, and was an accomplished seamstress, although
most of all she enjoyed spending time with her family
and friends.Survivors include her husband, Ronald
Putney of Chelsea; her son Ross Putney and his wife,
Kim of Chelsea; her daughters Amanda Putney and her
husband, Teddy of East Barre; Tammy Larrabee of
Chelsea; and Erin Putney of Georgia; thirteen grandchildren;
multiple great-grandchildren; her brother Maurice
Taylor and his wife, Sheila of Chelsea; as well as numerous
aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. In addition to her
parents, she was predeceased by her sister Virginia
Taylor. Her Mass of Christian Burial was held on
Tuesday, January 9, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. in the St. Francis
Cabrini Catholic Church in East Barre. There are no calling
hours. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may
be made to the First Branch Ambulance Service, PO Box
74, Chelsea, VT 05038 or Central Vermont Apostles of
PRUNEAU-POLLI
FUNERAL HOME
Serving All Faiths
Family Owned & Operated
58 Summer Street • Barre, Vermont
802-476-4621
Member
Proud National Funeral Directors
Association
Handicap Accessible
page 8 The WORLD January 10, 2018
Divine Mercy, c/o 16 Taylor Drive, Washington, VT
05675. The Hooker and Whitcomb Funeral Home, 7
Academy Street, Barre is in charge of the arrangements.
For a memorial guestbook, visit www.hookerwhitcomb.
com
Walter Rudolph Wells, Jr
Walter Rudolph Wells, Jr,
age 85, of Berlin, VT,
passed away January 1, 2018 at his
home surrounded by his children and
loving spouse of 65 years, Mary.
Walter was born April 2, 1932, the
son of Walter Rudolph Wells, Sr., and
Dorothy Mae (Frost) Wells at Berlin,
VT.. He was the eldest of 8 children,
6 brothers: Francis, Raymond,
William, Edward, Richard, George, and one sister:
Barbara. He attended schools in Berlin, and high school
at both Montpelier High, Montpelier, VT and Spaulding
in Barre, Vt. August 29, 1952, Walter married his sweetheart,
Mary (Sherman) Wells. As the young couple had
recently rented their first apartment, Mary had received
notice of Walter’s draft the morning of the wedding.
They were well into their honeymoon at Niagara Falls
before she shared the news with him. He served our
country proudly in Korea from 1952-1954 as a platoon
Sergeant, and earned the rank of Sgt 1st Class. Their
marriage was blessed with 5 children: Cindy Wells,
Vickie Settle, Terry Bessette, Todd Wells, and Melissa
(Bydie) Cloutier. Walter spent his career in the Granite
Industry where he worked 38 years in many different
positions at S. L Garand’s in Montpelier before retiring
in 1993. It was not unusual for him to bring polished
granite samples home to share with the family and
explain the different characteristics of each one. If it
wasn’t Barre granite it was never quite high quality in his
book. He also enjoyed working in the building trade with
B & H Builders. The expertise he took away from that
employment he applied in building the family camp on
Nelson Pond in 1966, and in 1974 the family home complete
with a sugar house for his Mary. Many March days
have found Walter, Mary, and the family collecting and
boiling sap and finishing off the season with a sugar on
snow party. Family always came first. Walter was the
true patriarch of the family and loved when the house
was filled with children and grandchildren. He especially
loved holding the little ones and was fascinated by them.
There was nothing he wouldn’t do for his family. He
replaced many VW engines and kept all of the kid’s cars
on the road as long as he could convince one of them to
hold the flashlight. Walter was passionate about everything
he pursued. He loved cars. He loved working on
them, collecting them and racing them. In his younger
years he spent hours with friends building stock cars and
racing at “Thunder Road.” He raced car # 67 and later
5-W. It was there that Ken Squire gave him the nickname
of, “Wally,” that has followed him since. He was an avid
water skier and even mastered bare foot skiing. At that
point his nickname became, “Wet Foot Wally” and he
proudly wore it on his t-shirt. He turned to hunting in the
fall and spent many hours honing his skill with bow and
rifle for deer hunting and his shot gun for turkey season.
The winter months he spent trail riding with family and
friends on snow machines. Walter was a member of the
Berlin Congregational Church, the Berlin Historical
Society, Berlin Cemetery Association, Central Vermont
Kustom Klassics, Northfield Snow Marauders, American
Legion, and The Nelson Pond Association. Walter is
survived by spouse Mary, children: Cindy Wells of St.
Johnsbury, VT, Vickie Settle and spouse Rich of
McPherson, KS, Terry Bessette of Barre Town, VT, Todd
Wells and spouse Serena,of Barre, VT, and Melissa
(Bydie) Cloutier of St. Johnsbury, VT, and siblings:
Richard Wells Danville ,N.H., George Wells ,Silverton,
Oregon, and Barbara Chapin ,Silverton, Oregon. 13
grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren, as well as his
beloved rescue dog, Walter III. Walter was preceded in
death by his parents, infant brother, Frances, brothers:
Raymond, William, and Edward. Visitation was held
Friday, January 5 at Guare and Son’s Funeral Home, 30
School St. Montpelier, VT from 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m..
Funeral services were Saturday, January 6 at the Berlin
Congregational Church at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers
contributions can be made to the First Congregational
Church of Berlin, 1808 Scott Hill Rd, Berlin, VT 05602
or to the charity of the donor’s choice. Those wishing to
express online condolences may do so at www.guareandsons.com.
Other passings....
C. BRYANT BRINK, age 71, of Stowe, VT, husband
to Trine (Lütken) and father to Elisabeth
Jennings, of Naperville, IL, died on Dec. 30, 2017. The eldest
son of the late Edward Loren Brink and Anna Catherine
(Stemmerman), Bryant was born and grew up in Philadelphia.
Bryant attended Germantown Academy and the University of
Pennsylvania where he earned an undergraduate degree in
English and was a member of the rowing team and the Naval
ROTC. Upon graduating, he spent several years as an Ensign
in the Navy before settling in Stowe. Bryant met Trine from
Oslo, Norway and after their marriage, he ventured into the
retail world with his brother, Michael, and opened Michael
Bryant’s, before returning to Philadelphia in 1975 and receiving
his MBA from The Wharton School of the University of
Pennsylvania. The family returned to Stowe and Bryant spent
over 20 years in the investment and finance divisions of The
National Life Insurance Co. Bryant’s most notable personal
accomplishments include a 2nd degree Black Belt in Tae
Kwon Do, a member of Mensa, a deacon at the Stowe
Community Church and a member of the Sons of the
American Revolution. His hobbies included cartooning, reading
up on Native American tribes of the Northeast and being a
member of the Lake Mansfield Trout Club and the Waterbury
Fish and Game Club. Bryant leaves his wife of 46 years, Trine
(Lütken); daughter Elisabeth Jennings; son-in-law and good
friend Kenneth Jennings; beloved grandchildren Calvin, Drew
and Lauren. He also leaves behind a sister, Lois Ann, and her
husband, Jake Gaffigan, of Denver; brother Michael and wife
Nancy, of Waterbury Center; brother-in-law Nils Christian
Lütken and wife Cate, of Oslo, Norway; and several nieces
and nephews.
JEANNE E. BROOKFIELD, 58, died Dec. 24, 2017, at
Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin. She was born April
7, 1959, in Coral Gables, FL, the daughter of James and Anne
(Stumpf) Brookfield. She graduated in 1976 from Coral
Gables High School. Ms. Brookfield worked over 10 years as
a secretary in the NYC financial district and as a radio
DJ for WORK 107.1 in VT. She provided end-of-life
care for her mother. She enjoyed music, reading and
poetry. Survivors include two children Lorissa Doney, of
Northfield, and Lowen Spooner, of Barre; a brother, Lee
Brookfield, of Jacksonville, FL; two grandchildren;
aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.
DAVID “DAVE” BROWN, 69, of Mebane,
NC, formerly of Barre, died on Dec. 28, 2017.
David bravely fought a 12-year battle with cancer. Born
in Haverhill, NH, Nov. 14, 1948, David grew up in
Barre, VT, and was a graduate of SHS, class of ‘66. An
Army veteran of Vietnam, he also gave 27 years’ service
to UniFirst Corp. As a mentor of Wings to Recovery at
ARMC Cancer Center, David spent 10 years offering
hope and encouragement to cancer patients. He is survived
by: wife of 48 years, Diane, and their fur-baby,
Mollie; daughter Charlene and husband Jay Snead, their
daughters Rebecca and Kathleen, of Knoxville, TN; son
Charles and wife Missy, their girls Jenna and Erin, of
Fayetteville, GA; granddaughter Macy and husband
Xavier Cook, of Fort Richardson, AK. David leaves
behind his brothers, Harry Brown and wife Bev, of
South Barre, VT, Dale Brown, of Cabot, VT; three sisters,
Bonnie and her husband, Wendell Emmons, of
Easley, SC, Denise “Sue” and husband Steve Sparrow,
of Adamant, VT, and Brenda Brown, of Groton, VT;
along with many nieces and nephews.
HAROLD S. CARPENTER, 83, of Westfield,
VT, formerly of North Sterling, CT, and Cabot,
passed away peacefully on Dec. 26, 2017, at North
Country Hospital in Newport, VT, with family by his
side, after a brief battle with pneumonia. Harold was
born Aug. 5, 1934, the son of George and Hazel (Pierce)
Carpenter, of Cabot, VT. As a young man, Harold
enjoyed hunting, working on the family farm and working
for local farmers. Harold graduated from the State
School of Agriculture in Randolph, VT, in 1953 and
joined the Army in 1954. He spent three years in the
military and was honorably discharged in 1957 with a
Natural Defense Service Medal, as well as a Good
Conduct Medal. Harold graduated from Barrington
College in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. On Sept.
6, 1958, Harold married Rebecca Thurber of Plainfield,
who survives him. Harold is also survived by their two
children Lisa Samford and husband Tim, of Granbury,
TX, and Merry Hamel and husband Kevin Paxman, of
Westfield, VT; his sisters Ruth Glaude, of South Windsor,
CT, and Grace Glaude and husband Ronald, of Brooklyn,
CT; 11 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren; many
nieces and nephews.
AMY M. DURAND, 44, of Route 100, passed away
peacefully surrounded by her family on Jan. 3, 2018, at
her home. Born Feb. 3, 1973, in Burlington, she was the
daughter of Mickey (Barron) and Howard J. Durand Sr.
She attended Moretown Elementary School and graduated
from Harwood Union High School. She grew up in
Moretown and settled in the Duxbury area where she
lived out the remainder of her life. Amy was a member
of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals (ASPCA). Her animals were her children
Dylan, Abby, Heidi, Riley and her three cats. She loved
spending time with her family, cooking and gardening.
Survivors include her sisters Donna Morris and her husband,
Bob, of Montpelier, Betty Durand and her husband,
Danny Chamberlin, of Moretown; her brothers
Howard Durand and his wife, Robin, of Duxbury, David
Koester and his wife, Kathy, of Bolton, and Bob Durand
and his lifelong friend, Lynn, of Moretown; as well as
numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and -nephews.
RICHARD T. ELWELL, 83, of Northfield,
VT, died Oct. 30, 2017, at his home in
Belleview, FL. He was born in Montpelier, on Aug. 30,
1934, the son of Vincent and Dorothy (Blaisdell) Elwell.
He was a graduate of Northfield High School where he
excelled at multiple sports that earned him 10 letters in
baseball, basketball and soccer. After graduating from
Northfield High School, he entered the U.S. Army, serving
during the Korean War from 1954 to 1956. After
serving his country, he attended Babson College and
graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business in 1959.
Richard married Agnes Klucinec on Aug. 21, 1965, in
Mount Lebanon, PA. He worked for 40 years in the
property and casualty insurance business. He was a
member of the United Methodist Church and served as a
past president of the Northfield Country Club, a
Northfield selectman, director of the Vermont Insurance
Guarantee Fund and director and chairman of the
Vermont Domestic Insurance Association. He was an
avid golfer, a 50-year member in the Masons and
Shriners and over 25 years in the Royal Order of Jesters.
He is survived by his wife, Agnes, of Northfield; two
sons Richard C. Elwell, of Portsmouth, NH, Thomas J.
Elwell, of Holly Springs, NC; and two grandchildren.
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