Elizabeth J. Dutton

Elizabeth Jane (Putnam) Dutton of Springfield went home to be with the Lord, surrounded by her family, on Friday, June 15, 2018 after a long battle with cancer.

She was born to Clyde and Arlene (Wheeler) Putnam on May 11, 1931 in Claremont, New Hampshire. She graduated high school in 1949 from Bellows Falls. After high school, she worked for the phone company as a switchboard operator. On Aug. 19, 1950 she married the love of her life, Marshall Allen Dutton. They spent nearly 65 years of marriage together. She was secretary at Calvary Baptist Church before working for the Springfield School District for 24 ½ years, retiring in 1993.

She was a faithful member and worker at the Calvary Baptist Church for 68 years. She loved her Lord, her family, flowers, gardening, knitting, crocheting, sewing, camping, and reading. She spent many hours volunteering for RSVP.

Left to cherish her memory are: Son and daughter Mark and Cindy Dutton of Springfield, Vermont; daughter Diana Henderson of Wink, Texas; grandson John Allen Henderson and wife Mindy of Saginaw, Texas; great-grandchildren Bryce and Kylie Henderson, and Kolton and Kinsley Keen; brother David Putnam and wife Kathleen; sisters-in-law Katrine Dutton, Kathelyn Martin, and Fern Brauner; numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents, her husband Marshall Dutton, and granddaughter Amanda Henderson.

The family asks that memorial gifts be given to: Scottish Rite Hospital of Texas, 2222 Welborn St., Dallas, TX 75219; Springfield Hospital Oncology Center, 25 Ridgewood Road, Springfield, VT 05156; or Springfield Humane Society, Skitchewaugh Trail, Springfield, VT 05156.

Calling hours will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 20 at Calvary Baptist Church, 158 Main St., Springfield, Vermont. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, June 21 in the Calvary Baptist Church.

The Davis Memorial Chapel in Springfield assisted with arrangements.

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Daniel P. Gray

Daniel Patrick Gray, 69, of Springfield, passed away Tuesday evening, Aug. 15, 2017, at Mt. Ascutney Health Center in Windsor, surrounded by his family. He was born July 24, 1948, in Miami, Florida, the son of Patrick and Mary (Donahue) Gray. He graduated from All Hallows High School in New York City, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in finance from Fordham University.

Daniel was a commodity trader/broker with Prudential-Bache and Dean Witter Reynolds.

As a young boy, he was a child model in New York City.

He served as an altar boy at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. He served as chairman on the Springfield, Vermont School Board and was very community-minded. He also was a landlord in Springfield, Vermont.

He is survived by his wife, Diane Lynn Gray; son Daniel P. Gray and his wife Maria, daughter Kelly Maureen Gray Hosey and her husband Neil, son James Colon; grandchildren Connor Gray, Grace Hosey and Mary Kate Hosey; and his siblings, William, Kevin and Kathleen Gray.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Springfield, Vermont.

Friends may call prior to the Mass from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Saturday at the Davis Memorial Chapel in Springfield.

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Leon L. Perry

Leon L. “Pop” Perry, 85, died Nov. 17, 2016, at Springfield Health and Rehabilitation Center, after a long illness.

He was born Nov. 10, 1931, the son of Leon A. and Christine (Brown) Perry.

He graduated in 1949 from Springfield High School where he was a member of the 1948 state football championship team. He graduated from Castleton State College with a bachelor’s degree in education and then from Boston University with double master’s degrees in education and administration.

Mr. Perry’s 40-year career in education included as a teacher, guidance counselor, director of guidance and vice-principal, and at Chester High School, Bellows Falls High School and Springfield High School, schools where he coached basketball and football and each dedicated a senior yearbook to him. After retiring from education, he was president of Great Brook Furniture until it was sold.

He married his wife, Mary, Aug. 25, 1962, in Bellows Falls. In 1984, they purchased Pierce-Barton Travel which she ran until they sold the agency in 2005.

An avid hunter and trapper in his youth, he later enjoyed golf and tennis and was known for his storytelling.

Survivors include his wife; a son, Christian Perry of Little Rock, Arkansas, and a daughter, Pamela Perry of Littleton, Colorado; two granddaughters and two nieces.

Mr. Perry was predeceased by a daughter, Linda Gates, on May 28, 2016, and a sister, Agda Newell.

The memorial service and celebration of his life will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Springfield Hospital, P. O. Box 2003, Springfield, VT 05156. Arrangements are by Davis Memorial Chapel in Springfield.

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Elizabeth L. Hansen, 83

Elizabeth Longe (Brassord) Hansen, 83, passed away Sunday, April 3, 2016, at the Springfield Health and Rehabilitation Center after a long illness. She was born Aug. 20, 1932, in Springfield, the daughter of Nelson and Elva (Garry) Longe. Mrs. Hansen graduated from Springfield High School in 1950 and from Castleton State Teachers College in 1954 with a bachelor of science degree in elementary education.

She taught in Brattleboro, Vermont, East Hampton, Hatfield and Amherst, Massachusetts, before coming back to Springfield where she taught for 29 1/2 years, of her nearly 34 years of teaching career at East and Park Street schools.

She was a member of the United Methodist Church, the Windsor County and Vermont Retired Teachers Association and the American Association of Retired Persons.

Betty loved teaching her students and always thought of them as her children, always making learning fun. She loved spending time at the family camp and taking her grandchildren on adventures and instilling in them the love of creativity. She loved painting, birds, cooking, any crafts and photography.

Survivors include her husband John, whom she married April 18, 1987; a son, Jeffrey Brassord and his wife, Darlene; granddaughter Elizabeth and her husband, Jeremy Wesson; grandson Travis Brassord and his wife, Carly; and granddaughter Kate Brassord; great-grandchildren, Rachel and Jaxon Wesson and Ben Brassord and Devante Brassord. She was predeceased by her parents, Nelson and Elva Longe; and brother, Watson Longe and his wife, Donna.

Friends may call 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 7, at the Davis Memorial Chapel in Springfield. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, April 8, at the Davis Memorial Chapel. Reverend Gerry Piper, Pastor of the United Methodist Church, will officiate. Burial will follow at Oakland Cemetery in Springfield. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory to the Alzheimer’s Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011.

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Muriel Anita Bohne, 95

Muriel Anita Bohne, age 95, passed away on March 19th, 2016. She was a recent resident of Shelburne Bay Senior Living. Born in Toledo Ohio, she spent most of her younger years in Springfield Vermont where she met her life companion Paul W. Bohne Jr. Paul and Muriel had many interests in common but they most enjoyed making music. Muriel was an accomplished pianist who accompanied her high school chorus, orchestra, plays and voice soloist, Paul.

Muriel had a keen sense of humor. One of the ways she referred to herself was as "a coper". She showed evidence of coping many times during her life. As a young mother, she had to cope with taking care of two young children by herself while Paul was away in the Navy in WW II. Later in life, while wheel chair bound, she coped with that condition by living independently for over 10 year years.

Muriel attended Russel Sage College, to which she commuted from Bennington for 4 years, graduating with a BA in Fine Arts in 1969 at the age of 48. She went on to receive her MA in Education at Castleton State College and taught at St Joseph's College in Bennington for several years.

Early in life, she made clothes for herself and her children and did crocheting and knitting. In her forties she pursued her interest in painting and became an accomplished artist. In her Bennington studio she taught art to many local resident and pursued many styles of painting. She enjoyed experimenting and used different media. Some of her first work was folk art and she worked in oils, pastels, and acrylic and in later years fell in love with collage. Among her exhibits was the annual Grand Isle Art Show where she exhibited for over 25 years while summering on Keeler's Bay in South Hero. In 2014 she was their featured artist.

She shared the results of her talents with friends and family who all have examples of her art displayed in their homes. Each Christmas, Muriel would provide an ornament to family members often depicting an important happening during the recipients past year.

She was active in churches at each stop in her life. She and Paul were members of the Presbyterian Church in Beverly, New Jersey for 7 years before moving back to Vermont in 1962 where they lived in Bennington until 2004. She is a member of the Second Congregational Church in Bennington where she and Paul both sang in the choir for many years and Muriel was a substitute organist from time to time. Muriel was active with the Church Bazar which she chaired. While living at Shelburne Bay Senior Living, she continued to provide crocheted and other items for the Bazar.

She and Paul loved to travel and included trips to South America, Europe and Russia as well as the United States. She attended art workshops on New Mexico, Texas, South Carolina and Maine among others. She was a very intelligent person and her mind was keen to the end. She prided herself on being able to complete the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle each week and took pride in keeping up with the news and voting in every election.

Muriel was predeceased by Paul, her husband of 65 years, brothers William and Robert and sister Noreen. She leaves her daughter Karen of Shelburne, son Keith and partner Gina McGlinchey of Westford Massachusetts and son Paul and his wife Nancy of Essex Junction and five grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.

A memorial reception will held at the Residences at the Shelburne Bay Great Room from 1-3:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 26. A memorial service will be held in Bennington at the 2nd Congregational Church at 2:00 p.m. on April 3rd.

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