College news
• The following local students successfully completed their academic journey and are now part of Vermont State University's Class of 2025: Kailyn August of West Dover, Stacy Bryck of Dummerston, Nikole Bunker of Brattleboro, Jeffrey Cavagnino of Londonderry, Liz Cunningham of Jacksonville, Damian Dierkes of Dummerston, Katelynn Dunn of Wilmington, Alex Fellows of Brattleboro, Amy Fielding of Putney, Mary Fortier of Vernon, Jason Guerino of Vernon, Amelia Harrison of Brattleboro, Claire Holmes of Wardsboro, Oskar Lehnartz of Putney, Logan McDonough of Londonderry, Amy Nelson of Putney, Denisia Parisienne of Brattleboro, Johannah Parker of Grafton, Brianna Paul of Brattleboro, Joey Reynolds of Brattleboro, Parker Richardson of Townshend, Pheng Singphom of Vernon, Sarah Sprague of Whitingham, Clay Thompson of Grafton, John Webb of Brattleboro, and Tabby Weeks of Dummerston.
• The following local students recently received degrees from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts: Lydia Hazzard-Leal of Brattleboro, graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in music; Freddie Learey of Brattleboro, graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in international development and social change; and Tori D. MacKay of South Newfane, graduated cum laude with a B.A.
• Walker Brown of South Londonderry received a B.A. in business economics from Wofford College in Spartansburg, South Carolina.
• Anna Seiple of Londonderry recently graduated from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, with a Bachelor of Science degree.
• The following local students were honored for academic excellence in the spring 2025 semester at Community College of Vermont. Nina King of Bellows Falls, Joshua Aubin of Halifax, Cameron Misnick of Newfane, and Margaret Meister of Putney were named to the President's List. Named to the Dean's List were Skylar French of Bellows Falls, Erika Favreau, Ori Johnson, and Carley Lonardo of Brattleboro; Leah Lane of East Dummerston, Connor MacEachern and Calli Sprague of Grafton, Jada Wood of Newfane, Kiera Stockwell of Putney, Alyssa Batts of Vernon, and Sara Dix of Wilmington. Named to the Student Honors List were Jacob Harrelson, Karissa Pavlovic, James Tarvit, Amyra Terena, and Kaitlyn Whitaker of Bellows Falls; Eleanor Cautela-Clouet, Jennifer Crawford, Bethany Kriger, Daniele LaValley, Carol Maynard, Morgan Mazelli, Kyle McDonald, Carina Reinsel, and Kayla Yurkevicz of Brattleboro; Aubrey Bourne of Brookline, Krystal Martin of Dummerston, John Marco and Lily Quintero of Guilford, Patricia Bills, Sarahann Byler, Jessica Greene, Sophie Jones, Shane Martin, and Simon Reynolds of Putney; Kailuna Holmes of Townshend, Cheryl Christophe and Maria Tevolini of Vernon, Elaina Krusiewski of West Dover, Sage Myska of Whitingham, and Tessa Atwood, Benjamin Brissette, and Taylor Florence of Wilmington.
• Kaylee Mae Desmarais of Saxtons River and Keigan Illingworth of Westminster were named to the spring 2025 Dean's List at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.
• Maria Carfora of Brattleboro and Elizabeth Longo of West Townshend were named to the spring 2025 Dean's List at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. Longo recently graduated from Hofstra with a B.S. in health science/occupational therapy.
• Emeline Stewart of Wilmington was named to the spring 2025 Dean's List at Fairfield (Conn.) University.
• Jonathan Terry of Bellows Falls and Abriella Hallock of Grafton were named to the spring 2025 Dean's List at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine.
• The following local students were honored for academic excellence at Norwich University in Northfield in the spring 2025 semester: Wyatt Rosinski of Brattleboro was named to the President's List and Janelle Fisher of Whitingham was named to the Dean's List.
• Rebecca Robinson of Saxtons River, a member of the class of 2028 majoring in electrical and computer engineering, was named to the Dean's List for academic excellence for the spring 2025 semester at Worcester (Mass.) Polytechnic Institute.
Obituaries
• David George Parsons, 65, of Vernon. Died May 29, 2025. Born in Laconia, New Hampshire, on March 26, 1960, he was the son of Janet L. (Conger) Parsons and the late Albert C. Parsons. David grew up in Swanzey, New Hampshire, and graduated from Monadnock Regional High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of New Hampshire and then an MBA from Plymouth State University. A hard worker, he held various management positions in Brattleboro, including being the owner of Parsons Hearing Solutions. David's passion for skiing lead him to be a ski school director and NASTAR pace setter at Snow Ridge in New York state, and a Mount Snow/Vail Resorts race coach for more than 26 years. In his free time, he enjoyed being outdoors fishing, golfing, and building. Most of all, he loved spending time with his family. He is survived by his wife, Deborah (Akins) Parsons of Vernon; his son, Andrew Parsons of Vernon; daughter Stephanie Parsons of Brattleboro; grandchildren Zoey and Jax of Brattleboro; his mother, Janet Parsons of Keene, New Hampshire; sister Lynn Ziman and her husband Bob of Swanzey; and nieces Sarah Dresser of Swanzey and Becky Ziman of Dover, New Hampshire. Memorial information: Donations may be offered in memory of David to the Mount Snow Ski Club Scholarship Fund, which provides support to athletes participating in training programs. Checks can be made out to the Mount Snow Ski Club, P.O. Box 46, West Dover, VT 05356, or via Venmo: @mountsnowskiclub.
• William Andrew "Andy" Robinson Jr., 72, of West Chesterfield, New Hampshire. Died on June 11, 2025, after a period of declining health. Andy began life in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and was raised by his parents, Bill and Ruth Robinson, in Rockport, on Boston's North Shore. The oldest of four siblings, Andy told great stories of his Rockport childhood and spoke of returning "home" there toward his end-of-life. After graduating from Rockport High School in 1970, Andy attended Salem State College, where his father taught English literature. During college and for a time afterwards, Andy was a proud volunteer for the Rockport Fire Department. He graduated in 1974 with a BSSW degree in social work which took him to an internship working for Legal Aid in Boston's North End. After a brief sojourn with the Coast Guard, Andy went on to serve as a sailmaker and salesperson for Hood Sailmaker in Marblehead, Massachusetts, a job which allowed him to meet and sail with America's Cup luminaries. During a year at an international school outside of Washington, D.C., he met his future wife, Diane (Tjaden) Robinson. They married in July 1981 in Putney, where an old family friend, Jeff Campbell (formerly of The Putney School) officiated the wedding. Although then living a stone's throw from Little Harbor in Marblehead, the couple eventually moved to Putney in July 1983. Their son, Colin, was born in 1984 in Brattleboro and Putney's Main Street was the family's home for the next 25 years. During that time, Andy worked for a number of local businesses and organizations, but was most notably on a variety of Putney committees, including serving as Chair of the Selectboard for several years in the 1990s. Andy also enjoyed completing coursework at Antioch University of New England for an M.S. in management. He was a years-long and proud member volunteer of Rescue Inc., taught CPR for them, and was one of the founders of the Putney First Responders. In 2008 the couple moved to a home in West Chesterfield with a perfect view of Mount Snow, where the family had spent much time skiing over the years. Andy continued his work at that time with the School for International Training, Sojourns Clinic, the Vermont Department of Labor, Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation and, finally, at Whitney-Blake Company in Bellows Falls, which he retired from in May 2021. Due to his declining health, he spent the last few years relaxing at home, puttering around and enjoying time with family and friends, especially his beloved granddaughters Hazel (12) and Cora (8). Andy will be remembered as a person with a deep sense of integrity. Not only was he "Handy Andy" at home, he could be called upon day or night to help out a friend or family member. Although not a member of a formal church or religion, his commitment to a spiritual life was strong and silent. He held a special affinity for Turkish culture and the practice of the whirling dervishes which included many years of study and eight extended visits to Turkey. Andy is survived by his wife, Diane; son Colin Robinson and wife Sarah (granddaughters Hazel and Cora) of Burlington; sister Kate DeCoste of Gloucester, Massachusetts; brother Lawrence Robinson of New York City; and brother David and wife Amy of Rockport. Uncle Andy will also be remembered by nephews John and Paul Robinson and Mike DeCoste and niece, Lindsay DeCoste, all of Massachusetts. Memorial information: A private service will be held at a date later this summer. Donations to Rescue Inc., 541 Canal St. Brattleboro, VT 05301, or rescueinc.org.
• Edward Cornelius "Ted" Searle III, 77, of West Brattleboro. Died quietly at his home in early February. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Feb. 4, 1948, the son of the late Edward C. Searle Jr. and Genevieve N. Searle. He attended local schools in Southampton, Massachusetts, and graduated from Easthampton (Mass.) High School in 1966. He attended Brevard (N.C.) College and Holyoke Community College, and graduated from Windham College in Putney in 1971 with a degree in art. He was an artisan, doing paintings, stained glass and crafting silver jewelry. He worked at the Steak Out Restaurant in Brattleboro for many years. He also enjoyed his time working with the Vermont Adult Learning in Brattleboro at the end of his working career. He was known for his quiet good nature, insightful sense of humor, and his great appreciation for the environment. He enjoyed reading, music, conducting research on the computer, traveling in his pride and joy Mustang, and connecting with his friends and family. He also especially enjoyed participating in his writing group in Brattleboro. In his later years, he demonstrated tremendous personal courage, grace, and tenacity as his health declined in his battles with cancer. He confronted these challenges with no defeatism, but rather with remarkable resolve and perseverance. In spite of these challenges he maintained an active lifestyle. He was predeceased by his parents, both in 2012. Ted is survived by his brother Barry Searle of Southampton, his niece Annie Searle of Southampton, nephew Nathaniel Searle of Andover, Massachusetts, niece Laura Smith of Buchanan, New York, and many cousins. Memorial information: A private family service will be held in the summer in Vermont. Donations to the Center for Solace (formerly Brattleboro Area Hospice), the Windham County Humane Society, or the American Cancer Society.
• Jean M. Williams, 87, of Londonderry. Died peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones, on June 6, 2025. She was born Jan. 30, 1938, in Bennington, the daughter of Roy and Maude (McGinn) Mathews. A lifelong resident of Londonderry, Jean attended grade schools in Londonderry and graduated from Leland & Gray Seminary in Townshend, Class of 1956. Jean married the love of her life, Raymond F. Williams Jr on Dec. 21, 1963. In 2023, they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, just before his death. They loved traveling and took many trips to Florida, an Alaskan cruise, and a visit to Colorado. In her earlier years, Jean was a bookkeeper for local businesses. Jean worked as a private personal assistant for the Kiggins for many years. She had a passion for cooking and prepared elegent meals for many dinner parties. Jean and her husband also made many round trips to Florida to deliver the 1956 Thunderbird. In later years, she assisted elders in preparing meals and cleaning. She retired on her 80th birthday in 2018. She loved spending time in her kitchen cooking and baking for her family. Jean took great pride in serving the meal hot and on time. A woman of remarkable independence and stubbornness, Jean's spirited personality will be fondly remembered by all who knew and loved her. She is survived by her sons, Michael Charlton of Londonderry and Jeffrey Charlton (Diana) of Lexington, South Carolina; daughter Shelley Williams (Larry) of Londonderry; grandchildren Brooke (Dylan) Hartwell, Lyndsay Charlton, Tyler Charlton (Sarah), and Sarah Fisher (Thomas); great-grandchildren Isla, Hayden and Pierce Charlton, and Wesley and Harrison Fisher; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. In addition to her husband, Jean was predeceased by her parents and her siblings, Joan (Mathews) Larson, Lawrence Mathews, and Stephen Mathews. Memorial information: Friends and family are invited to a graveside service on Saturday, July 12, at 11 a.m. at the Riverside Cemetery in Londonderry. The service will be for Jean and her late husband Raymond with military honors. A reception will follow at the New American Grill in Londonderry. Donations to the Londonderry Volunteer Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 911, Londonderry, VT 05148.
This Milestones item was submitted to The Commons.