Rutland Daily Herald from Rutland, Vermont • A11

Wednesday, November 16, 2011 Obituaries The Rutland Daily Herald All James C. Lynch Sr. CASTLETON James Charles "Jim" Lynch 80, Cancer Society, 55 Day Lane, Williston, VT 05495. Arrangements are under the direction of the Day Funeral Home in Randolph. Eleanor L.

Norcross BENNINGTON Eleanor Lawrence Norcross, 93, died Nov. 13, 2011, at Rivers Edge Community Care Home, following a long Hazel Huestis BRIDPORT Hazel Huestis, 84, died Nov. 15, 201 1, at her home. A full obituary will be published in a future edition of this newspaper. Arrangements are under the direction of the Sand-erson-Ducharme Funeral Home.

Raymond T. Knepper Rites BOMOSEEN The funeral Mass for Raymond T. Knepper, 85, who died Nov. 12, 2011, was celebrated Tuesday, Nov. 15, at St.

John the Baptist Catholic Church. The Rev. Henry Furman, pastor, was celebrant. Bearers were Tom and Mark Knepper, Kurt, Justin, Matthew and Kim Miller, and Carla Carter. A reception followed in the church hall.

Arrangements were under the direction of the Ducharme Funeral Home in Castleton. Clayton L. Mills ROYALTON Clayton L. Mills, 91, died Nov. 15, 2011, at Gifford Medical Center in Randolph.

He was born May 29, 1920, in Stockbridge, the son of Frank and Blanche (Patnode) Mills. He graduated from Whit-comb High School in 1938. Mr. Mills married Margaret Blossom in Bethel April 5, 1941. He worked for Bethel Mills, Ted Green Ford for 25 years, G.W.

Plastics, A.S.K. Plumbing and Heating, and with his wife at Mills Store. He enjoyed home building and doing stained glass. Survivors include two sons, Richard Mills of Seminole, and Scott Mills of Barnard; two daughters, Beverly Washburn of Bethel and Donna Wood of Costa Rica; a brother, Frank Mills of Leesburg, a sister, Vivian Martin of Kennesaw, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Mr.

Mills was predeceased by his wife in March. The graveside service will be held at a later date in Howe (Hickey) Cemetery in Royal ton. There are no calling hours. Memorial contributions may be made to American In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in his honor to the Castleton, Vt, Post 50 American Legion, Route 4A, Bomoseen, VT 05732; or the Free and Accepted Masons Lee Lodge 30, PO Box 301, Casdeton, VT 05732. Paul M.

Crane NORTH BENNINGTON Paul M. Crane, 95, died Nov. 13, 2011, at Prospect Nursing Home in North Bennington, following a brief illness. Born in Elizabeth, N.J., Jan. 19, 1916, he was the son of Leslie M.

and Cora B. (Gano) Crane. He was a 1934 graduate of Rye (N.Y.) High School and later attended the American Institute of Banking in New York City, where he was employed by the Bank of New York for 10 years. Mr. Crane married Dorothy Evelyn Cyr Oct.

10, 1942, in Bennington. He was a U.S. Navy World War II veteran. He taught storekeepers class at Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Chicago and also served in Pearl Harbor. Following his discharge, he returned to his bank employment in New York City and then in North Bennington at the former First National Bank and later Catamount National Bank, as a cashier.

He retired in 1978 as vice president. Mr. Crane and his wife were also live-in caretakers for Edward Phillips in North Bennington. Mr. Crane was a member of First United Methodist Church in Bennington and Federated Church in East Arlington.

He served as treasurer at the Methodist Church and for the Village of North Bennington, Mc-Cullough Library and Paran Recreations. He was an avid tennis player, ice skater, crosscountry skier, golfer and traveler. Survivors include his wife of North Bennington; a daughter, Judy Crane of Northampton, a son, Jeffrey Crane of Buffalo, N.Y; two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; several nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by a brother, John "Jack" Crane, and a sister, Olive Elmore. The funeral service will Red Kettle Restaurant in Northfield.

He later was employed in bridge construction and then owned and operated Ten Acre Campground in Addison. He was a member of the National Rifle Association and Sons of the American Legion in Brandon. He enjoyed hunting, dancing, playing cards, bowling and practical jokes. Survivors include his wife and two brothers, Forrest "Skip" and David Griffin, all of Bethel; two sons, Fredrick of Bethel and Chryss Griffin of State College, eight sisters, Dorothy Day of Bethel, Virginia Evans of Texas, Ruth Woodbury of Idaho, Rose Mongeur of Williamstown, Wilma Brooks of Fair Haven, Louella Bannister, Connie Griffin, both of Colorado, and Betty Lee of Washington State; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Mr.

Griffin was predeceased by a sister, Beulah Lanpher. The memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, at Green Mountain Gospel Chapel in Randolph with the Rev. Ronald Rilling officiating.

Calling hours are from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16, also at Green Mountain Gospel Chapel. Burial will be at a later date in Fairview Cemetery in Bethel. Online condolences may be left at www.dayfunerals.

com. Arrangements are under the direction of the Day Funeral Home in Randolph. Leo Haick Rites WEST RUTLAND The funeral Mass for Leo Haick, 88, who died Oct. 29, 2011, was celebrated Wednesday, Nov. 2, at St.

Stanislaus Kostka Church. Officiating was the Rev. Vincent Coppola, pastor. Burial followed in St. Stanislaus Cemetery.

Dorothy Blicharz was organist. Bearers were Edward, John and Richard Johnson, and Roger Bathalon II. Military honors were provided by Rutland American Legion Post 31. Arrangements were under the direction of the Mullin-Clifford Funeral Home. be held at 2 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Federated Church, Ice Pond Road, East Arlington, with the Rev. Kathleen Clark, pastor, officiating. At his request, there will be no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Vermont Food Bank or Kurn Hattin Home, in care of Mahar Son Funeral Home, 628 Main St.

in Bennington. Guest book condolences may be made at www.ma-harandsonfuneralhome. net. Marion H. Ayers Rites ORWELL The funeral service for Marion Hurlene Ayers, 92, who died Nov.

12, 2011, was held Tuesday, Nov. 15, at the Miller Ketcham Funeral Home in Brandon. The Rev. Albert "Skip" Baltz, pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Church, officiated.

Burial followed in Pine Hill Cemetery. Bearers were Dawn Bruce, Nancy, Samantha, Jo Anne and Tony Rivers, and Dylan Goad. Karen M. Currier Rites MIDDLEBURY The memorial service in celebration of the life of Karen Marie Currier, 44, who died Nov. 6, 2011, was held Sunday, Nov.

13, at the Miller Ketcham Funeral Home in Brandon. The Rev. Margaret Fletcher, rector of St. Thomas Grace Episcopal Church, officiated. A sister, Lana Travers, delivered the eulogy.

Michael Ryan and Ross Elliott were the musicians. Burial followed in Pine Hill Cemetery. A reception took place at the home of Peter and Mary Orvis in Ripton. Leo Griffin BETHEL Leo Griffin, 75, died Nov. 13, 2011, in Bethel.

He was born Dec. 15, 1935, in Rutland, the son of Wilbur and Bertha (Tar-bell) Griffin, and was raised in Bethel. He married Mary Ann Washburn in Bethel Aug. 18, 1956. Mr.

Griffin worked for Bethel Mills and then he and his wife operated the of Castleton, passed away November 13, 2011, at the Rutland Regional Medi cal Center, with his family by his side. Jim was born June 14th, 1931, to John and Grace Lynch in Castleton. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Antoinette "Toni;" two siblings, Kath-erine Bedard of Danbury, and Mary Iglehart of Surprise, two sons, James Lynch Jr. of Bomo-seen and Joseph Lynch of Wells; a daughter, Beverly Greenwood of Georgia, six grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews and one very special grand-niece, Caitlin Bissette. He was predeceased by his parents; two brothers, Jerry Lynch and Parker Lynch; and a sister, Betty Lafountain.

Jim served in U.S. Army and was a Purple Heart recipient during the Korean War. He was a proud veteran and member of the American Legion Crippen Fellows Post 50 in Casdeton for over 55 years. He was also a longtime member of the Free and Accepted Masons Lee Lodge 30 in Castleton. During his lifetime, Jim worked in the slate and marble quarrying business, helped Preston Smith set some of the first poles for a ski lift on Killington, hauled asphalt for the building of the northern part of 1-91 and retired from General Electric of Rutland as a machinist after 26 years of service.

Jim was an avid hunter and fisherman and loved to share his stories with his friends. He enjoyed working in his gardens, carpentry, time with his family and watching NASCAR racing. Friends may call on Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to noon at the Durfee Funeral Home, immediately followed by a fraternal service and a prayer service. Burial will follow in the Castleton Hillside Cemetery.

Friends and family are invited to attend a gathering at the Castleton American Legion immediately following the graveside ceremony. Families rescued in apartment fire ST. JOHNSBURY A discarded cigarette is being blamed for a fire that forced firefighters to rescue two families, including a toddler, from the third floor of a St. Johns-bury apartment building. Firefighters broke down a door early Monday at the Portland Street building and rescued tenants in two families before the fire spread into the building.

St. Johnsbury Fire Chief Troy Ruggles said it was fortunate crews arrived in time to wake and remove the residents from the building. The fire was reported by a woman cleaning a business on the other side of the street. Ruggles told the Caledonian Record the fire was accidental, caused by a discarded cigarette. The Red Cross was helping the displaced families.

State revenues stay above target MONTPELIER Vermont state revenues continue to come in at a slightly brisker pace than had been forecast. Administration Secretary Jeb Spaulding said Tuesday that October general fund revenues were about 4 percent higher than the state's consulting economists had forecast injury. So far this fiscal year that Born Manchester June 1, 1918, she was the daughter of George and Mabel (Bro-phy) Lawrence. She was a graduate of Burr Burton Seminary in Manchester and Albany (N.Y.) Business College. On Nov.

16, 1940, she married William T. Norcross in Manchester. Mr. Norcross died in 1987. Mrs.

Norcross was employed at the former Fashion Fair in Bennington for many years. She volunteered at Putnam Memorial Hospital and Southwestern Vermont Medical Center and was recognized for hours served as a Grey Lady. She was a seamstress and also enjoyed knitting Icelandic sweaters and Christmas stockings. Survivors include a daughter, Marian Huep-per of Sanford, N.C.; six grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren; several nieces, nephews and cousins. She was also predeceased by a daughter, Barbara Armstrong, and two brothers, Frederick and Albert Lawrence.

The funeral will be held at 12:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, at the Mahar Son Funeral Home where friends may call from 11:30 a.m. prior to the service officiated by Pastor Michael Mor-neault. Burial will be in Park Lawn Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to VNA Hospice of Southwestern Vermont Health Care or Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, in care of Mahar Son Funeral Home, 628 Main Bennington, VT 05201. Guest book condolences may be made at www.ma-harandsonfuneralhome. net. Hall Advisory Committee will meet for the first time on Thursday at 7 p.m. to discuss the future of the Town Hall.

At Monday's meeting, the Select Board also accepted a bid for the town's 2003 Ford truck that was for sale. The highest bidder, Hawk North Management out of Stock-bridge, offered $14,253 for the truck and plow attachment. That was more than twice the next bid, which was just over $6,000. The town also received its first reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for damage to town-owned property from flooding in late May. The $36,777 payment will help offset the cost of repairs from the May storm and from August's Tropical Storm Irene.

The town has had to take out loans to pay for the repairs. A Gift PLAINFIELD Town meeting may be held in fire station a privately owned property. The ideal place, said Select Board Chairman Gary Graves, would be Twinfield Union School. But that is not possible because the school is in Marshfield. 'You have to vote within the town limits," said Graves.

This is not the first time the town has encountered this problem. In the early 1990s, the Town Hall failed to meet building codes, so it could not be used for town meeting. Back then, many townspeople were "offended" that the state required them to vote within the town boundaries when going to the polls to vote by Australian, or secret, ballot, according to a report about the Town Hall from 1994. Some townspeople felt that Twinfield was a much more suitable space and funded by Plainfield taxpayers. "Years ago we had this problem," said Graves.

"And the fire station seemed to be the best place." There is one problem. The fire station's meeting room, where Town Clerk Linda Wells said she would like to set up the voting station for Australian balloting, is not easily handicapped-accessible. There is a lift on the building, but that would require assistance to use. Wells' solution calls for two members of the Select Board to meet outside with any handicapped resident unable to reach the polling station. The officials would collect that person's vote.

One upside to the fire station: There is plenty of parking. In contrast, the Town Hall has a very small parking lot. Wells said the park and ride, located near the fire station, would provide additional parking. A newly created Town In Brief fund, which supports most functions of state government, has pulled in about $10 million more than the $384 million that had been expected. Spaulding said it's good news that the general fund is holding its own, but he said the margins by which it has been exceeding its monthly forecast are narrowing and that it could dip into negative territory.

He said impacts from Tropical Storm Irene and the global economic slowdown continue to be a worry. Missing Braintree woman located BRAINTREE State police located a missing Brain-tree woman after a daylong search Saturday. Family members reported Valerie Ulsley, 38, missing Friday. Ulsley was last seen at her West Street residence in Braintree and was said to be possibly depressed after a family tragedy. Ulsley's father, Kenneth Sherman, called police Saturday and said she was at a friend's house in Randolph and doing fine.

The matter was resolved, according to trooper Barbara Zonay. State and wire reports By JENNA PIZZI STAFF WRITER PLAINFIELD The Plainfield town meeting likely will be held in the fire station this year because the Town Hall, which has historically been the town's meeting site, is unsafe to use. Plainfield officials were forced to close the historic building in September after a recent assessment found structural damage. The assessment, funded by a grant from the Preservation Trust of Vermont, found rotted floor joists under the right side of the stage on the building's second floor. In addition, the inspection found what was described as "white fuzz." The assessment also found that the roof was being deflected, or displaced, under its own weight.

During Monday night's Select Board meeting, town officials considered a number of alternative locations for the meeting. The options included the town garage, the fire station and Obituary Policy The Rutland Herald prints obituaries and hosts them online as a public service. The Herald charges $15 for a basic obituary, which is completed according to the newspaper's guidelines. Copies of the guidelines are available on request. Because some families may desire to include additional information or specific wording, the Herald also offers fully paid obituaries for the flat rate of $15, plus $17.25 per column inch for Monday through Saturday editions, and $18.25 for Sunday's edition.

All obituaries are placed online for 30 days after the publication date, and include a guestbook where visitors may leave thoughts or remembrances. After 30 days, the obituary is archived. The deadline for all obituaries is 2:00 p.m. Call 747-6121, ext. 2215 for guidelines and more information.

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