Colebrook News & Sentinel Obituaries, Colebrook, New Hampshire, from Wednesday, September 1, 2004 Copyright retained by the newspaper. Permission recieved to include in the USGenWeb Archives. VIRGINIA M. COX Virginia M. Cox, 56, died on Saturday, August 21, 2004 at her Fourth Street residence in Colebrook. She was born on August 9, 1948 in Concord, the daughter of Roland and Leona (White) Hunt. Mrs. Cox attended school in the Concord area and was married to Edward E. Cox on November 18, 1972. Mrs. Cox was employed as a machine operator in a textile mill in Allenstown, N.H., for several years, and she and her husband moved to Colebrook in 2002. She enjoyed helping her husband with his numerous woodworking projects and spending time with her dog. Virginia M. Cox is survived by a son, Howard Cox and his wife Angie of Readfield, Maine; a daughter, Sandra Waters of West Virginia; three brothers and seven sisters; and six grandchildren. There will be no calling hours, and funeral services are private. Newman Funeral Home of Colebrook is handling the arrangements. DERWOOD KELSEA Derwood E. Kelsea, 84, of Hopkinton, died on August 24, 2004 in his home after a long illness. He was born in Columbia, the son of James I. and Louisa (DeLong) Kelsea. He was a World War II Army veteran. He worked for New England Telephone until his retirement in 1982, and was a longtime member of Hiram Masonic Lodge 9 in Claremont. Family members include his wife of 55 years, Caroline (MacPhee) Kelsea of Hopkinton; three sons, Russell J. Kelsea of Lincoln, Neb., Roger E. Kelsea of Hopkinton and Richard A. Kelsea of Ashby, Mass.; seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild; nieces and nephews. A private graveside service will be held in the Colebrook Village Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to CRVNA Hospice Program, PO Box 1797, Concord, NH 03302-1797. Bennett Funeral Home of Concord is in charge of arrangements. SUSAN MARTEL Susan Martel, 46, of Essex Junction, Vt., died at her home on August 28, 2004, after a brief but courageous battle with cancer, with her loving husband and son at her side. She had a zest for life and a very compassionate heart. She chose to be a nurse at the urging of her father. She earned her LPN at New Hampshire Vocational Technical College, her BSN at Norwich, and her MSN at the University of Vermont in 1996--all accomplishments she was very proud of. In the twenty-five years of her dedicated career, she found nursing to be her true calling. Susan worked her way from a floor nurse at the Coös County Nursing Home in Berlin to be the Administrative Director of Nursing Operations at Fletcher Allen Health Care. Along the way she touched the lives of countless people--patients, nurses, doctors, administrators and support staff. Susan was recently described by a colleague as a "closer," as the hitter who can be counted on to bring home that winning run in a baseball game. Anyone who knew her, be it for twenty minutes or for twenty years, loved her forever. Her professional career was her passion for so long, but the happiest moment for her was becoming a mother. Bradley is a precious gift that was sent from God. She loved him so much and she will be in his heart forever. Susan enjoyed traveling with her husband. He would say, "We're going on vacation," and her answer would be, "What do I pack?" She traveled extensively to the Caribbean, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Florida, Scandinavia, Russia, Estonia, Germany and her favorite place, Alaska. She marveled at the beauty and the openness. She especially enjoyed the helicopter ride which landed on a glacier, and she was the first one to taste the glacier water. She loved seeing and learning about people. She was born in Berlin on June 7, 1958, the daughter of Rene and Jacqueline (Coul-ombe) Ramsey. Susan is survived by Linwood (Woody), her husband of 15 years and their son Bradley; her mother, Jacqueline Ramsey of Berlin; her brothers, Robert, Francis and Russell, and their wives Sylvia, Roseann and Diane of Berlin; her brother Charles and his wife Lilly of Essex Junction; her brother Michael and his fiancée Bobbi of Huntington, Vt.; nieces Sara, Lori, Coleen, Katherine and Sarah; nephews Kevin and Allan, who are both currently serving their country in the military efforts in Iraq; and nephews Todd, Eric, Scott, and Daniel. Susan is also survived by her great-niece, Alison. She was predeceased by her father, Rene Ramsey in November 1997. Strong of heart and soft of hand, Susan Martel was a shining example in so many ways--wife, mother, daughter, nurse and friend. Those wishing to pay respects may do so at LaVigne Funeral Home, 132 Main St., Winooski, on Wednesday, September 1 from 1 to 4 and 6 to 9 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Thursday, September 2 at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Winooski. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Essex Rescue, 1 Educational Drive, Essex Jct., VT 05452, or to the New England Federal Credit Union, Susan Martel Memorial Fund, PO Box 527, Williston, VT 05495. HELEN MARTIN Helen Elaine Martin died on Saturday, August 21, 2004 in Hartford, Conn., after a long illness. She was born in North Stratford on September 12, 1914, the daughter of True Gilman Martin and Grace Sweatt Martin. She spent her youth in North Stratford. She was graduated from the Plymouth Normal School in 1935 with a three-year diploma and began a career as a teacher. She returned to the school after it became Plymouth State College and earned a bachelor's degree in education and her Master's in Education degree in 1951. She received a doctorate in education from Harvard University in 1957. Miss Martin served the Town of West Hartford, Conn., first as an elementary school consultant during the 1957-58 school year; then as principal at Braeburn School from 1959 to June, 1964; and as principal at Akins School in the 1964-65 school year. She is a Professor Emeritus of Central Connecticut State College in New Britain, where she taught from 1947 to 1963, and again from 1967 until her retirement in 1979. After her retirement from Central Connecticut, she moved to Avery Heights in Hartford, where she served on the Ethics Committee. She was predeceased by her companion of many years, Lena Thompson, and by her brother, Stuart Martin. She is survived by her sister, Marjorie Peterson of Chittenango, N.Y.; her nieces, Gloria Peterson of Sydney, Australia, Heidi DeMaso of Cortland, N.Y., Judy Shore of Andover, N.H.; and her nephews, Alan Peterson of Chittenango and Russell Peterson of Pipersville, Pa. She was a member of the First Church of Christ, Congregational in West Hartford, and of the Delta Kappa Gamma Honor Society for Women Educators. A memorial service was held in the Chapel of the Avery Heights in Hartford on Friday afternoon. There will be no calling hours. Burial will be private. Arrangements are under the direction of Taylor and Modeen Funeral Home in Hartford. PATRICIA MESERVE Patricia Potter Meserve, 72, of Titusville, Fla., died on August 25, 2004 at her home after a long illness, surrounded by her family. She was born in Berlin on February 15, 1933, the daughter of L. Irwin and Barbara (Davis) Potter. Mrs. Meserve was graduated from Berlin High School in 1950 and from Keene Teachers College in 1954. She received a master's degree from Plymouth State College in 1963. She began her teaching career in Gorham at Ed Fenn Elementary School and taught English in Berlin schools for 34 years, retiring in 1995. She and her husband spent many years at their camp on Lake Umbagog, where they skied, snowmachined, and enjoyed outdoor recreation. For the past five years they made their home in Florida, celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in May. Family members include her husband, Roger O. Meserve of Titusville; a daughter, Marianne Dinardo of Titusville; a son, Gregory Meserve of Milan, currently serving in Iraq; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; one sister, Barbara (Potter) Barbieri of Berlin; several nieces and nephews. There are no calling hours or funeral service. A graveside ceremony will be scheduled sometime in the summer of 2005. DOTTIE SAGE Doris "Dottie" Sage, 58, died peacefully at her home in Colebrook after a long illness on Friday evening, August 27, 2004. She was born on February 14, 1946 in West Stewartstown, the daughter of Walter and Amy (Knapp) Collins. Mrs. Sage attended Colebrook schools and was a 1964 graduate of Colebrook Academy. She was employed in area schools for many years as an aide, and worked as a bookkeeper. She attended Trinity United Methodist Church, where she sang in the choir for many years and served on the Board of Trustees. Additionally, she served as an auditor for the Town of Lemington. She was married to Morris Sage on June 21, 1975. She was a loving wife and devoted daughter, taking care of her mother for 12 years. Dottie loved books, dogs and horses. She is survived by her loving husband, Morris Sage of Colebrook; her niece Kathy D'Anjou McIntyre of Brunswick, Ga.; a brother, Richard Collins of Colebrook; three sisters, Betty D¹Anjou of Lake Worth, Fla., Barbara Hamel of Epping and Mona Grover of Colebrook; 11 nieces, seven nephews, and her godson, Matthew Dickson. She was predeceased by her father, Walter Collins Sr.; her mother, Amy Knapp Collins; a brother, Bill Collins; and a beloved pet of 18 years, "Daisy." There will be no calling hours. A service celebrating her life will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, September 1 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Colebrook with Reverend Priscilla Hull officiating, assisted by the Reverend Albert Bellefeuille. Bearers will be Michael Collins, David Collins, Robert Gagnon and Derek Grover. Interment will follow at Colebrook Village Cemetery. If friends desire, donations in her memory may be made to the North Country Humane Society in care of Joan Shatney, 60 Pleasant Street, Colebrook. Newman Funeral Home is entrusted with arrangements. SYDNEY TOWLE Sydney Francis Towle, 91, died on Friday August 27, 2004 at his residence on Mills Road in Colebrook after a brief illness. He was born on June 1, 1912 in Somerville, Mass., the son of Nelson and Luella (Roberts) Towle. He attended school in Somerville and was a 1929 graduate of Somerville High School. He was married to Alma Laura Turner on October 24, 1937. Mr. Towle was employed by the Boston & Maine Railroad, where he started out cleaning out railroad cars at the East Cambridge station and worked his way up to yardmaster prior to his retirement in 1975. Outside of work, he served as the leader for Boy Scout and Explorer Post 10 in Somerville for many years. His great passion was for photography. He took numerous photographs of the Boston Fire Department equipment and facilities, and many railroad photos. He was best known for pictures he took at the scene of fires, and his photos were published frequently by local papers and magazines in the Boston area. He remained an active Mason for many years and served on the Massachusetts Degree Team. In 1988 he moved to Colebrook, where he and his wife had been summer visitors since the 1960s. He frequently gave slide show presentations to local fire departments of his vast photo collection. Mr. Towle is survived by a daughter, Arlene Mills of Colebrook; two half-brothers, Frank Bugley of Massachusetts and James Bugley of South Carolina. He was predeceased by his wife, Alma L. Towle; by a son, Arthur; and by two half-brothers and two half-sisters. Calling hours were held on Tuesday evening, August 31 at the Newman Funeral Home in Colebrook. Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday at Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett, Mass. Donations in memory of Sydney Towle may be given to the North County Humane Society in care of Joan Shatney, 60 Pleasant Street, Colebrook, NH 03576.