Fall/Winter 2018 In Memoriam

1937

1939

Rev. P. Arthur Brindisi died peacefully on July 30, 2016, at 99 years of age. Ordained as a minister in 1942, Rev. Brindisi served in several locations in New Jersey and New York and was a director of the Utica Foundation for 23 years. Arthur established an endowed scholarship at Houghton in 1997. He is survived by his wife, Norma; his daughter, Patricia; his daughter-in-law, Ann; a stepdaughter, JoAnn; and several brothers and sisters.

1943

Margaret (Campbell) Kiechle

Lillian Simons

1944

Dr. Rees Pritchett passed away on March 27, 2017, at the age of 93. Rees graduated from Weill Cornell Medical College in 1948, did his residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and was the inaugural holder of the Louis and Gertrude Fell Professorship of Clinical Medicine in the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine. He is survived by his wife, Clare; his daughter, Susan Post; and a stepdaughter.

Rev. Forrest Gearhart

Lucille (Hoag) Hornbeck

Wells Knibloe, Esq.

Elisabeth (Anderson) Veazey

1945

George Bayne passed away on May 15, 2017. He was 94. George married Ruth Seaman in 1948 at a ceremony performed by her brother, the Rev. Edwin Seaman ’42. He served as a bus driver for more than 23 years. George is survived by sons Mark, Stephen and Phillip; daughter, Judy Morgan; sister Shirley Layo; sister-in-law Helen Seaman; niece Sheryl (Seaman ’70) Thornton and her husband, James Thornton ’68; nephew Charles “Chuck” Seaman ’72 and his wife, Peggi (Iles ’72) Seaman; and a great-nephew, Timothy Thornton ’94 and his wife, Sarah (Ekstrom ’98) Thornton.

1947

Betty (Wolfe) Crowell passed away on January 6, 2017, at the age of 93. Betty married Nelson Crowell ’50 in 1949 and assisted her husband in his ministries throughout Western New York over a 41-year period. Betty is survived by her husband of 67 years, the Rev. Nelson Crowell; two daughters, Karen Eigenman and Sharon Parker; a son, the Rev. Stephen Crowell ’94; and nieces and nephews, including Raymond Wolfe ’63 and his wife, Phyllis (Nasseby ’62) Wolfe, and David Wolfe ’68 and his wife, Florence (Baker ’68) Wolfe.

Rev. David W. Flower

Deleo “Dee” Gravnik

Betty Travis-Vosburgh

1948

James E. Smith passed away on February 18, 2017, at the age of 95. James is survived by his sons, Dr. Daniel Smith ’66, Lawrence, Robin, Joel and Tedd Smith ’82, and his wife, Lori (Wagner ’80) Smith.

1949

Harriet (True) Cool Harriet (True) Cool passed away on December 2, 2016, at the age of 89. While attending Houghton, Harriet helped fellow student, Walter Cool ’48, microtome and make slides of developing chicken eggs; the two married in 1949. Harriett worked with the National Institute of Health as a biochemist in the National Cancer Institute for seven years before becoming a full-time mother. Harriet is survived by her husband of 67 years, Walter; daughter, Paula (Cool ’80) Gates; son, Donald Cool ’78 and his wife, Marie (Hamersma ’78); a brother, Philip; and four grandchildren, including Jennifer (Cool ’03) Nemecek and her husband, John Nemecek ‘03.

Dr. Joyce (Clifford) Wunderlich passed away on October 20, 2016, at the age of 89. An avid musician, Joyce received her master’s degree from Ithaca College and a Doctorate of Arts in Music from Carnegie Mellon University. She was dedicated to music education for children, teaching in public schools for 11 years before joining the faculty of Mansfield University (PA) and serving as a professor for 32 years. In 1998 Joyce established the Clint A. Clifford Endowed Scholarship in memory of her father, which provides financial support to Houghton students majoring in music education. She is survived by a daughter, Myra, and a son, Marshall.

Beverly (Stoddard) Marziale

1950

Lois (Harris) Gilliland, 88, passed away on March 8, 2017. She met Dean Gilliland ’50 at Houghton, and the couple was married shortly after graduation. Lois and Dean served nearly 25 years in Nigeria, where Lois spent most of her time raising their five children. In 1978, Lois earned her master’s degree in clinical psychology and began a private practice. She is survived by her sons, Dean Jr. ’75, David ’77, Dale and Doug, and her daughter, Barbara Lasley.

Floyd Totman passed away on May 26, 2017, at the age of 90. After graduating from Houghton, Floyd earned a master’s degree in music education from The State University of New York at Fredonia and taught vocal music in New York State public schools for 27 years. He is survived by his wife, Virginia “Ginny” (Blowers ’50); son, Gregory; daughter, Jill; and sisters, Trudy Durand and Florence Chantreuill.

Herbert “Herb” Harrington

Rev. Anthony Lombardi

1951

Ruth (Russell) Jones passed away on December 11, 2016, at the age of 87. She met Norman L. Jones ’50 while attending Houghton. In 1974, Ruth recorded an album, “I Will Serve Thee,” with the Minnesota Orchestra. Ruth is survived by her sons, David and Stephen; her daughters, Linda Jones, Pamela DiPronio and Cheryl Ennis; a brother, Phil Russell; and sisters, Joyce Bozak and Gertrude Higgins.

Claire (Ejov) Reed passed away in April of 2017. Her work ranged from program administrator and, later, grants management officer for Temple University’s psychiatry department to ad hoc consultant evaluator for the National Institutes of Health and program administrator and then assistant director of the Office of Research at Lehigh University. She is survived by her daughters, Diane Morris and Robin Dittmer, and stepchildren, Robert Reed III, Amy Link and Christina Williams.

Laverne “Buddo” Arnold

Nina (Borisuk) Hecht

1952

Henry Cornell passed away on January 19, 2017. He met his wife, Helen (Stitson ’54), while at Houghton; the couple married in 1954. Henry continued his education at Columbia Bible School in Abbotsford, British Columbia, earning his MA in Bible teaching. Henry served as an interim pastor for a church before working at the Chevy plant in Buffalo, New York. He went on to work for Carborundum Company from 1957 until his retirement in 1993. He is survived by a son, Stephen Cornell ’77 and his wife, Lillian (Sprole ’77) Cornell, and daughters, Kathleen Palmer and Laura Robinson.

1953

Alan Johnson – read more

Edward Barsum, 87, passed away on December 4, 2016. After graduating with a chemistry degree from Houghton, he was a research chemist for much of his life. Edward is survived by his wife of 30 years, Jean Barsum; one brother, John Barsum; and two stepsons, Lance and Brent Jacobs

1956

Rev. Clair Day passed away at the age of 100 on January 21, 2017. Clair married his first wife, Olive (Price ’56), in 1937. The family moved to South Buffalo, New York, to organize Big Tree Wesleyan Methodist Church and eventually built a house in Houghton. They moved to Syracuse in 1986 and remained there until Olive’s death in 2004. Clair later married Lora Sunny Goodman. Clair is survived by a son, David A. Day ’60 and his wife, Evelyn (Smith ’63) Day, and a daughter, Constance Day ’64.

1955

Rev. George Pattington

1956

Joan (Hunter) Gilbert

Jane (Krug) Sherman

1957

Ruth (Dodge) Caruana passed away on May 5, 2017. A beloved former educator at Canaseraga High School and Letchworth High School, Ruth was an integral part of her husband the Rev. Louis Caruana’s ministries in New York State. Ruth is survived by her husband, Louis; sons, the Rev. Dr. Mark Caruana ’81 and Jonathan; daughter, Debby Beardsley; and brothers, Le Roy Dodge Jr. and Ralph..

Benjamin Pattison passed away on March 9, 2017, at the age of 84. After graduating from Houghton, Benjamin earned Bachelor of Science in nursing and registered nursing degrees from Bellevue School of Nursing. He worked as a nurse anesthetist from 1962 until his retirement in 1984. Benjamin is survived by his wife of 56 years, Dr. Elizabeth (Percy ’56) Pattison; sons, Jed and Joel; daughters, Joy Pattison, Anne (Pattison ’92) Charney, and Amy Pattison-Fabian ’92 and her husband, Jonathan Fabian ’92; several nieces and nephews, including John D. Percy ’92 and Susan (Percy ’84) Benning and her husband, Timothy Benning ’81; sisters-in-law, Marilyn (Markee ’58) Percy and Ruth (Percy ’62) Sabean and her husband, Dr. David Sabean ’60; and a sister, Sandra Yacovelli.

Dr. Dwight Strum, 81, passed away on February 10, 2017. An Air Force veteran, Dwight went on from Houghton to graduate from the Pitt School of Medicine in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He practiced family medicine for more than 50 years, opening his own practice in 1989. Dwight is survived by three daughters, Janice Brannon, Carol Swank and Linda Leonard; a son, David Strum; a brother, Robert Strum; a sister-in-law, Lois (Vancleve ’62) Strum; and several nieces and nephews, including Norma Strum ’89 and Richard Strum ’85.

1959

Nils R. Anderson passed away on November 16, 2016, at the age of 78. After his time at Houghton, Nils earned a master’s degree in social work from Syracuse University in 1966 and worked for the Livingston County Department of Social Services for several years. He then moved to the New York Division for Youth in Rochester, retiring after many years of service there. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Carolyn Anderson; a daughter, Marie Sweet; two sons, Steven and Erik; and a sister, Allene.

1960

Mary (Parker) Gee

Dr. Lawrence “Larry” Wightman

1961

Rev. Cmd. Robert “Bob” Sperry

1962

Dale VanPatten, 76, passed away on October 12, 2015. In addition to his devotion to his family and to his church, Dale was an avid lover of music and a longtime trombone player in the Lowville Village Band, JCC Band, Symphony Orchestra, and Boonville Band as well as a volunteer player for the orchestra pit for several school plays. Dale is survived by his wife, Beryl VanPatten; a daughter, Evangeline Yelton; and a son, JonPaul.

1965

Beverly Burroughs passed away on May 28, 2017, at the age of 75. A career educator, Beverly completed graduate work at the State University of New York at Buffalo and taught for a brief time in New York public schools. She then relocated to Lost Creek, Kentucky, where she served for 42 years at Riverside Christian Training School. Beverly is survived by her long-time friend, Marilyn Jestes ’64; two foster sons, Ronald and Raymond Ash; and her sisters, Bonnie Howard and Beth Hughes.

Rev. Allen Keiper Sr. passed away on October 12, 2016, at the age of 86. Allen was a member of the United States Air Force from 1949 to 1953, served as a United Methodist pastor for 40 years and then was a nursing home chaplain for 14 years during his retirement. He is survived by his wife, Nancy, and his sons, Allen Keiper Jr ’81 and James Keiper.

Robin Luce

1966

Rebecca “Becky” (Tam) Lytle passed away on October 31, 2016, at the age of 71. She earned a master’s degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, and taught elementary school for nine years. Her true passion was teaching and facilitating Bible studies—of which she had led hundreds. She is survived by her husband, Wesley Lytle ’67; daughters, Jennifer (Lytle ’97) McNiven and her husband, Christopher McNiven ’98, and Kristin (Lytle ’99) Kincer; her father, Dr. R. Stanley Tam; and three sisters.

Elaine Pierce

Phyllis (Heim) Steierwald

Lyn (Mallory) Wolf

1968

Lance Steierwald

1970

Barbara (Braun) Lawton

1971

Doris Nielsen – read more

1976

Rebecca Kanouff-Reed passed away on April 14, 2017. She was very active at her church, First Bapist Church of Elma, New York. Rebecca is survived by her husband, Adam.

1977

Richard Wagner

1978

Rev. Susan Nowicki

1992

Mathew Hull

2010

Andrew “Drew” Lyons Smith III

Faculty/Staff

Rev. Richard “Dick” Bareiss ’51 passed away on March 29, 2017, at the age of 89. Richard was a U.S. Navy seaman at the end of World War II before he came to Houghton, where he met his wife, Elinore (Simon ’52). He attended Gordon Divinity School and ultimately earned three master’s degrees before his Navy chaplain commission in 1954. Richard served in that role for 20 years, retiring with the rank of commander. He was the first chaplain at Houghton, where he stayed for nine years, and later at Indiana Wesleyan University (IN) for 11 years. He is survived by his wife, Elinore; a son, Robert Bareiss ’83 and his wife, Lori Anne (Lindberg ’84) Bareiss; daughters, Catherine Bareiss, Nancy Bareiss ’80 and Shirley (Bareiss ’81) Keith and her husband, Jonathan Keith ’81; one sister, Mildred Christiansen; and one brother, David.

Anne (Little) Brown ’71 passed away on April 20, 2015. After college, Anne earned a master’s degree in elementary education from Nazareth College in Rochester, New York, and her career as a music educator spanned 40 years, many of them in the Fairport Central School District as a string teacher. She spent the last 10 years as an adjunct professor of music education at Houghton. She is survived by her husband, Kenneth; children, Rachel Englander, Amanda Brin and Nathanael Brown ’05; seven grandchildren; nieces, including Jennifer (Little ’93) Kegler, Melissa (Neureuther ’02) Wantuck, and Melanie (Neureuther ’04) Houck and her husband, Roger Houck ’02; and nephews, including Jonathan D. Little ’95 and Matthew C. Neureuther ’05 as well as three siblings, Paul D. Little ’65 and wife, Linda (Finger ’65) Little; Thomas R. Little ’75; and Jane (Little ’69) Neureuther.

Bob Miller – read more

Friends

Jane Bresee, long-time friend of Houghton College, passed away on January 26, 2017, at the age of 86. Jane attended the Arnot Ogden School of Nursing in Elmira, New York, and earned her RN in 1950. She worked as a nurse until she married Bruce in 1951, when the couple moved out to the Bresee family farm, and Jane embraced the roles of farm wife and mother. She is survived by her husband of 65 years, William Bruce Bresee, and daughters, Jeanne (Bresee ’74) Douglas; Hope (Bresee ’79) Post and her husband, Stuart Post ’77; and Carolyn (Bresee ’81) Jones and her husband, Jeffrey Jones ’81, as well as a son, Leslie Bresee ’78 and his wife, Ruth (Rasmussen’ 77) Bresee; a sister-in-law, Jeanette (Bresee ’52) Post and her husband, Rev. Kenneth Post ‘52; a brother, Paul McClure; and 11 grandchildren, including Dr. Jennifer Douglas Metzger ’01, Robin (Douglas ’05) Paget, Beth Jones ’05, Rose Jones ’08, David A. Jones ’11, Andrew Jones ’13, and Joellyn (Bresee ’05) Reitnour.

Elizabeth “Betty” (Robb) Mills passed away on January 11, 2017, at the age of 97. She was married to the Rev. James Mills Jr. ’51 for 63 years, serving with him in churches in Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia for more than 50 years. She also served as the Dean of Students at Houghton College for 10 years. Betty is survived by her daughters, Ruth Ann Mills and Elizabeth “Betty Ann” (Mills ’62) Dunham and her husband, Valgene Dunham ’62; and her sons, James C. Mills ’67 and Philip Mills; six grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. In addition, Betty is survived by several brothers-in-law, including Dr. Frederick Mills Sr. ’52, Paul Mills ’61 and his wife, Shirley A. Mullen ’76; and Rev. John M. Mills ’65 and wife, Susan (Putman ’64) Mills. She was preceded in death by her husband, Rev. James H. Mills Jr. ’51; her father-in-law, James “Pop” H. Mills Sr.; three siblings including Alma (Robb ’53) Dunstan; a granddaughter, Melissa Mills; and a nephew, Stephen M. Mills ’90.