eBulletin Obituaries

William G. ‘Bill’ Coulter

William G. “Bill” Coulter, the former co-publisher of The Item of Clinton, Mass., at age 89, residing in Clinton, Mass., died April 14.

Coulter began his multi-decade career as an undergraduate, covering football games for the Boston University News. Also in college, he wrote features for the International News Service and the former Brookline (Mass.) Citizen, and spent summers as sports editor and a reporter for The Item of Clinton.

After his university years, Coulter relocated to Alaska in the Army, and supervised all the Army publications in the Alaskan Command. While there, he also wrote a column for the Fort Richardson, Alaska, newspaper and was editor of an Army magazine.

After an honorable discharge in 1953, Colter returned to New England as a reporter for The Patriot Ledger of Quincy, Mass., and a journalism and creative writing instructor at the Hudson (Mass.) Institute.

He returned to the Item, where he was a reporter, the editor, and, from 1969 to 1986, co-publisher with his brother.

Coulter received 12 awards for excellence for his weekly column, Cabbages and Kings, which ran for 30 years at the Item. One of his honors was a first-place award from the United Press International. He later also wrote a twice-a week column for three years at The Evening Gazette of Worcester, Mass.

Coulter returned to teaching in 1989 as adjunct professor of journalism at Northeastern University. He taught courses in news writing, editing, graphics, design, publication production, and management for seven years.
Coulter authored seven books, centered on his family members and his upbringing and on historical topics – the town of Clinton, his church, a local company, and the Franklin Perkins School in Lancaster, Mass. While chairman of the Clinton Bicentennial Book Committee, he contributed two chapters to the 1776-1976 historical book, “Clinton at the Turn of the Century.” For the book “An Extraordinary Town,” he wrote a story about how a group of civic-minded people bailed Clinton out when economic disaster hit in the early 1930s.

He was a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Massachusetts Publishers Association, and a charter member of what is now the New England Society of News Editors. Coulter was on the board of directors of the then-New England Press Association.

He leaves four daughters, Carolyn, Constance, Candace and Catherine; two sons, Christopher and James; 10 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren.

H. Roderick Nordell

H. Roderick Nordell, 91, of Concord, Mass., and formerly of Cambridge, Mass., died April 14 at his home.

After military service, Nordell joined the Christian Science Monitor, based in Boston, in 1948 as a copy boy.

Nordell then was a staff writer, a jazz and theater critic, Home Forum editor, and a feature editor. He retired in 1993 as executive editor of World Monitor: The Christian Science Monitor Monthly.

He leaves his wife, Joan; three children, Eric, John and Elizabeth; four grandchildren.

Jane C. (Phillips) Lopes

Jane C. (Phillips) Lopes, 69, of Middleboro, Mass.., died April 18 at Morton Hospital and Medical Center in Taunton, Mass.

She was editor and reporter for 37 years at the Middleboro Gazette until her retirement two years ago.

Lopes was chairwoman of the Middleboro Historical Commission and of the Community Preservation Commission.

She leaves her fiance, Neil Rosenthal; two sons, Jonathan and Michael; two daughters, Jennifer and Melissa; two grandchildren; a sister.

Christopher George Shott

Christopher George Shott, 63, of New Bedford, Mass., died April 11.

Shott was a multimedia journalist for the Wareham (Mass.) Courier. Earlier in his career, he was a copy editor for The Herald News of Fall River, Mass., the Warwick (R.I.) Beacon, and the Cranston (R.I.) Herald. He also wrote for several local newspapers during his career.

In 2016, Shott received recognition from the New England Newspaper and Press Association for a column he wrote about new technology’s effect on public waste disposal.

Shott leaves two sisters, Katherine and Barbara; a brother, Michael; two nieces; three nephews; several great-nephews and great-nieces.

John Laszlo Vezendy Jr.

John Laszlo Vezendy Jr., 77, of Westport, Conn., died April 8 at Regional Hospice in Danbury, Conn.

He was a copy editor at both the Westport News and Minuteman Newspapers, based in Westport.

He leaves his wife, Patricia; a sister-in-law, Barbara; a brother-in-law, Robert; a niece; a nephew.

Harriet Hapke Kenney

Harriet Hapke Kenney, 89, of Holmes Beach, Fla., and formerly of Westport, Conn., died April 9 in her home.

Kenney was employed in the production department at the Westport News.

She also wrote a children’s book, “Little Windjammer.”

She leaves two daughters, Erin and Tegan; a son, Peter; five grandchildren.

Catherine A. Rice ‘Cay’ Gallant

Catherine A. Rice “Cay” Gallant, 92, of Augusta, Maine, died April 8 at the Alzheimer’s Care Center in Gardiner, Maine, after a long illness.

From 1995 to 2005, she wrote Days Gone By for the Kennebec Journal of Augusta and the Morning Sentinel of Waterville, Maine. The weekly column featured local historical vignettes and human interest stories.

In 1947, Gallant joined Augusta’s WFAU-AM, where she hosted a radio show, “From Me to You.” She later became the station’s director of women’s programs.

She leaves a daughter, Cathy, and son-in-law, Thomas.

Margaret G. Strong

Margaret G. Strong, 103, of Vernon, Vt., died April 15 in her home.

For many years, she was a proofreader for the Brattleboro (Vt.) Reformer, The Book Press in Brattleboro, and American Stratford.

She leaves two daughters, Nancy and Frances; two sons, Kenneth and Steven; 11 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren.

Roger J. Cygan

Roger J. Cygan, 70, of Enfield, Conn., died April 15 at Blair Manor Nursing Home in Enfield.

Cygan was a newspaper carrier for The Republican of Springfield, Mass., and the Journal Inquirer of Manchester, Conn.

He leaves a sister, June, her husband, John, and many extended family members.

Fred W. Tenney Sr.

Fred W. Tenney Sr., 91, of Biddeford, Maine, died April 19 at Biddeford Estates.

After military service in the Navy during World War II, Tenney returned to his hometown of Bangor, Maine, and began employment with the Bangor Daily News.

Tenney leaves his wife, Elizabeth; seven children, Fred, Linda, Carol, Dorothy, Mattie, Kathy and Judy; 22 grandchildren; many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

William Kenney

William Kenney, 92, of Middletown, Conn., died April 19 at Middlesex Health Care Center of Middletown.

Kenney was employed at The Hartford (Conn.) Courant before he retired.

He leaves six children, Janet, Jonathon, Kathleen, Nancy, Patrick and Richard; 10 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; a sister.

Carolyn Mildred Guptill

Carolyn Mildred (Phipps) Guptill, 89, of East Haddam, Conn., died April 14 at her home.

Guptill was a reporter for The Hartford Courant and other publications.

She provided her sister, Frances, with editorial assistance on two books, “Colonial Kitchens, Their Furnishings and Their Gardens” (1972) and “The Collector’s Complete Dictionary of American Antiques” (1974).

She leaves her husband, Winthrop; three children Carolyn, Bruce and Ann; seven grandchildren.

Carl George Schmittlein

Carl George Schmittlein, 86, of Northampton, Mass., died April 7.

Schmittlein was a compositor for 30 years at the Daily Hampshire Gazette of Northampton until he retired in 1993.

He leaves six children, David, Joseph, Jeffrey, Carol, Mark and Roger; seven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren.