Doris Hilma Schelde Whitcomb, wife of the late Richard F. Whitcomb and
long-time resident of Perkinsville, VT, died on November 1, 2015, at
Cedar Hill Continuing Care Community in Windsor, VT, at the age of 96.
Loved by her extended family and an extensive network of friends, Doris
will be remembered for her many community and church activities over the
decades.
Born in Dorchester, MA, on March 15, 1919, to Danish Immigrant
Christian Schelde, and Swedish Immigrant Hilma Lindskog Schelde, she
graduated from Dorchester High School for Girls in 1936 and subsequently
completed training at the Boston Clerical School. She worked as a
secretary at Liberty Mutual Insurance Company in Boston until her
marriage to the late J. Philip Stapleton at Dorchester, MA, in 1947.
After living briefly in Lynn, MA, the couple moved to Springfield, VT,
in 1951 and shortly thereafter purchased “The Pink House” in
Perkinsville, VT, where they raised their three children.
She was an
active member of the PTA at Perkinsville Elementary School, and
eventually became the school’s secretary. She was also a Girl Scout and
a Cub Scout leader during her children’s school years. She was a
founding member of Planned Parenthood of VT (now Planned Parenthood of
Northern New England) and was very proud of her accomplishments within
that organization. She was also very active in the Springfield Unitarian
Universalist Church.
She loved music, studied piano in her youth and
continued playing into her 70’s, sang in church choir, Community Chorus,
and taught her children to sing in harmony on long car trips.
In 1973,
Doris married Richard F. Whitcomb of Springfield, and the two lived in
the Pink House. She was the secretary at Park Street Elementary School
in Springfield from 1970 until she retired in 1977, and thereafter
served as the school’s volunteer coordinator and a special needs aide.
She also became an active member of the Weathersfield Historical
Society, and played a key role in organizing the library at the
Society’s Dan Foster House in Weathersfield Center.
She eventually lost
most of her vision to macular degeneration, but with assistive
technology was able to continue to use computers and email into the last
years of her life, and "read" hundreds of books on tape. She also
worked as a volunteer for the Vermont Association for the Blind and
Visually Impaired.
After breaking her hip in 2008 she sought
rehabilitation at Cedar Hill Continuing Care Community and decided to
live out her years there. This allowed her to continue her active
lifestyle. She had good friends there and especially loved the
friendship of staff members who provided her care. She was proud to be
the first resident to have a computer and demand an internet connection
at Cedar Hill.
Doris is survived by her children, Linda & David
Olsson of Woburn, MA, David Stapleton & Joyce Manchester of
Waterbury, VT, & Tom & Elinor Stapleton of Harvard, MA;
stepdaughters Ann Whitcomb of Springfield, VT, & Polly Whitcomb of
Shelburne, VT; grand-children, Michael Johansson of Puerto Rico, Dianne
Johnson of Proctorsville, VT, Kristen and Saari Greylock of Shelburne
Falls, MA, Karel Olsson of Brookline, MA, Megan Stapleton of Waterbury,
VT, Anna Stapleton of New York, NY, Meredith Stapleton of Philadelphia,
PA, and Philip Stapleton of Cambridge, MA; stepgrandchildren, Suzanne
Ruse of Putney, VT, Mark and Wendi Germaine of Chester, VT; and
stepgreatgrandson Max Ruse of Johnson, VT.
A celebration of her life
will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Saturday, December
5th at 1 pm, 21 Fairground Road, Springfield, VT, followed by interment
at Parker Hill Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in
her memory to Vermont Assoc. for the Blind & Visually Impaired, 38
Park Pl. #2, Brattleboro, VT 05301; or to the Unitarian Universalist
Church, P.O. Box 944, Springfield, VT, 05156.
Arrangements have been
entrusted to the Roy Funeral Home and Cremation Service.
