William Edgar Uptegrove

William Edgar Uptegrove, of Jamaica passed away at the age of 96 on April 22, 2016 at Pine Heights Nursing Facility in Brattleboro. He prepared notes for his obituary, which are included below. He was pre-deceased by his sister, Florence and his wife, Elizabeth. He is survived by his sister, Elizabeth Mathews of Abingdon, VA; his two daughters, Frances Uptegrove of Pomfret, VT, and Jane Uptegrove of Philadelphia; four grandsons, Nick Richardson of Jericho, VT, Joseph Doolin Richardson of Davis, CA, Dana Finigan of Randolph, VT, and Zachary Uptegrove of Superior, CO; and three great-grandchildren. He also leaves a wide circle of dear friends.

"I was born March 18, 1920 in Hood River, Oregon. My family moved east soon thereafter and I grew up in Maplewood, New Jersey. My high school senior year was spent at the Putney School in Vermont. From Putney I went on to Dartmouth College, graduating in 1942, just in time for World War II, which I spent in the Navy on destroyers. I was awarded the Bronze Star "for meritorious achievement" as Gunnery Officer of the U.S.S. Fitch on D-Day at Normandy.

After the war, I obtained a Master's Degree in Regional Planning from the Harvard School of Design. In 1947 I was married in Newfane, VT to Betsey Doolin whom I had known at Putney School. We produced two wonderful daughters. We were together until her death in 2012.

My first professional job was with the Regional Plan Association of New York. My second job was as Town Planner for the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut, which I held for ten years. I then took a job with the Monroe County (NY) Department of Planning and moved with my family to Rochester, New York. I stayed in this job for 15 years, as Director for the last eight years.

In 1975 I retired, and we came to live in Jamaica, Vermont, on an old farm that we had acquired in 1951 as a vacation home. For 25 years we kept several horses, including a delightful pony. We rode the over hill and dale within a radius of a dozen miles from our home, mostly following old wood-roads and abandoned town roads. Our daughters became good riders, and neighborhood children often rode with us also. Betsey and I took one long horseback trip lasting two weeks, alternately camping out and staying with friends. We rode north as far as Tunbridge, then circled back home by a different route.

Another favorite recreation was canoe camping on small islands in Lake George, Lake Huron, and Penobscot Bay in Maine. On one trip we paddled completely around the large island of Vinalhaven.

I loved backpacking in the mountains. On summer vacations when my daughters were teen-agers we explored the White Mountains with our friend Ezra Krendel and his children. After moving to Rochester, we became acquainted with the Adirondacks, thanks to my friend, Perry Chapman. Betsey and I once flew to Wyoming and went hiking in the Bighorn Mountains. On a trip to Yosemite we had a snowy hike with our daughter Jane over Cloud's Rest, then down past the Merced River waterfalls to the Valley. On several occasions I went on hiking trips with the Sierra Club in California and Wyoming, one with my daughter, Frances.

More recently I enjoyed many less strenuous outings with my friend and neighbor, Morty Fink. We visited many of Vermont's most scenic and historic places, waterfalls being our specialty. For several years we spent weeks in August canoeing in the St. Regis area of the Adirondacks.

Next to caring for our horses, my main interest at our "farm" was woodlot management. We heated our house with wood, much of which I obtained from our own woods, using hand tools only. I also made trails for walking, horseback riding, and skiing.

Both Betsey and I were environmental activists, especially for clean water. When Jamaica was threatened with uranium mining, we worked closely with Malvine Cole in her organization (Stop Uranium Mining) and were instrumental in getting a protective law passed in the State Legislature. We were active members of the Conservation Society of Southern Vermont, which acquired and protected both Pikes Falls and Hamilton Falls in Jamaica. Later we became members of the Stratton Area Citizens Committee, West River Watershed Alliance, Vermont Wilderness Association, and Vermont Natural Resources Council. For years I was a member of the Jamaica Planning Commission and the Windham Regional Commission.

Everyone in our family plays a musical instrument. When our daughters visited us we often played together. Our favorite pieces were Bach's Suite No. 2 for flute and strings, Haydn quartets, and Mozart quartets. I occasionally played my flute, accompanied by Eleanor Worthen, in the Jamaica Church and with the West River Chorus in Townshend.

Since about 2011, I have lived at June Anderson's house on Locust St. in Brattleboro. She has been very kind and generous to me."



Arrangements under the direction of Ker Westerlund Funeral Home, Brattleboro, VT.