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Obituaries 6-17-14 Joseph Theodore BarnaJoseph Theodore Barna died on June 8, 2014 at the Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, New Jersey, from a combination of illnesses. He was 65.He was born in 1949 in Middlebury, Vermont, the son of Robert and Lillian Barna. He moved with them to Brandon, Vermont, when they came to teach at Brandon High School and Otter Valley Union High School. He graduated from Otter Valley in 1967. He is in that school’s Hall of Fame as part of a debating team that was the first in Vermont to win three state championships in successive years. When Otter Valley opened in 1961, the stage had an electrical panel that only he could understand; he organized a group he called The Stage Crew that supported dramatic productions and ran their lighting. In the summer, he worked backstage at Middlebury College. He went on to graduate from Yale College. While there, he put together a group that performed light shows—one of the first such presentations. At one point it provided background visuals for a concert at the legendary Fillmore East Auditorium. He went on to graduate from the Yale School of Dramatics. His thesis there was one of the first computer programs for organizing theater lighting; later he would come back on a temporary basis to teach their course on electrical work. While living in Connecticut he worked as a computer programmer, drove a municipal bus, did a variety of theatrical work, was a photographer, and wrote commentaries for Connecticut Public Radio. It was in this period that he converted a former school bus into a fully equipped camper, which he and his friends used to go across the country and back. His ingenuity in working with wood was clear from childhood, when he made miniature balsa wood models that included a working rolltop desk. At one of the productions where he was technical director, the initials WWJD did not mean “What Would Jesus Do?” but “What Would Joe Do?” He moved to Oregon, where he did technical work for a dance company. When he moved to the New York City area, he was the technical director for productions that included one on Broadway. He was one of the leading photographers for New York City’s Pride Parade. He was an amateur historian of wooden roller coasters and traveled around the country to document almost all of them. At one point he appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s television show “That’s Incredible” with his roller-coaster-riding dog Zonker. Among his art forms, he was one of the last of the great hitchhikers, with Zonker helping him to persuade drivers to stop. He has written a book about those years, which I will put into digital form and distribute. His photography has documented many facets of American life: signs, fire hydrants, groupings of images unique to his imagination. In later life, he did volunteer theatrical work, was part of construction crews, and taught middle school mathematics He is survived by his brother Ed, by his nephew Damon Barna, by several cousins, and by many, many friends. Anyone interested in helping to organize a memorial service or obtaining a copy of Joe’s book should contact Ed Barna via [email protected], by writing to 7 Forbes Circle in Middlebury, or calling 802-388-0247. Memorial contributions can be made to the Bison-Panther Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Otter Valley Union High School. 2997 Franklin St., Brandon, VT 05733. Theresa Marie McDonoughSALISBURY: Theresa Marie McDonough, age 75, died Thursday, June 5, 2014, at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington.Theresa was born in Proctor, Vermont on December 3, 1938. She was the daughter of Edward and Estelle (Wright) Gallipo. She grew up in Pittsford where she received her early education and graduated from Pittsford High School, Class of 1956. Following her education, she worked a short time at Proctor Marble. Afterwards she joined the staff at National Grange Insurance Company in Rutland and later worked at Moores Business Forms. She was an independent licensed real estate broker for several years and later joined the staff of Vivian Buzzell Realty. Theresa was the bookkeeper for the family business, McDonough's Auto Body, for 38 years. In her later career, she worked several years as a Customer Service Representative at the Brandon Bank and 11 years as an Intervention Specialist at Otter Valley Union High School; retiring in 2001. She was an active member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Brandon. She was an avid golfer and was a member of the Neshobe Golf Club. She enjoyed bowling, bingo and her weekly card games and breakfasts with the girls. She was a wonderful baker and loved her daily walks with her husband. Her grandchildren were her pride and joy. Theresa loved spending time with her family and cheering on her grandchildren at their sporting events, which displayed her competitive nature. She was always helping others, but her family was her life. She is survived by her husband; Bill McDonough of Salisbury; whom she married at St. Alphonsus Church in Pittsford on January 6, 1962; her son Dan McDonough and his wife Maria of Brandon; her daughter Colleen Leffler and her husband Brian of Williston, and her grandchildren; Ashleigh, Jakob, Joshua, Shayna, Mitchell and Anna. She is also survived by two sisters; Anita Bradley and her husband David and Charlene Bryant and her husband Jim all of Brandon; also several nieces, nephews & cousins. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Monday, June 9, 2014, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Brandon. The Rev. Ruel Tumangday and the Rev. Albert “Skip” Baltz con-celebrated the mass. A private graveside committal service and burial followed the ceremony at Forestdale Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to; The Brandon Area Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 232, Brandon, VT 05733 or the Rutland County Humane Society, 765 Stevens Road, Pittsford, VT 05763.
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