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Roger M. Lee '77
Nov. 27, 2018, in Bridgton, Maine, at 65. He was a pilot and the chief instructor at King Aviation in Mansfield, Mass., until he retired in 2014. His father and his stepmother survive him, as do many cousins, including Janet Peel Thompson ’77, Frances Palmer Christopher ’78, and Peter Lee ’80.
William J. Getchell '78
Sept. 15, 2018, in Austin, Texas, at 62. An entrepreneur, he earned an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1980 and worked for businesses in Massachusetts and Austin. His passion was running, which he began in high school and continued at Colby and in road races as an adult. He was out for a run in Austin when he unexpectedly passed away. Survivors include his wife, Joann Barry Getchell ’78, daughter Zoe ’20, and extended family, including niece Sarah Getchell ’04 and cousins Judith Dionne Scoville ’68 and Mark Fortier ’81.
Susanna “Suki” K. Scott '78
Feb. 15, 2019, in Bridgehampton, N.Y., at 63. A law librarian, she belonged to the New York County Lawyer’s Association and worked for many years in the law library of Davis Polk Wardwell in New York. In 2012 she started Kirkbride Cataloguing, which cataloged and arranged small public and private collections. She earned two master’s degrees: in library science from Columbia in 1985 and in public health and nutrition from Hunter College in 2011.
Alfred M. Sheehy Jr. '78
Jan. 16, 2019, in Scarborough, Maine, at 63. He worked for Maine Health, the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School, and, most recently, at the University of New England as assistant director for the health informatics program. In 1993 he earned a master’s from the Muskie School of Public Service. Friends, family, and hobbies enriched his life. An avid fly fisherman, he also played morning hockey, loved to hike, and savored long-distance road cycling and completed many charity rides. He read voraciously and lost himself in music. His son, Michael, survives him, as do six sisters and his former spouse, Susan J. Levine.
J. Cody Harper van Heerden '81
Sept. 12, 2018, in Northeast Harbor, Maine, at 58. A lifelong learner, educator, environmentalist, and community volunteer, she earned the first of three master’s at Brown University, in geology, and her second at the University of Maine, in oceanography. She worked as an environmental and regulation specialist for Bigelow Laboratory and Maine's Department of Environmental Protection before moving to Mt. Desert Island and shifting her energy to teaching. She taught math, coached, developed curriculums, and served on the board of the Bay School, the Acadia Wildlife Foundation, and the Mt. Desert Nursery School. She was a trustee of the College of the Atlantic, from which she earned her third master’s, in human ecology. She co-owned Moss Gallery in Northeast Harbor with her husband, Christiaan van Heerden ’82, who survives her, along with her daughters and a brother.
Brian P. Kelley '82
Oct. 9, 2018, in Reading, Mass., at 58. He worked as a programmer shortly after Colby and then became an IT manager. He enjoyed traveling to Ireland, had a passion for music, and was a loving uncle to his many nieces and nephews, who survive him, along with his mother and two brothers.
Joseph E. Lynch '82
Sept. 23, 2018, in Norwood, Mass., at 58. He earned an M.B.A. from Anna Maria College in 1986 and a J.D. from Southern New England School of Law in 1992, and then he established a career in contract management. His unexpected death leaves behind three daughters. Survivors also include his parents and three siblings.
Jane Hastings Brackett '85
March 1, 2019, in Knox, Maine, at 55. She worked as a veterinary assistant and appreciated the natural world. Jane died at home following a brief illness. Survivors include her husband, Don, two sons, her parents, and three siblings.
Richard E. Rainville '87
Nov. 9, 2018, in Rochester, N.H., at 53. A Spanish teacher, he taught at Ithaca College 1990-2003 and also at New York’s Ross School and at Hobart and William Smith College. He earned a master’s from Cornell and also studied at the Universidad de Salamanca in Spain. Known for kindness and generosity, he served as a Eucharistic minister, taught religion classes, and volunteered at a food pantry. He was teaching part time at Ithaca College when he died due to a medical emergency. His mother, his aunt Juanita, and extended family survive him.
Majester Stewart Abdul-Jalil '89
July 30, 2018, in California at 51. Pursuing a lifelong dream to become a doctor, he overcame numerous obstacles to earn his M.D. in 2002 from the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University. He went on to become a physician, specializing in internal and pediatric medicine, at Charleston (W.V.) Area Medical Center. He was working in California at the time of his death from a heart attack. Survivors include his wife, Anne Burger Abdul-Jalil ’89, three children, and two sisters.
