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Mary Anne Seward Crafts '50
Feb. 14, 2020, in State College, Pa., at 90. She attended Katharine Gibbs College in Providence, where she studied business administration and criminal justice, skills she used during her lengthy career as an analyst with the Department of State in Washington, D.C. In retirement, she traveled extensively. Predeceased by her grandmother, Mary Pray Seward, (Colby class year unknown, but sometime in the 1880s), she is survived by a brother and extended family.
Virginia Davis Pearce '50
Dec. 24, 2019, in Pittsboro, N.C., at 91. She raised her family in Ware and Hingham, Mass., where she also actively volunteered with the Hingham Garden Club and the Doric Docents, tour guides at the Massachusetts State House. Ginny, knowledgeable about Spanish, also tutored English as a Second Language up until the time of her death. A talented seamstress and gardener, her other hobbies centered on the outdoors: alpine and Nordic skiing, tennis, golf, and kayaking on the lake in New Hampshire where she retired before moving to Pittsboro. She leaves her husband of 69 years, Charles A. Pearce ’49, three children, including Sarah Pearce ’78, and four grandchildren.
Hildegarde “Penny” Pratt Regni '50
Nov. 4, 2019, in Johnson City, N.Y., at 91. A mother and homemaker, an artist and musician, she taught art in a local school district and earned an M.Ed. from Penn State University in 1963. Later, she owned antique and framing businesses in Binghamton. She played cello in a community orchestra, painted pen-and-ink and watercolor scenes, and, as an animal lover, volunteered with Project PAW. She was known for finding beauty in simple things and expressing those nuances through writing. Predeceased by her father, Ransom Pratt, Class of 1921, and her first husband, Robert Burkhart ’50, she leaves a son, David Burkhart.
Russell O. “Tubby” Washburn '50
Dec. 4, 2019, in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, at 97. After high school in 1942, he joined the Marine Corps and served in the South Pacific until 1946. He came to Colby on a full basketball scholarship and went on to shatter every Colby record, earning the attention of the Boston Celtics, who drafted him in 1949. Opting not to pursue a basketball career, he finished at Colby and then taught government at Deering High School in Portland, Maine, for 27 years. He also coached at Deering, leading the school to two state basketball championships. He stayed in shape as he aged, enjoying skiing and golfing, shooting his age until he was 77, and winning several senior golf tournaments. Predeceased by his wife, Joyce Edwards Washburn ’51, he is survived by three children and a grandson.
Janet West Williams '50
March 3, 2020, in Crosswicks, N.J., at 91. After college, she worked as a children’s librarian in her hometown of Trenton, and later served as president of the Crosswicks Library, which she helped to resurrect. She was a pioneer in the construction business, operating Williams-BUILDER with her husband. She was named National Remodeler of the Year in 1997 by the National Association of Home Builders, and she was featured in several industry publications, including on the covers of two magazines. She served as president of the PTA and was a vital part of Crosswicks’s Society of Friends. She was appreciated for her 'kind insistence on singing grace and sending postcards. Three children and seven grandchildren will carry on in her absence.
John P. “Crif” Crawford '51
Dec. 2, 2019, in Boulder, Colo., at 90. Born in Beirut to missionary parents, he was raised in Lebanon before coming to Colby, where he played basketball and tennis. He earned a Ph.D. in geology from Columbia University and went on to work with Esso in Libya, with Standard Oil (Exxon) in New York, and, for 20 years, with ARAMCO in Saudi Arabia, focusing on employment and training. He studied and mastered the Arabic language, enjoyed sailing and snorkeling in the Arabian Gulf, and went camping in the Empty Quarter. He retired to Boulder, where he gardened, continued to play tennis, and volunteered in his community. He served as a class agent for his 50th Colby reunion and established a student research fund at the College. Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Kate, three children, six grandchildren, and two sisters.
Alyce Moskowitz Domenitz '51
Jan. 27, 2020, in Concord, Mass., at 90. She earned a master’s in education in 1952 from Columbia University’s Teachers College and taught first grade for several years, returning to the classroom as a nursery school teacher after raising her children. She was also a civic activist, volunteering with the League of Women Voters and the Association for the Education of Young Children. She was a court-appointed special advocate for foster children, typed books in Braille, and recorded books on tape for the blind. She leaves two daughters, six grandchildren, and a sister.
Margaret Betsy Stowell Kline '51
Oct. 14, 2019, in Friendship, Maine, at 90. She transferred from Colby to Wellesley College, where she earned her degree in English. She worked as an editorial assistant before marrying in 1955 and starting her family. She did volunteer work - Planned Parenthood, League of Women Voters, Travelers Aid Society until later in life, when she started and ran two travel agencies. Travel, bridge, and tennis occupied her retirement years, as did reading and watching Jeopardy! Three children and four grandchildren survive her.
Norene Tibbetts Linder '51
Nov. 21, 2019, in Ellicott City, Md., at 89. She worked for a few years before earning her master’s in mathematics education at Syracuse University, where she met her future husband. Her family became her focus, and with her son autistic, she devoted much of her time to his issues and activities. She had an interest in World War I veterans and conducted research to compile a list of all Colby graduates who died in that war. Predeceased by her father, John S. Tibbetts ’26, she is survived by her husband of 65 years, Peter, five children, and eight grandchildren.
Donald D. Maheu '51
Jan. 31, 2019, in Newark, Del., at 89. He studied at the University of Maine’s Pulp and Paper School right after Colby, and later he attended the University of Wisconsin’s Management Institute. His career was spent as a manufacturing engineer for Scott Paper, where he helped build and redesign paper mills in countries such as Spain, Mexico, Malaysia, and Costa Rica. In retirement, he worked to break 80 on the links, and he studied indigenous cultures of the American Southwest. Six children, 14 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and a sister survive him.
