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Paul A. Plasse '52
Oct. 12, 2019, in Lexington, Mass., at 94. He left high school to join the U.S. Navy during World War II, serving as a radioman and witnessing the invasion at Normandy, Okinawa, and other sites. As a Colby student, he married during his freshman year, worked at Dunham’s, and saw three of his children born on campus. Summers he worked as a river driver. He became a research chemist, working first for several startups before starting with Polaroid Corporation in 1967. He retired as senior research manager, having accumulated several dozen patents. He enjoyed ocean fishing, diving, and boating and earned his Coast Guard captain’s license in 1989. Survivors include his wife, Merryl, four children, including Peter ’74, two step-children, 17 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, four great-great-grandchildren, and two sisters.
Mary Scott Jahn '53
Jan. 23, 2020, in Palm Coast, Fla., at 87. Her life focused on her home and family, but she remained close to her Delta Delta Delta friends and also enjoyed golfing. Predeceased by her parents, Evangeline York Scott, Class of 1924, and Albert H. Scott, Class of 1924, she leaves two sons and three grandchildren.
Harris P. O’Brasky '53
April 3, 2020, in Brockton, Mass., at 89. A veteran of World War II, he served with the U.S. Army, stationed in Germany. Later, he worked for Zayre’s Corporation and helped develop its brand TJ Maxx. Four children, two grandchildren, and a brother survive him.
Marjorie Hill Ashman '54
Dec. 27, 2019, in Littleton, Colo., at 87. She continued her education right after Colby, earning a master’s at Columbia Teachers College in 1955 followed by a diploma certifying her to teach deaf students. She taught special education in middle schools in Mount Laurel, N.J., where she lived for 57 years before retiring in Colorado. In addition to raising her children, she gave generously to her community through volunteer work, including answering calls for a crisis hotline for more than 40 years. She loved animals and nature, and she enjoyed traveling and listening to music. Marge was predeceased by her father, the noted Waterville physician Frederick Thayer Hill, Class of 1910, and two sisters, Virginia Hill Field ’48 and Joan Hill Martin ’52. Her husband of 63 years, Frederick G. Ashman ‘54, three children, six grandchildren, and her sister Barbara Hill Millett ’50 survive her.
Emile A. Caouette '54
Feb. 13, 2020, in Middletown, Conn., at 88. He was a veteran of the Korean War, having served with the U.S. Army 1954-1956. After he earned two graduate degrees, from the University of Maine and the University of Vermont, in mathematics and education respectively, he taught high school mathematics in Connecticut for 35 years. A lover of camping and hiking, he worked in Yellowstone National Park for five years during his retirement. Survivors include his wife, Carolyn, four children, three grandchildren, and a sister.
Lois McCarty Carlson '54
Feb. 10, 2020, in Haddam, Conn., at 87. She was a fundraiser who worked first in higher education, at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and Connecticut College, and later as a fundraising consultant with Brakeley, John Price Jones, Inc. In 1960 she earned a master’s in English from New York University. She and her husband, Roy, raised two children.
Fabia Bowman Chandler '54
Sept. 24, 2019, in Hortense, Ga., at 86. Starting in the mid-’50s, she and her husband operated their family business, Chandler’s Ice Cream, in Peabody, Mass. Later, she earned a teacher’s certificate and taught kindergarten and fourth grade in Peabody. In retirement she moved to Athens, Maine, where she tended a large vegetable garden and became active in the community, fighting against the placement of a debris incinerator there, teaching Sunday school, and volunteering at the food pantry. Survivors include two children, six grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
Arthur “Bob” R. Cummings Jr. '54
April 12, 2020, in Poland, Maine, at 87. A Mainer his entire life, he established a career in insurance, starting with the Dunlap Agency and later starting his own business, the Cummings Agency, with his wife, Marlene, first in Portland and then in Mechanic Falls. His hobbies include investing, antiques, golf, and painting. Three children, four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren survive him.
Robert E. Longbottom '54
Jan. 10, 2020, in South Portland, Maine, at 87. Bob was a legal assistant for the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955 and later became director of development for the Salvation Army’s Northern New England Division. In retirement, he worked part-time at the South Portland Public Library. Predeceased by his former wife, Betty Latter Longbottom ’54, he leaves three children and a granddaughter.
Arthur Rothenberg '54
March 27, 2020, in Roslyn Heights, N.Y., at 87. He earned an M.B.A. in accounting from Columbia University in 1956, which allowed him to enjoy a successful career as a certified public accountant, co-founding the firm Rothenberg and Peters CPAs. His wife of 61 years, Nancy, three sons, and three grandchildren survive him.
