Son Andrew Long wrote us to advise the DEC community of the passing of DEC Connection member William H. (Bill) Long, of Bourne MA, badge 659, on January 9, 2022, a week after his 89th birthday, in his sleep after a short illness. Mourning his loss are, among others, his love of over 70 years, Bettylou, their four children, and their nine grandchildren.

 

Bill Long joined DEC in 1963 and retired in 1987. During his DEC tenure he served in positions from PDP-8 Product Line Manager to Vice President OEM, Vice President Technical Group Marketing, and many others. In his own words, “…these were some of the best years of my life…”, working at a company, “…replete with bright, creative, hard-working folks who were a pleasure to be associated with.” He maintained many of his DEC relationships long after his departure. After retirement, Bill and Bettylou moved to Cape Cod, where he enjoyed new passions as an actor, carpenter, radio-reader for the blind, volunteer tax preparer, golfer, and grandfather. Words cannot express how much he is missed.

Andrew.Long@delta.com   Link to full obituary.

Dr. Duane T. Napp, 88, of Houston TX, passed away on Jan 7, 2022. He was born on November 5, 1933 in Owatonna MN. Duane Napp was a graduate of Austin Minnesota High School  and received his Bachelor of Science degree from University of Minnesota and Masters of Science from University of Michigan and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from University of Minnesota. Duane began his career in the computer industry with IBM in 1969. As a chemist and manufacturing process engineer he was instrumental in the design of the IBM System/370, IBM 3031, IBM 3033, IBM 3091, IBM 3090, IBM 3091 during18 years with IBM. He joined Digital Equipment Corporation from 1987-1992, where he led the development of the revolutionary VAX/VMS 8000 and the fastest computer ever designed at Digital, the VAX/9000 team. Duane then joined the National Center for Manufacturing Science in Ann Arbor Michigan. Since his retirement in 1999, Duane authored sections of textbooks on Electronic Packaging and Manufacturing with IBM Fellow, Dr. Donald P. Seraphim, PhD.  After retirement he became a consultant until 2006 when he fully retired.  Link to full obituary.

Our condolences to Bill Gordon and other friends of Jack (John) Duffy, 80, of Andover MA, who passed away on January 3, 2022.   Bill said Jack was "by far my best boss during 18+ years at DEC."  Jack started work at IBM on his graduation from Boston College in 1963 and would remain in the computer industry, working at Digital Equipment Corp for many years, before taking his final job as Manager of Management Information Systems for the Sisters of Saint Joseph, for the final years of his career. 

 Link to full obituary.

We thank Galen Davis for sending in news and photos of Bill Seitz, and offer condolences to the DEC AZ family. William (Bill) Seitz, 77, of San Tan Valley, passed away in his home peacefully on Thursday, December 23, 2021.  Bill was born February 23, 1944 in Homestead PA, the 9th of 11 children. After returning from the Army, he married his childhood sweetheart on July 15, 1967. Bill then completed his Degree in Electrical Engineering from Pennsylvania Technical Institute and began working for Digital Equipment Corporation.  In 1976, Bill and his family moved to Phoenix, AZ. Galen commented that Bill had a long DEC career in Westfield and Phoenix.  He attended many of our AZ Alumni lunches and always had a positive attitude toward DEC and life.  He retired from Digital and focused on family and woodworking.  Link to full obituary.

DEC Connection member Steve Rothman sent in news of the passing of Charles Francis Perrell, 72, Los Altos Hills CA.  Charlie worked at Digital from 1977-1983. He was P/L manager for the LA34 printer line in Terminals Marketing in one assignment. He relocated to Silicon Valley as a Director for the startup of Sun Microsystems, where he initiated and ran the company's international business. He later was a co-founder and Exec VP of Network Appliance Corp.  He was an angel investor and philanthropist as a retiree. Link to full obituary.

Condolences to friends of Clarence J. Shanks, 88, of Colorado Springs who passed away on November 21.  He served as a US Army Military Police Staff Sergeant and retired in July 1973 at Fort Carson, CO. He later served with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department and later retired from Digital Equipment Corporation. Link to full obituary.

Condolences to the DEC AZ group on the loss of their friend Norman Croisetiere, 77, of Glendale AZ, who attended the Phoenix Mfg alum luncheons with his wife Cindy. Norm, originally from Holyoke MA, had worked as a Supply Quality Engineer at Digital for 17 years; he worked at the Union Hills DEC facility. Sadly, Norm recently succumbed to a long battle with cancer. There is a military service for Norman Croisetiere, US Navy, on December 8, 10:30 am honors, National Memorial Cemetery. Escort Requested Chapel of the Chimes to National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona.

Condolences to the CXO group on the loss of their friend Hugh (Hubert S.) Nethercot, Colonel (USAF) Retired, 86, of Canon City CO. Hugh entered ROTC at Kansas State U, joined the USAF in 1959, where he was a highly decorated Air Force colonel, including the Bronze Star. In 1985 he retired from the Air Force, worked for the PGAV, an architectural firm, and then at Digital Equipment Corporation as the Facility Manager. He retired and became a snowbird in the Rio Grande Valley in TX for 18 winters. He and his wife Elaine returned full-time to Colorado Springs, then Parker CO, and this year, to Canon City. Link to full obituary.

Maureen Burness sent in the sad news that we have lost Carol J. Pietraallo, 71, Colorado Springs, who worked in CX03.  Carol graduated from the University of Southern Colorado with a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work in 2000. Carol truly loved helping people.

Link to full obituary.

Condolences to John Ratay and other friends of Richard L. Pfender, 68, Pittsburgh PA, who died suddenly on November 6, 2021.  John says he and Rich both started at Digital on November 5, 1973.  They worked together at the Charleston WV Service Center before Rich transferred to PGH.  Link to full obituary.

Thanks to Eric Monk of the U.K. for notifying us about the passing of Raymond P. Lamy, 73, of Bedford NH.  Ray was a successful Safety Engineer at DEC Nashua and built professional connections with DEC European Product Safety Laboratory (EPSL) in Reading UK.

Link to full obituary.

Condolences to Mary Collins and other friends of Madeleine Kenn, 70, who passed away on 14 Sept in Velva ND.  Madeleine, who worked at DEC WFO (Westfield MA) circa 1974-1977, kept in touch with Mary every couple months for many years after their shared DEC experience. 

Link to full obituary.

Thanks to Gay Choate Keilty for informing us of the passing of her friend, Henry Burl Bone, Maryville TN, on 13 Sept. Henry began working for DEC in 1981. He was a support engineer in Publishing and Broadcasting Services (PBS) at MKO. Henry retired from the company in the late 1990s, working as a Problem Manager in UNIX Support Engineering Group (USEG) at ZK3. Our condolences to daughter Bernice Bone Ward and his other Digital friends. Link to full obituary.

Thanks to the CXO group for reporting the passing of Michael D. Leis, of Framingham MA.  Michael was tragically killed by a hit and run automobile. 

Maureen Burness wrote that Mike was one of the top technical contributors at DEC in the storage group for over twenty years, based first in Maynard and then Shrewsbury. Mike was a graduate of both bachelor’s and master’s degree programs at MIT, and he worked as an electrical engineer for more than forty years at Digital Equipment Corporation, Quantum, Maxtor, and then Seagate, where his specialty was designing hard drives and managing teams of innovators. Michael held more than thirty original patents in hard drive technology. He made significant contributions to magnetic tape technology and did groundbreaking work in video terminals. His colleagues describe him as “the engineer’s engineer!” Prior to that, he worked at Draper Laboratories, where one of his greatest accomplishments was his work on the guidance system of the original Apollo 11 program.  Link to full obituary.

 

Condolences to the CXO group on the loss of their friend Ruth Ellen Daugherty, 74, of Colorado Springs.  Ruth worked for Digital Equipment Corporation and retired after 30 years and 3 company turnovers, going from Digital to Compaq to Quantum to Hewlett Packard. Ruth is known for her loving, generous and kind heart. Link to full obituary.

Sue Hunt just wrote in with very sad news: Digital friends, we lost a caring and true gentlemen on August 5; Bill Demmer. I was fortunate to be Bill's Executive Assistant from 1985 to 1995 when he retired.  Bill will be missed by all those who interacted with him.  Rest in peace, Bill.

 

William Roy Demmer, 87, of Bonita Springs, FL died unexpectedly in his sleep on Thursday, August 5, 2021 at his residence. Bill was born on September 30, 1933 in Newark, NJ. He had been a resident of Bonita Springs since November of 1993, coming from Concord, MA. Bill was a graduate of Columbia High School in Maplewood, NJ and received his Bachelor of Science degree from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Right after graduating college, Bill began his career in the computer industry with IBM. As an electrical engineer he helped in the design of the first mainframe computer, IBM System/360. He would spend 18 years with IBM and in 1974 he joined Digital Equipment Corporation where he led the development of the revolutionary VAX/VMS computer system which was one of the first distributed mini computers created. He retired in 1995 as their Executive Vice President. Since retirement Bill has sat on multiple Board of Directors through 2020.   Link to full obituary.

Cheryl Rawden sent sad news of the passing of Dan (Daniel T.) Smith, of Jacksonville FL, at the age of 75, from COVID-19.  Cheryl said that Dan was a manager of the Providence, RI DEC office as far back as the 80s. He had worked as a Consulting Manager for Digital Equipment Corporation / Compaq / Hewlett Packard for twenty-five years. 

Link to full obituary,  

We've learned that, sadly, Pong Ok Chon, 70, Colorado Springs, has died. Pong worked in CXO Storage Manufacturing.  Our condolences to his family and friends.

 

Link to full obituary.

We are sad to learn of the passing of another Colorado Springs alumnus, Donald Stafford, 88.  He was born in Massachusetts in 1933 where he lived until joining the Naval Air Reserve in May 1951. He was sworn into the Air Force in March 1952 where he obtained his Associates degree and became an aircraft mechanic.After he retired from the Air Force, Don worked as a machine shop supervisor at Digital Equipment Corporation, then after retiring from there he worked in two local machine shops, and also repaired equipment for a local hospital.  Link to full obituary.

Bob Collins sent us sad news about his friend Mel Arsenault. Melvin Arsenault, 86, of Gloucester, Mass., died peacefully on June 24, 2021. Mel was a graduate of Lexington High School and Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston where he received an Engineering Degree. He proudly served in the U.S. Navy as a Sonar Man aboard the USS Fred T. Berry.
Mel had a long, distinguished career at Digital Equipment. He was very proud to be the 33rd employee hired at DEC. Link to full obituary.

Thanks to Sue Lawrence-Longo for reporting the unexpected passing of David N. Adoretti, 72, of Sterling MA.  Sue worked with Dave, who was nicknamed Red Eye, in Westminster manufacturing.  Dave had proudly served his country in the United States Army during the Vietnam War where he was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal with 4 Bronze Service Stars and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm. Upon his return he earned his associates degree and began a long career in the computer industry. He was a respected leader at several local companies including Photo Panels of New England, Vox 2, Sun Microsystems, and Digital Equipment. Link to full obituary.

We are sad to announce the passing of James Isaac Welch, 81, Colorado Springs.  Jim was an alumni of the CXO Security Department (3rd Shift). Our sincere condolences to his wife, To Yon Welch, CXO Manufacturing, children, and friends. After high school, Jim enlisted in the Army and became a Military Policeman. A Vietnam Veteran, he served 21 years before he retired in 1980 at Ft. Carson. Jim was awarded many military medals. Then he had rewarding careers and retired from Digital/HP and the D.O.C.

Link to full obituary.

Galen Davis sent in sad news of the passing of Rio Rita York, 89, Peoria AZ:

Link to full obituary.

Our sincere condolences to Richie Lary and the many Storage and other Digital friends who worked with Ellen Jane (Schauer) Lary, 80, Colorado Springs, on her unexpected passing. Ellen graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Education and spent several years as a teacher in Philadelphia and Syracuse as a young mother of two. When her first marriage ended, she decided to pursue an advanced degree in engineering at a time when that was not a career path pursued by many women. She earned a PhD in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from Syracuse University, specializing in computer databases, all the while raising her two children as a divorced, single woman. She was employed as a researcher by Bell Laboratories in Holmdel NJ, then moved to Colorado Springs in 1981 to lead an Advanced Database Development group at Digital Equipment Corporation, where she met her husband, Richard. She discovered she had a knack for engineering and business management, in time rising to become Vice President of Digital's Storage Division, responsible for 700 employees, and growing business revenue from $1.2 billion per year to $1.8 billion per year in an 18-month period. She continued as a Vice President at Compaq Computer Corporation, which acquired Digital, for one year before leaving to become an industry consultant in the computer storage industry. All the while, she remained closely connected to her children and grandchildren. Celebration of Life to be held Sat., August 14, 1 pm, Antler's Hotel.

Link to full obituary.

Our sincere condolences to Storage folks, back East and in Colorado Springs, on the untimely passing of Steve Peters of Monument CO at age 62. Member Ron Ginger sent in the sad news.  Steven worked in the computer industry for Digital Equipment Corporation, Compaq Computer Corporation, Hewlett Packard Corporation, PMC-Sierra, LSI Corporation and, most recently, Seagate Technology. He was the recipient of multiple patents and helped write the Storage Management Initiative Specification.

Link to full obituary.

Our sincere condolences to DEC Connection member Giorgio Corsi and others in DEC Europe at the passing of their friend Michael Ewing.

Giorgio writes: Gill Ewing (Michael’s wife) just informed me that Michael, on May 11^th, passed away after a rather long sickness. The funeral will take place on June 14^th and as soon as I have further news I will let you know. Michael had been an inspiring leader for the European HRO function, he was the first to bring to us the Organizational concepts and was full of new and brilliant ideas. He helped many of us to grow and was full of suggestions that I personally used a lot (and am still using). After he left Digital he and I stayed in touch and was meeting regularly with our wives, I discovered a new Michael full of humor and extremely friendly.  He will be always in my heart as a great man and an inspiring leader.  Ciao Michael : riposa in pace Giorgio.corsi@wanadoo.fr

Galen Davis, organizer for the DEC AZ club, writes: With sadness we learned of the passing of Dave Richards.  After a very lengthy battle with complicated health challenges, Dave passed on Friday April 23.  He was surrounded by wife Blue (also a DEC alumni), his children and grandchildren. Good friend and long term DEC IT Manager from 1977-2003 at DEC Union Hills.  RIP Dave.  May God bless him!  

My father, (Charles) Lee Mauldin, 76, Colorado Springs, passed away due to complications from prostate cancer on April 14, 2021. He fought hard from his initial diagnosis in early 2018 and I’m glad that he is at peace. I know that my father was a good friend and colleague to some of you on this email chain and I wanted to be able to let everyone know that had a relationship with him.  Dad was able to retire fairly early in life and loved to travel abroad, especially to Germany and Japan.I always admired his sense of humor and drive to excel. It seemed he never gave up on a problem until it was solved. I truly believe this was what kept him in good spirits and focused over the last few years. Please feel free to reach out to me at mikemauldin01@hotmail.com should you want to contact me. I would love and encourage anyone to reach out if you knew my dad and wanted to share a story or say hi.

Sadly, the Colorado Springs folks have lost another former co-worker and friend. David Michael Versace, 71, passed away April 14 at his residence in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  A memorial service is planned for the summer of 2021.In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Dave's name to St. Jude’s Children's Hospital and the American Cancer Society.

Link to full obituary.

Condolences to the CXO group on the loss of their friend Bill McPhillips, 88, of Colorado Springs, after suffering a stroke in early April.  Bill worked at Digital CXO as a Manufacturing Engineer from 1984 until 1992.

Link to full obituary.

Sincere condolences to friends of David N. Streeter, 77, of Quechee VT, who passed away recently.  Much of Dave's career was spent working for Digital Equipment Corp with their Real Estate and Development Group. He played a significant leadership role in the massive real estate expansion for the company in the 1980s. Link to full obituary.

Sincere condolences to Joyce DeVivo and family who wrote: I'm sorry to have to inform you that my husband Paul DeVivo, 79, of Grand Gorge, NY is no longer with us, as he passed away on March 12.  Our whole family was much blessed by his being part of Digital all those years and by friendships made there.  At DEC he was happily employed for 16 years.  One of his achievements was the creation of the Employee Locater File, the first computerized list of their worldwide employees. After early retirement from DEC, Paul became an independent consultant working on Y2K projects.

Link to full obituary.

Condolences to Dick Kessler, Ben Daniel and other friends of Dawn Gilbert, 74, Santa Rosa CA, who passed away on March 8.  Dawn worked at National Cash Register (NCR) in 1968 in Columbus OH, followed by Xerox in 1971 in Denver CO and later spent time at Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC) in Boston, MA and Compaq in Houston, TX where she retired from and immediately moved to Austin, TX. Dawn’s career took her around the U.S. and left a lasting impact in the technology industry. Link to full obituary.

 

A virtual Celebration of Life will be August 22, 2021, 3 pm Pacific Time, at this link:  Join Zoom Meeting: https://washington.zoom.us/j/92658813885

Meeting ID: 926 5881 3885

Our condolences to CXO friends of Phyllis M. DeAngelo, 84, Colorado Springs on her passing.  Phyllis worked in CXO2 and retired from DEC. 

Link to full obituary.

DEC Connection member (Francis P.) Frank Brown, 74, Amherst NH, passed away recently and unexpectedly on Jan. 30. Frank graduated Tufts University with a B.S. in Mathematics in 1968, and earned his Masters in Business Administration from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in 1976. Frank went on to a long and successful career in the "emerging world of computers," starting with Digital Corp., continuing on with Compaq and finally retiring with Hewlett Packard.   Frank worked in Finance, Sales, Marketing, BOIS at Digital. His friend Paul Brock said Frank left his wife Nancy, two sons and two daughters, and four grandchildren. Worked in sales and sales management in NJ, was regional sales VP for Asia, managed the VMWare relationship, and led the Alpha porting team. Loved golf and skiing.  Link to full obituary.

DEC Connection member (Octavio L.) Tavo Diaz, 72, Stow MA, passed away on Jan 30, 2021 after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease.  Our sincere condolences to his wife Lisa and many Digital friends.  Tavo worked in Sales/GIA/ Field Service in the US and in Mexico.  Link to memorial page.

Our condolences to Ted Sares and other friends on the passing of Kevin J. Sullivan, 79, Palo Alto CA, from Covid-19.  Kevin had a distinguished career in Human Resources (HR), from Pitney-Bowes in Stamford CT to Raytheon in Waltham MA to Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in Maynard, MA and then in 1987 to Apple Computer in Cupertino, CA.

Link to full obituary.

Thanks, and our condolences, to John McClelland and other friends for reporting sad news of the passing of (Richard Harry) Dick Stevenson, 77, Woodland Park CO. After Dick’s military duty ended in 1968, he put his computer background to work and joined Digital Computer Corporation.  Dick finished his work in the computer industry in 1994, retiring to the Woodland Park area. Link to full obituary.

Our sincere condolences to Anker Berg-Sonne and other friends of Bill Clark, 78, Chelmsford MA, who passed away in January. Bill Clark joined the product line selling mini computers to Education in the mid-70s. In 1983 Bill was promoted to manager of the EDU Technical Support group and later moved to the State and Local Government Group and eventually the Networking Group before leaving Digital. Bill was instrumental in forging close friendships between the members of the EDU Technical Support Group lasting to this day even though the members have been spread far and wide. Sadly, Bill was diagnosed with advanced cancer just after Christmas 2020 and quickly succumbed to the disease at age 78.

 

Thanks to John Gray for informing us of the passing of Geoff Shingles, 81, England UK. Geoff was a former CEO of Digital U.K.

Rich Dischler sent in an obit for friend Jill M. (Kaufman) McPhee, 66, of Hopkinton and Harvard MA. Jill was born in Pittsburgh, PA, grew up in France and Parsippany, NJ. In 1975, she earned her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, followed by a master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During her career, Jill worked as a nuclear engineer at Brookhaven Laboratory, a computer engineer at Digital and Compaq, and a submarine sonar technician for the U.S. Navy.   Rich adds that Jill did thermal design work for the VAX9000 program in Marlboro MA.    Link to full obituary.

We are saddened to learn of the loss of DEC Connection member, Ellen Lee Simarano, 80, Concord MA. Ellen died peacefully on Thursday, January 7, 2021 at Care Dimensions Hospice House in Lincoln, MA after a short battle with lung cancer. Ellen was employed at Digital Equipment Corporation, where she worked in Marketing in both the Maynard and Marlboro facilities. Link to full obituary.

Our condolences to Marty Palmieri, Bill Gordon, and other former colleagues and friends of George H. Newton, 80, Framingham MA, who passed away on Jan. 5. George proudly spent his career as an early pioneer of the computing industry, working alongside both his sister Connie and brother Dave at the Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). His enthusiasm for the field also led him to spend thirty years as an Adjunct Professor at Boston University, teaching low-level computer engineering fundamentals. Link to full obituary.

Thanks, and our condolences, to Brenda Bloomgren and other friends for reporting sad news of the passing of Susan Carol (Cavanaugh) George, 70, Riviera Beach FL.  Susan died peacefully on January 2, 2021, in her home, with her husband Dennis and son Matthew, after a prolonged illness with Multiple System Atrophy (MSA). After teaching, she started her corporate career at Mobil Oil in 1974.  She found her stride in the corporate world and achieved great success in senior roles in the Human Resources field. She went on to further her career at Educational Services, Digital Equipment, Bedford, MA,  Fidelity Investments, and Textron. 

Link to full obituary.

Our condolences to Marty Palmieri and other former colleagues of Howard A. Mayberry, 70, Cambridge MA. Howard grew up in San Jose, CA, where he graduated from UC Santa Cruz with one of the school's first degrees in Computer Engineering. Always cognizant of his New England roots, he returned to Bolton, MA, in the 1980's, and later moved to Cambridge, MA. He was proud of a lengthy career at both Digital Equipment Corporation and RSA Security.  Link to full obituary.

Galen Davis sent in sad news of the passing of Ray Michel, 79, of Lowell MA:  Valued 40 year veteran of DEC and HP.  Co-worker and good friend. We remember the good times! RIP Ray Michel.   Ray was signed by the LA Dodgers upon high school graduation, playing for three years until he, "didn't know where my fast ball was going." He joined Digital Equipment Corporation as a stock boy following his release from baseball. He rose through the ranks becoming European Distribution Manager in Geneva, Switzerland and retired after 40 years as Corporate Manager of Logistics for Hewlett Packard.    Link to full obituary.

We were saddened to learn of the passing of DEC Connection member and Digital retiree Eleanor T. (McGovern) Gadomski, 92, of Leominster and Clinton MA.  In addition to raising her family, Ellie was employed by the former Colonial Press in various positions. She served as a companion to the elderly for three years, and later pursued a career in electronics at Sprague Electric and Digital Equipment Corporation in semi-conductor manufacturing, retiring in 1990.  Link to full obituary.

Our condolences to CXO friends of Rich (Richard A.) Sanchez.  He had a heart attack a couple of weeks ago and was in rehab when he had another heart attack, this one was fatal. Rich was really a nice guy and helped anywhere he was needed. Always with a smile. Link to full obituary.

David J. Gibson, 64, died Wednesday following a very brief illness. A computer Technician, he had worked for Digital Equipment Corp., Hamilton Standard, Skyline Electronics, and XIO Tech in Colorado Springs. “He was called Hoot and Gibby and was such a kind soul.” He worked in the Disk Drives group and in the CXO1 downstairs Lab.  Link to full obituary.

Our condolences to CXO friends of Richard (Dick) Timberlake III, who passed away, aged 74.  Dick had a successful career in Colorado Springs using his computer science skills. He taught computer languages and programming at Regis College for five years. He transitioned away from academia to work for information technology companies such as Digital, Compaq, and HP as a software engineer/analyst. Tragically, Dick lost his life from injuries from being struck by an automobile while on his way to join the Colorado Springs Cycling Club for a Sunday afternoon social ride.  Link to full obituary.

Our condolences to CXO friends of Jim (James Edward) Gaines, 78, who passed away due to COVID-19. A United States Army veteran and computer engineer, James enjoyed spending time with his family and hunting in Colorado.  Link to full obituary.

Our condolences to member Jerry Bernath and other friends of George "Ross" Kelly, Jr., of Cumming and Statesboro GA, who passed away on October 20 at the age of 74.  Ross graduated from Georgia Southern College in 1972.  After completing graduate school at the University of Georgia in 1974 his professional career was varied and accomplished, including sales at Digital. Link to full obituary.

Deborah McIntosh of Colorado Springs passed away at age 68 on October 14, 2020 from a very aggressive form of brain cancer.  No obituary is posted.

Our condolences to her friends.

Dick (DeWitt) Clinton, 78, Wells ME, financial executive and early American history enthusiast, passed away on October 12 due to cancer, at Gosnell Memorial Hospice in Scarborough, ME. Dick attended Williams College, where he received a BA in Mathematics in 1964. He earned his MBA in finance from the Columbia University Business School in 1970, and a certificate in executive education from INSEAD (Fontainebleau, France) in 1991. Dick joined Digital Equipment Corporation in 1970, where he built his career in financial management. After leaving Digital in 1996, Dick worked as a business development and finance consultant for numerous companies. He and his son, DeWitt, partnered on a software startup in the early 2000s. During this period, Dick was able to pursue his interests in the history of Colonial and Revolutionary-era America. As a direct descendent of former New York Governor DeWitt Clinton, he served on committees and boards of numerous historical organizations. The family suggests that donations be made to the St. David's Episcopal Church Memorial Garden, 138 York Street, Kennebunk, ME 04043. Link to full obituary. 

Prominent computer scientist John Adams, 79, of Andover and Lincoln, MA died on October 7, 2020, of Parkinson's Disease and Lewy Body Dementia. A direct descendant of John Adams and John Quincy Adams, he maintained strong ties to the Adams Historical Site in Quincy, often giving talks about important events in the Adams' lives.  John majored in Math at Harvard and then, by 1974, achieving Master's and PhD degrees in structural engineering from Tufts and MIT, respectively.  John was especially proud of his contributions bringing the pioneering Ethernet LAN technology to market while at Digital Equipment Corp. (1976-1996). He was a leading engineer and mentor to many at Digital. He later worked at RSA Security (1996-2001).  Link to full obituary.

Condolences to the CXO group on the loss of their friend Dennis Laurence, 75, Colorado Springs.  Habib Mirhossaini reports: "with sadness and sorrow, colleague and dear friend Dennis passed last week from being involved in a single-car accident.  Dennis was our EMI and Safety engineer for a very long time and was running the FCC site. I believe he retired about 7 to 8 years ago."

Dennis Reardon sent in the obit for Ken Fahle, 78, of Ayer MA.  Ken spent a majority of his career working in Human Resources, first for Anheuser-Busch, then for Digital Equipment Corporation, and later Fidelity Investments. Family and friends will gather to honor and remember Ken for a Graveside Service Friday, October 9, 2020 at 1:00 pm at Westlawn Cemetery, 7 New Estate Road, Littleton.   Link to full obituary.

We are saddened to report the passing of Stanley C. Olsen, 92, Tierre Verde FL and Gilford NH.  Our condolences to Stan's wife Betty and their family, and to their many Digital friends. Stan was employee 3 of Digital, after his brother Ken and Harlan Anderson.  Stan was an eclectic entrepreneur and visionary, a pioneer in the computer business and, following his 25-year Digital career, a transformative real estate developer in Citrus County, Florida. Stan served on the boards of many companies and several colleges. He received honorary doctorate degrees from Saint Anselm College and Northeastern University. He didn't retire until 82 years old.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Community Food Bank of Citrus County, 5259 W. Cardinal Street, Building B, Homosassa, FL 34446, or the New Hampshire Food Bank, 700 East Industrial Park Drive, Manchester, NH 03109.  Link to full obituary.

We are sad to report the passing of DEC Connection member Alice M. (Richardson) Stapelfeld, 93, of Northborough MA. She was a 1945 graduate of Brookfield H.S. and held various bookkeeping positions at area businesses, most recently at Digital Equipment Corporation, before she retired. Alice was passionate about volunteering, dedicating 37 years of service to the Northborough Senior Center. Link to full obituary.

Paul Thompson sent in the obituary for his friend Thomas R. Specht, 64, of Woodland Park CO. Tom was an engineer in the computer technology field for multiple firms throughout the United States including Apple, Digital, Cray Computer, and Luminous Networks. Tom was a mentor to fellow employees and inspired his colleagues to do their best.   Link to full obituary.

Galen Davis sent the obituary for Bill Picott (William Cassell Picott III), 81, of Lakewood Ranch FL and Harwich Port MA, who passed away from complications of Covid-19.  Following a distinguished military career, Bill earned a Master of Science Degree in Management from Central Michigan University in 1974 and completed senior executive programs at Dartmouth’s Tuck Business School and MIT’s Sloan School in 1979 and 1990, respectively. Bill spent 37 years working in the information technology industry, most notably with Digital Equipment Corporation. In his inaugural position, he became the first person of color to lead DECUS, Digital Equipment Computer Users’ Society. He went on to manage the Terminals and Printing Engineering division. After 28 years with the company, Bill retired in 2003 as the Director of HP’s North American Technical Sales Support Call Center. Throughout his career, Bill championed the hiring and mentoring of numerous engineers of color through the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). He also represented Digital on the White House’s Committee for Science and Technology at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.  Link to full obituary.

Condolences to the CXO team on the loss of their friend Norman Smith, 82, of Colorado Springs.  Digital was Norm's 2nd career, after 24 years in the military, and he retired as a District Manager in 1992.  Link to full obituary.

Jim Shiota was an original start-up member of our AZ DEC family at W. Earll Drive and later Union Hills in 1974.  He greatly contributed to our early AZ production control and material processes. Always positive and enthusiastic Jim adapted instantly to our DEC culture. With few resources in 1974 Jim understood teamwork and how to make manufacturing schedules in this start-up role. Significant contributor, good friend, golf buddy and DEC AZ Alumni.  Link to full obituary.

Sadly, we've learned of the passing of Frans Vandermolen, Sebring FL.  Frans was born in the Netherlands, and worked for Philips and Digital. He had worked in the tech support group for Education Computer Systems in the early 80s. In 1984, he graduated Harvard Business School. In 1988, he became a U.S. citizen and was then moved to California by Digital. In 1994, he got a degree from Canterbury University for master in science and in 1996 he became a doctor of science. While in California, he resigned from Digital and started his own company, Flying Dutchman Hyperbarics in 1990.  Frans moved to Florida in 1997. Link to full obituary.

based in Maynard, MA.  We remember him as our "Founding Father" for many DEC Mfg facilities including our AZ Union Hills facility. You may have met him on our many plant reviews. Rumor has it an aerial view of Union Hills reveals the "H" building shape. Coincidence? Bill was a giant among DEC manufacturing leaders and responsible for Digital's growth in the industry. Pioneered new industry leading technologies like Just-In-Time, continuous flow mfg, financial systems, focused factories and people systems. Following DEC in 1996 he taught at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Great life and career... a DEC legend. 

Our condolences to MaryEllen Kennedy and other friends/co-workers of Jim (James Charles) Albrycht, 81, East Sandwich MA. MaryEllen wrote:

Friend Richard Tucker wrote: Sadly, I learned that a colleague from Digital’s Personal Computer Business Unit, Dan Vertrees, 69, of Houston TX, passed away 3/30/19 following a 2-year battle vs. cancer. Dan started his career at Burroughs Corporation as a marketing representative. He worked his way up  and retired from Hewlett Packard as Vice President and General Manager for North America, Enterprise Channels & Alliances. After retirement, he resumed his early career in commercial real estate and truly enjoyed working hard to make his clients happy. A link to his obituary follows: Link to full obituary.