Person Page - 190

Horton Keith Durfee, 91, of Ithaca, N.Y., formerly of New Lebanon and Troy, N.Y., died on May 20, 2017. He was born on December 30, 1925, in Geneva, N.Y., the son of Dr. Walter H. Durfee and Mabel K. Durfee.

He is survived by his wife, Shirley Morgan Durfee; his children, Linda (Paul Henneberger) of Morgantown, W.Va., David (Melanie Dexter) of Shaftsbury, Vt., Stephen (Jill) of Napa, Calif., and Paul of Charlotte, N.C; stepchildren Stephanie Hill of Minonk, Ill., and Christopher Kiepper of Bennington, Vt; and thirteen grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife, Jean Blaney Durfee, in 1988, and by his siblings, William H. Durfee, Mary D. Pratt, and Kate K. Brinton.

Horton attended the Darrow School in New Lebanon, and upon graduation in 1943 enlisted in the US Army. He was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division; after being wounded in the Italian campaign, he was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. He graduated from Hobart College, and later received a Master of Science degree from Cornell University. He was employed by the New York State Experiment Station in Geneva, N.Y., and the Taft School in Watertown, Conn., before returning to Darrow in 1955, where he taught science for twenty years, coached several sports, and launched the school's first lacrosse program. He later taught at Berkshire Community College and the Emma Willard School. He was honored by Darrow on the occasion of his 70th reunion for his enduring commitment to the school as alumnus, faculty member, parent, and grandparent.

Horton read widely and was particularly interested in the natural sciences, local history, travel, and classical music. He played the flute and, blessed with a lyrical tenor voice, attended the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood as a student; he later sang with several oratorio choirs as an adult. He appeared on stage in numerous performances of the Berkshire Public Theatre and the Town Players of Pittsfield, also serving that organization in various roles as a board member. For many years he volunteered as an ambulance driver with the Lebanon Valley Protective Association.

An avid train and model railroad enthusiast, Horton was a member of the Berkshire Model Railroad Club and the Rensselaer Model Railroad Society. He was an inveterate tinkerer and early environmentalist who built his own solar water heater, tended two back-yard vegetable gardens, and dabbled in beekeeping. After retiring to the Finger Lakes he learned to make and bottle wine from the local grapes.

Horton remained active with the National Association of the 10th Mountain Division, attending local chapter meetings, national reunions, and veteran tours of Italy. He was a lifelong member of the Episcopal Church.²

Famous Canadian Architect. A.T. Gault Durnford was born in Montreal in1898 and obtained his Bachelor's degree in architecture from McGill University in 1922. He was connected with two architecture firms in New York City, but practised in Montreal from 1924 onwards. Durnford served in WWII as a Lieut.-Commander (S.B.) R.C.N.V.R.²

Amy Jancis Durnford Stead
August 17, 1929 - February 8, 2019

On Friday Jancis died in hospice with her children by her side. A life-long lover of the arts, Jancis was born in Montreal, the daughter of Amy Maxwell Mackenzie and Elliott Augustus Durnford, also of Montreal. She is survived by her daughters Sarah (Lukas Keller) of Zurich, Switzerland and Jennifer (Stephen Hutchings) Florenceville, New Brunswick and her favourite son, Andrew (Raewyn Girard) Ottawa, as well as her five cherished grandchildren, Aiden George and Caitlin Stead, Sebastian and Julia Hutchings and Eleanor Keller. She was pre-deceased by her parents, her brother Hugh and so many of her beloved friends, including George Stead, to whom she remained truly devoted throughout her life. A life-long educator, Jancis completed a programme in early childhood education in Boston before returning to Montreal to complete a degree in education at Sir George Williams. She began a long teaching career, interrupted for what she always said was the best part of her life, being a mother. Along with George and Hugh, Jancis was one of the first students to attend St George's School in Montreal. She adhered to the belief that all children's lives be filled with art and opportunities for creative expression in order to develop and find the commitment to follow their own directions. Jancis found comfort, meaning and renewal in music, art, her family and friends, and God. For her entire life she loved the beautiful Laurentian hills and lakes of Nantel, where her very essence was formed, grew, matured and where she felt most completely at home and at peace. She was loved, cherished and will always be alive in our hearts.¹