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Obituary for James O. Deshel
James “Jim†Deshel, longtime teacher, dog lover, environmentalist, and clock repair expert, has died at his home in Georgia. Jim was born in Yonkers, N.Y., on March 26, 1927. After a two-year stint in the U.S. Navy, at the age of 18 Jim attended college and came to work teaching science at BFA in St. Albans in 1952. He left to teach in Bennington from 1955 to 1960, but then returned to BFA where he taught until his retirement in 1984. Since then, he has kept busy repairing clocks, rescuing dogs and cats, and being an avid birder. He will be missed by the many friends whose lives he touched and the many people whose success was inspired by Jim in the classroom. Jim was predeceased by his wife, Gwen, and like her, he requested that there be no services or memorials held. Anyone considering a memorial gift in Jim’s name should remember his devotion to the Franklin County Humane Society, the Rescue arm of the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America, and The Nature Conservancy.
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