Edward Clayton "Ed" Phelps

1935 - 2018

Bernardston native Edward Clayton Phelps, known as ""Ed"", passed away on January 9, 2018 at Buckley Health Care Center in Greenfield. He was 82. Phelps was born at home in Bernardston to Richard Clayton and Audrey (Burrows) Phelps in 1935, and as a young boy had a bright smile and a knack for reciting poetry. Throughout his life, the smile never dulled and the crafting of words would always bring him pleasure.
Educated at Powers Institute, Phelps spent a post-graduate year at Mount Hermon School for Boys in 1954, followed by four years at Keene State College where he found his calling as a teacher. Phelps landed a job teaching English at the Greenfield Middle School where he continued to teach until retirement, entertaining students with his deliberately corny jokes and outrageous tall tales. As an educator, Phelps was loved and respected by students and teaching colleagues alike.
Phelps had a rich and adventurous personal life, which was cemented in 1976 with his marriage to Beverly (Brown) Haynes of Greenfield. Together, they raised four daughters: Ed's girls from a previous marriage, Ruth Lovejoy Phelps and Martha Fairman Phelps, and Beverly's two daughters, Sandra Lynn Haynes and Laura Grace Haynes. Ed had a love of learning and experimentation, and there was always a project going on at the Phelps home. An inveterate organic gardener and enthusiastic wine-maker, Ed also kept bees and chickens, built a canoe from cedar wood and canvas, and worked continually on the restoration and maintenance of the family's 1799 farmhouse on South Street. What Phelps did not know he taught himself, including the five-string banjo and the fiddle. After countless evenings of diligent practice, Phelps founded the Falltown String Band in 1987 with a group of loyal and talented friends. The band was in demand at local events year-round and they still continue to perform, livening up dances, old home festivals, parties, and any occasion worthy of music, as evidenced by the list of gigs on the back of their annual t-shirt.
Phelps loved the outdoors, whether jogging, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, canoeing, or hiking Mt. Monadnock with family and friends. There was a special place in his heart for the forest, and after moving to a wooded hill on Brattleboro Road in the 1990's, Phelps spent a part of each day in the woodlot behind his house, clearing trails and tending to the trees with care and forethought. He was an avid practitioner of sustainable forestry practices, passing on his knowledge of the New England forest ecosystem to his children and grandchildren.
Phelps was a lifelong churchgoer and active community member. He served as Deacon in the United Church of Bernardston, and also as town selectman for several years. In a more informal context, he was a faithful daily visitor at Streeter's General Store in the center of Bernardston. A brief trip to ""get the paper"" sometimes entailed an absence of an hour or more, as Ed never passed up the chance to talk with neighbors. Passionately interested in both history and stories, Phelps spent years collecting the stories of Bernardston residents and recording them. His oral history project became a hardcover book illustrated with original photographs, recording the town's history from the perspective of those who lived it. Phelps also had a brief stint as a local icon when his sociable nature and cheerful smile attracted the attention of the Franklin Medical Center. Scouted as a poster boy for hearing aids, Phelps' photo was displayed on busses and billboards throughout Franklin County, to the delight of family members.
After his retirement from teaching, Ed and his wife Beverly indulged their mutual love of travel. Together, they explored Iceland, Greenland, Scotland, New Zealand, Honduras, and Japan, as well as re-tracing Lewis and Clark's journey across the U.S., with Beverly at the wheel and Ed as navigator. In his later years, Phelps' activity was limited due to a disability; thanks to the loving care of Beverly, he was able to continue living at home, where he enjoyed reading, watching the Red Sox, listening to folk music, and entertaining visitors.
Phelps is survived by his wife of 41 years, Beverly, in addition to the following: sister Abbie (Phelps) Hatton and her husband Robert Hatton of Williamstown, MA; daughter Ruth (Phelps) Iida and her husband Keisuke Iida of Hadano, Japan; daughter Martha Phelps and her husband Daniel Lepow of Mercer Island, WA; step-daughter Sandra Haynes and her husband Barry Dietz of Montague; step-daughter Laura Chambers of New Orleans, LA; grandson Clayton Junsuke Iida of Tokyo, Japan; granddaughter Ellen Sumire Iida of Mexico City, Mexico; granddaughters Anne and Susie Lepow of Mercer Island, WA; grandson Casey Haynes of Brattleboro, VT; grandson James Craig of Montague, MA; and grandchildren Myles and Elise Chambers of New Orleans, LA.
A celebration of life for Edward C. Phelps, 82, of Bernardston will be Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018, at 11 a.m. at the United Church of Bernardston.
Kidder Funeral Home, 1 Parker Avenue, Northfield, is in charge of arrangements.
Donations in his memory may be made to AdoptAClassroom.org.