In Memoriam
It is with profound sadness that we report the death of the following members of the NESEA community. Please note that this information is only that which has been volunteered to us by colleagues, friends, and family.
We invite members of the community to share memories and honor the deceased by leaving comments. If you know of someone else who should be included, please contact Katie Schendel, kschendel@nesea.org.
Richard Renner
The NESEA community deeply mourns the passing of Rick Renner on February 19, 2025. A dedicated NESEA Board Member, Lifetime Member, and recipient of the 2022 Distinguished Service Award, Rick’s contributions to our community were immeasurable. His commitment to collaboration within the design community fostered many lasting friendships that he cherished.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Rick’s name to the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center or the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA).
Please see Rick's obituary for more information.
Joel Gordes
The NESEA community mourns the passing of Joel Gordes on June 16, 2024. Joel was a NESEA Board and longtime Member and the recipient of the 2001 Distinguished Service Award for his work with the NESEA Board of Directors. Joel authored numerous papers, studies and articles on distributed generation, including how decentralized energy can be used to provide power for mission-critical, high-value applications for energy security. He worked in research, design and sales of active and passive solar technologies as well as on policy issues such as Connecticut's first climate change legislation in 1990 when he was a State Representative.
Laura Fitch
The NESEA community mourns the passing of Laura Fitch on January 1, 2023. Laura was a long time NESEA Member who was dedicated to designing community friendly projects such as Mosaic Cohousing and Cherry Hill Cohousing. She was also a strong supporter of the US Cohousing association and integrated her love of high performance building and vibrant community.
Please see her obituary for more information.
Carol Levin
The NESEA community mourns the passing of Carol Levin on December 26, 2020. Carol was a NESEA Lifetime Member and the recipient of the 2002 Distinguished Service Award.
Please see her obituary for more information.
Bill Stillinger
The NESEA community mourns the passing of Bill Stillinger on December 3, 2019. Bill was a NESEA Board and Lifetime Member and the recipient of the 2011 Distinguished Service Award for his work with the NESEA Board of Directors. Most recently, he was the External Affairs Manager of PV Squared, a worker-owned solar energy cooperative in Greenfield, MA.
Please see his obituary for more information.
Jeff Skelskie
The NESEA community mourns the passing of Jeff Skelskie on Febuary 17, 2019. Jeff was a longtime NESEA Member and a recipient of the 2009 Distinguished Service Award for his leadership in the Tour de Sol and Junior Solar Sprint. Jeff was on the board of SolarFest, active in the Granby Preservation Society and the Granby Energy Committee.
Please see his obituary for more information.
Peter Talmage
The NESEA community mourns the passing of Peter Talmage on Febuary 8, 2019. Peter was a longtime and active NESEA Member. He was a faculty member at Greenfield Community College where he taught in the Renewable Energy Department and a former member of the Northfield Energy Committee.
Joe Bosworth
The NESEA community mourns the passing of Joe Bosworth on August 10, 2017. Joe was a longtime NESEA Member and chaired the 2013-14 NESEA Student Design Competition. He was the Managing Partner for Westbrook Farm and Team Lead for Cascade Woods.
Please see his obituary for more information.
Doug Holmes
The NESEA community mourns the passing of Doug Holmes on December 27, 2016. Doug was a NESEA Lifetime Member and lifelong learner. Doug worked for Polaroid for many years as a chemical engineer. In the second chapter of his professional life, he founded Minergy Associates, and worked as an independent consultant on a variety of renewable energy projects including hydrogen fuel cells, lithium batteries and solar photovoltaic products.
Together with architect Bill Mead, he designed the Minergy House in 1980, an early example of a high performance residence in Lexington, MA.
Please see his obituary for more information.
Edmund Hazzard
The NESEA community mourns the passing of Edmund Hazzard on March 16, 2016. Edmund was a long time NESEA Member. He served on the Grafton Historic Commission, Energy Committee, and the Hassanamesit Woods Committee.
Please see his obituary for more information.