Obituaries | 1980-1989

It is with great sadness that we report the death of DARIA DONNELLY, Class of 1981. Daria died in Boston, Massachusetts on September 21, 2004, three years after her first symptoms of multiple myeloma, cancer of the bone marrow. She leaves her husband, Steven Weissburg, and two children, Leo and Josephine.

A native of Pittsburgh, she received her elementary and secondary education from Mercy nuns. After majoring in religion at Wesleyan University, Daria taught in an inner-city high school, cooked for a Catholic Worker house in Rochester, NY, and spent a year studying (Hebrew and religion), traveling, and dog-watching in Jerusalem. A love of literature and desire to integrate that with religious studies led Daria to a PhD in English and American Literature from Brandeis University. She studied nineteenth-century American poetry and theodicy under the MacArthur genius grantee Allen Grossman. Teaching (at Boston University), research, and writing followed. In 2000, she joined the staff of Commonwealth Magazine, an independent journal of opinion edited and managed by lay Catholics, as Associate Editor At Large and Poetry Editor.

JOHANN R. CLARY, D.D.S., a periodontist, died Nov. 25, 2002. He was 41. A member of Psi Upsilon, he received a dental degree from Northwestern University Dental School. He wrote, taught, and lectured about the field of periodontics and was active in professional organizations. He is survived by a son, his parents, a brother, a sister, and his former wife, Avril Patch Clary ’84.

AVRIL P. CLARY, who owned an online design company, died Apr. 18, 2009. She was 46. The widow of Johann Clary ’84, she received an MBA from the University of Colorado in 1987. Their 12-year-old son, Max, survives, as does her brother-in-law.

MELISSA J. BATTER, 45, a chaplain for California homeless and prison ministries, died Apr. 24, 2008. Survivors include her partner, Margaret Freel, her mother, two brothers and their families, and a stepfather and stepmother.

RICHARD Q. BENSON, 47, died Sept. 16, 2008. An economics major, he had worked in sales. Among those who survive are his parents, two brothers, four sisters, and several nieces and nephews.

MICHAEL J. AUGER, an attorney and principal of the Law Offices of Michael J. Auger in Farmington, Conn., died Oct. 26, 2010. He was 51. A member of Chi Psi, he received his law degree from Western New England College. He was an avid sports fan and coached his children’s teams. He is survived by his wife, Deborah Ostroski Auger, his parents, his son and daughter, three sisters, and an extended family.

RICHARD B. DREYFUS, 46, an attorney and international counsel with the Apache Corp., died Mar. 12, 2005 of colon and liver cancer. A student in the College of Letters, he received his degree cum laude. He received his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh and worked in varied aspects of the oil and gas industry. He was also a tireless supporter of Wesleyan in his community and on his travels. Survivors include his wife, Helen Bagot Dreyfus, two sons, his parents, and a brother