We received very sad news about one of our dear classmates.
Heather Van Blarcom Gumuchian ’88 died peacefully in Boston on July 13, 2012 at age 45. She was born in Stowe Vermont, on April 25, 1967 to John and Jeannette Van Blarcom.
Heather was the valedictorian of Stowe High School Class of 1984. At Dartmouth, Heather She was a sister in Alpha Chi Omega and played the trumpet in the Dartmouth Wind Symphony and the marching band. Heather graduated Cum Laude in June 1988 with honors in her major of Classical Archeaology. She earned both an MS in Accounting and an M.B.A. from Northeastern University in 1990.
Heather married Gary Gumuchian in 2001 and made her home in Littleton, Massachusetts since 2002. She was a long time Certified Public Accountant employed by Deloitte and Touche. As a member of the Congregational Church of Littleton, she served on the Church Finance Committee, as well as Church Auditor, Sunday School Teacher and Council Member at Large. She enjoyed church, skiing, golfing, backgammon, the theater, playing the trumpet, knitting and most of all, spending time with her children. Besides her parents, Heather is survived by her husband Gary and her children Gordon and Calista, her brother Ian Van Blarcom and his wife Sarah and their daughter Emma.
Memorial contributions may be made to “The Heather Van Blarcom Gumuchian Endowment Fund” at the Congregational Church of Littleton, Massachusetts.
Classmate Scott Sabol shared these memories that capture Heather’s spirit: “I think many ‘88s knew Heather much better than I, but I probably knew her before most ‘88s ever did. I first met Heather when we were both juniors in high school. The Dartmouth Alumni Club of Central Vermont initiated a ‘Dartmouth Book Award’ and we were each the recipients for our schools. We met at a dinner held in Montpelier at which many alumni were present. About all I remember from that meeting was Heather’s long brown hair and constant smile. On campus at Dartmouth, our paths seldom seemed to cross, but the few times I saw her, she was always smiling. And although she is now gone, at least I’ll have that smile to remember her by. I’m sure she made the world a better place during her all-too-short time on it.”