Harley P. Phelps Jr., 92

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Harley Proctor Phelps Jr., 92, of Lanesboro, Mass., died Sunday, January 13, 2019, at the Berkshire Medical Center. 

He was born in Pittsfield on February 25, 1926, a son of the late Harley and Beatrice (Nichols) Phelps. Harley attended schools in New Ashford and Williamstown and graduated from the former Williamstown High School with the class of 1943 and served as Class President. He was a decorated veteran of WWII, serving with the US Army Corps of Engineers. 

Harley attended RPI, the University of Maine and the University of Massachusetts. He was the proprietor of Echo Farm in Lanesborough with his family.  He served on the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture for several years and was a former president of the Berkshire County Farm Bureau. Harley was a civic leader in Lanesborough, serving on several committees. He was an active member of the First Methodist Church of Williamstown.  

His wife, Elizabeth "Betty" (Baker) Phelps, whom he married November 27, 1948, died June 2, 2013. 

Survivors include four sons, Paul Phelps and his wife Diane, Mark Phelps and his wife Susan, Jeffrey and his wife Sharon and Harley "Hap" Phelps III and his wife Bette; 10 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; one brother, Richard Phelps; and one sister, Mary Jane Zimmerman. 

He was predeceased by a daughter, Jo-Ann Phelps, who died June 30, 1994; and his grandson Daniel Patrick Phelps, who died May 23, 2015.

Funeral notice: The funeral for Harley Phelps Jr. will be Thursday, January 17, 2019, at 1:30 p.m. at the Second Congregational Church in South Williamstown.  Burial with military honors will follow in Eastlawn Cemetery.  

Calling hours at Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna Home for Funerals, West Chapels, 521 West Main St., North Adams, Mass., are Wednesday, January 16, 2019, from 4 to 7 p.m. Memorial donations may be made to the Williamstown American Legion in care of the funeral home.