What a loss this town has felt with the September 1 passing of Rosalie Vear, whose creative and kind spirit brought so much to so many. With permission from her daughter Kate, we share pages from her memoir here, as she wrote about her years growing up in Waterford.
Also here, with her photo, is the beautifully written obituary that celebrates her life:
Rosalie T. (Rancour) Vear
Aug. 19, 1926 - Sept. 1, 2024
Anyone who was fortunate enough to know Rosalie T. (Rancour) Vear had the privilege of knowing a woman who was unequivocally selfless and kind. They also knew she had many passions including gardening, baking bread, and quilting (just to mention a few) and that she possessed a wonderful sense of humor and a remarkable artistic talent. She was also a great storyteller and wrote several books chronicling her life and family. At the age of 90, she wrote her first memoir, From Start to Finish. These are her words taken from the epilogue of that book, and they portray perfectly how truly thoughtful and loving she was:
“My life is like a tapestry filled with bright colors showing the happy times and the dark colors outlining the bright colors, depicting the sad times of my life. The contrast is what makes it beautiful. And my life has been truly beautiful. [The people I have deeply loved and lost] are the dark colors [woven into] my tapestry, [adding] a dimension, a beauty to my creation. I have dearly loved being the mother and grandmother of such an interesting and wonderful group of people. I wish I had worried less and laughed more. That I had trusted my instincts and forgotten about the experts.”
Rosalie married Donald Vear, the love of her life, who predeceased her in 1998. Together,they created and nurtured the “interesting and wonderful” (and let’s be honest and also add “fun and sometimes crazy”) group that was their family: William (Linda) Vear, Kathryn (Robert) McGill, Margaret (Michael) Hale, Donna (David) Coker, James Vear, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. That family is forever indebted to her for setting an example of what a good human is and teaching the invaluable lessons of life that helped to shape them into the people they are today.
Rosalie felt so fortunate to start a second chapter and find happiness again when she reconnected with her old friend Frank Landry. They married and enjoyed nearly two wonderful decades together before Frank’s passing in 2019.
Rosalie died on September 1st, just two weeks after celebrating her 98th birthday with family and friends. At 98, she was still the same wonderful person she had been her whole life. If you want to learn about all the amazing things she did throughout her life, you can find her wonderful life story in her books.
Rosalie, your family is sending you off with love and gratitude. We will miss you, but we know we will see you again. Please hug and kiss everybody up there for us, especially Dad and your beautiful great-grandson Gunnar.
In lieu of flowers, please plant a flower in your own flower garden in memory of Rosalie.
[Calling hours were held at Sayles Funeral Home, 525 Summer Street in St. Johnsbury on Thursday, Sept. 5, from 4 – 6 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, Sept. 6, at 10 a.m. at St. John the Evangelist Church in St. Johnsbury, Vt., with Fr. Lance Harlow officiating.]
And here, again with Kate's help, are two pages of from the manuscript of her writing about Upper Waterford and its changes:
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