Death & Dying

Rutland journalist, author and poet Yvonne Daley died this week at age 77. She had worked for nearly two decades at the Rutland Herald and wrote a half dozen books, including her most recent: Going Up the Country. It chronicled the counterculture movement that brought many young people to Vermont in the 1950s and '60s, including Daley herself.

More than 400 Vermonters died from COVID in the past year. These are some of their obituaries.

A forest in Roxbury is being transformed into Vermont’s first dedicated forest cemetery. The owners hope green burials will revive the local ecosystem and be an environmentally-friendly option for Vermonters pondering the end.

Fern Feather, 29, had eyes that sparkled, and a big, true smile. Friends say Feather loved plants and animals, and always worked to create spaces that were alive, and beautiful, and safe — in Vermont, and in time spent out west.

A lot of the stories you hear on VPR start with observations. Sometimes, reporters hang onto things they’ve noticed, waiting for the right opportunity to pursue them. And sometimes, they wait too long.

Bertram "Pete" Adams, a lifelong resident of Wilmington, Vermont, operated his own plumbing business for years. He raised a family and spent his spare time woodworking. He died in September 2021 from COVID-19.

Paul Percy reflects on his family's loss of more than 100 Jersey cows in a fire that destroyed the Stowe farm's barn last week.

On any given winter day, if you’re wandering along the Burlington shore of Lake Champlain, there’s a good chance you’ll run into the Red Hot Chilly Dippers. They’re pretty easy to spot – they’re the people in hats, booties and bathing suits, wading between ice chunks.And for one woman grieving the loss of her husband, joining the Chilly Dippers brought her energy, support and a way to laugh once again.

Black patients and their families are less likely to sign up for end-of-life comfort care. To reach them, investors are starting hospice agencies run by people who look like the patients they serve.

A federal program reimburses families up to $9,000 for funeral costs for loved ones who died of COVID-19. But many eligible families have not applied for assistance.