Death & Dying

If you live in Vermont, and you have a terminal illness, where and when you die could be up to you. Charlie Bestard of Hartland asked Brave Little State about the state’s medical aid in dying law: How many Vermonters have used it, and how does the medical establishment view it?

Host Connor Cyrus discusses Vermont's medical aid in dying law, including a current federal lawsuit that aims to expand access to this end-of-life care to nonresidents.

Queen Elizabeth, who reigned for 70 years as Britain's monarch, died Thursday at Balmoral, her estate in the Scottish Highlands. She was 96. Her son Charles, 73, is now king.

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.