Eunice Van Vleck February 21, 1930 – December 29, 2018 Share this obituary Local Florists Send Sympathy Gifts Sign Guestbook| Send Private Condolences| Send Sympathy Card Eunice (Mrs. David) Van Vleck passed away on Saturday, December 29, 2018 at her residence in Cornwall. She was born Eunice Amelia Holt on February 21, 1930 in West Hartford, CT. Eunice or “Eunie” as she was called by family members and close friends, grew up as the oldest child of Guy and Helen Holt, followed by two brothers and twin sisters.
She had a happy childhood, surrounded by family and pets. She attended the Oxford School, Emma Willard and Vassar College. During the summers, she spent much of her time at the family summer home in Skaneateles, NY with myriad cousins.
Eunice met David Van Vleck in West Hartford when they were sixteen. They dated for several years, marrying after Dave graduated from Princeton. Their plan of having Dave obtain his graduate degree in Michigan was cut short by the Korean War, which saw them stationed in Panama.
After this, their children, Carolyn, then David, made their entrances, while they lived at the Loomis School. This was followed by several years in Ithaca, NY, where Dave studied again, and their youngest, Sarah, made her appearance. It was here, as well, that a continuing stream of Basset hounds and cats began to live with them, as Eunice was an avid lover of animals!
The next step involved moving to Miami, FL, where the family lived for several years, enjoying the almost year-round out-of-doors lifestyle, including tennis, swimming and gardening. Dave’s new job beckoned, so from there they moved to Middlebury, VT, where Eunice and Dave have lived since 1968, in first Middlebury, then Cornwall. Middlebury saw Eunice spread her wings once the kids were out of the house!
She was one of the founders of the Middlebury Food Co-op, The Addison County Humane Society, Planned Parenthood of Addison County and was the lead actress of the Middlebury Community Players for many years, which she thoroughly enjoyed! She was also the official escort of Miss Vermont to the Miss America competition for several years and worked at the Round Robin as a volunteer for many years. She worked at several short-term jobs, but enjoyed being a mom more than anything else.
She and Dave built a house on Butternut Ridge, then bought a dairy farm with Hodges, which they all worked hard at turning it into a commercial apple orchard, Sunrise Orchards, in Cornwall. A new house was built on the property with a million dollar view, where Eunice sat on the porch, daily, looking a the Green Mountains in their glory, the black angus that roam the fields in front of the apple trees, and every bird that passed by! Eunice leaves behind her immediate family and her sister, Kathy Barnes of Georgia, as well as her rambunctious grandsons, Pennock, Stokes and Townsend, all of whom she adored.
The Van Vleck family would like to give love and thanks to all those all Addison County Home Health and Hospice (particularly Kathy and Joanne), as well as Dinners of Love and the Medical Supply store at Marble Works for all their incredible help! We simply could not have done it without you all, and Mom wouldn’t have been able to stay at home without all of you! A tremendous hug to everyone!
If you’d like to donate money in her memory, kindly do so to the Addison County Humane Society (Homeward Bound) who provided so many of her dear dogs at 236 Boardman Street, Middlebury, VT 05753. A celebration of her life will be held this Spring at a later date to be announced. Arrangements are under the direction of Sanderson-Ducharme Funeral Service.
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