MIDDLEBURY — Betsy K. Thurber, 95, left this lovely earth regretfully, but peacefully, at her home in Middlebury, on Sept. 10, 2020.
Betty was born in Orleans, Vt., in 1925 to Archie and Lana Stevens Kipp. She spent most of her life, after graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Vermont in 1947, in Middlebury, Vt., where she and her husband, Harris Thurber, taught at the College and raised their three children, Lyn, Bill, and Sara, with the help of a “village.” The Congregational Church nurtured them all, through baptisms, marriages and funerals, as well as provided many opportunities to serve the church and the community. Betty was active on many church boards, including the Trustees, Church Council, and the Church Building Committee, helping to plan interior renovations and a new church school building. She found much friendship and joy as well, in singing in the choir for 60 years.
A lifelong devotion to public education guided both Betty’s career and her volunteer activities. At Middlebury College, she taught student teachers for over 30 years, and in the community, she served UD3 as clerk and board member. Her work on the school board centered on curriculum and athletics. She also served on the Vermont State Teacher Licensure Board. Other major interests included the League of Women Voters, the Charter House Coalition in Middlebury, Addison County Hospice (as board president), the Lund Home, Habitat for Humanity, and the Addison County Educational Endowment Fund. For fun, Betty loved to play golf and to sing in choruses. In later years, the Middlebury Community Chorus brought Dick Cramton and Betty together for a long and happy life of choral singing, international travel, sailing on the “Betsy K,” and family celebrations.
In all of her years, family was paramount, and family camp was the center of this focus, at Lake Willoughby, Thompson’s Point, and this summer, for a final time, at Lake Dunmore. Besides Dick, she leaves her three children: Lyn Lauffer and husband Ferdinand of Berkshire, Vt., and their children, Emily of London, England, and Elisabeth of Berkshire, Vt.; Bill Thurber of St. Albans, Vt., and his children, Dr. Alison Thurber and fiancé, Alberto Morais, of Jersey City, N.J., and Ainsley Thurber Winnie and husband, Jonathan, of Rolling Meadows, Ill.; and Sara Marshall and husband, Rick, of Weybridge, Vt., and their children, Alex Marshall and wife, Thana Taliep, of Denver, Colo.; Nate Marshall and wife, Caitlin, of Essex Junction, Vt.; and Ben Marshall and partner, Shanna Record, of Shelburne, Vt., as well as several nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by Harris Thurber in 1980 and two brothers, Dr. Stanley Kipp and Richard Kipp. The family will plan a private service in the near future. Any gifts in Betty’s memory may be sent to the Charter House Coalition, 27 North Pleasant St., Middlebury, VT 05753, or to the Congregational Church, 30 North Pleasant St., Middlebury, VT 05753. Many thanks to Sanderson-Ducharme Funeral Services.◊