ZILLAH LEE ALBERN

MIDDLEBURY — Zillah Lee Albern of EastView at Middlebury passed away peacefully on Oct. 14, 2024, after living with Parkinson’s Disease for more than 17 years. Lee was born in Glen Ridge, N.J., on March 20, 1935, to Zillah (Gray) Hall and Reginald S. Hall. She grew up in Essex Fells, N.J., and completed high school at the Emma Willard School in Troy, N.Y. She then attended Middlebury College, graduating with a B.A. in chemistry in 1957. Lee went to work at the Hercules Research Center in Wilmington, Del., where she met Robert (Bob) G. Albern, a chemical engineer. They married on June 10, 1961, in Essex Fells. Lee left Hercules to raise a family in 1962 and led a very active life as a volunteer in the community, first in Wilmington and then in Kinderhook, N.Y.

In Wilmington, Lee was a member of the Episcopal parishes of St. Andrew’s, where she chaired Wilmington Garden Day in the 1970s, and then Christ Church Christiana Hundred, where she served on the altar guild. She was a regular delivery volunteer with Meals On Wheels Delaware for many years. In Kinderhook, she had a daily walking group, and she joined the Garden Club of Kinderhook, participating in its Flower Show and editing its cookbook. Lee was a passionate believer in education and fervently supported her alma maters, Emma Willard and Middlebury.

From 1986-2010, Lee returned regularly to Vermont, where she and Bob enjoyed their A-frame cottage on Fern Lake. Lee loved hosting family and friends and sharing her appreciation of all that Vermont had to offer. She created many happy memories for her children and five grandchildren, who regularly came to visit, swim in the lake, hike the nearby trails, and help her cook in the kitchen. Several beloved family dogs also enjoyed their time with Lee at Fern Lake.

Lee and Bob moved to Middlebury fulltime in 2016, when they joined the EastView community. Lee stayed as active as her Parkinson’s condition allowed, walking and exercising regularly for several years. She had a weekly bridge group with three EastView friends, including her college roommate and another classmate (!). She was also a “Bugler,” editing and proofreading for The EastView Bugle newsletter.

Throughout her life, Lee nurtured connections to family, kept track of family history, and carried on family traditions. For her 80th birthday, her special request was to take her extended family to visit the U.S. Naval Observatory in D.C., where her great-grandfather, Asaph Hall, had discovered the two moons of Mars in 1877. Lee learned to bake all the German Christmas cookie recipes that her mother-in-law made and to knit the same Christmas stocking pattern, both of which she produced in large numbers over many years. And she always loved bringing family together over good, home-cooked meals, and especially homemade desserts.

Lee is survived by her husband of 63 years, Robert G. Albern; her brother, Nathaniel Terry Hall of Canaan, Conn.; her daughter, Audrey Albern Sheffield and son-in-law John Sheffield of Seattle, Wash.; her son-in-law, James Olmsted of Boston, Mass.; and five grandchildren: Tory, Molly, Sheff, Sophie, and Mason. Her daughter, Ann Albern Olmsted, predeceased her by seven years.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 1:30 p.m., at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 3 Main Street in Middlebury, Vt. A burial service will be held separately at Rosedale Cemetery in Montclair, N.J., at a future date. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to HOPE (Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects in Addison County) via their webpage, www.hope-vt.org/donate, or by sending a check to HOPE, 282 Boardman St., Suite 1A, Middlebury, VT 05753.

Online Condolences at www.sandersonfuneralservice.com.◊