Around Town: June 29, 2023
Condolences
James A. Spadaccini
A celebration of life, in loving memory for James A. Spadaccini will be held at the Charlotte Congregational Church in Charlotte on Saturday, July 15, at 11 a.m. Please join to honor Jim’s life with stories and memories.
Laureanne F. Plouffe
Laureanne F. Plouffe of Charlotte died Monday, June 19, at Northwest Medical Center in St. Albans surrounded by her family
Laureanne was born in St. Jude, Quebec, Canada, on Jan. 21, 1936, the daughter of Romeo and Deliose (Lambert) Plouffe. She moved with her family in 1956 to their farm in Charlotte. She remained at home until 1998, and since has lived with her sister and brother-in-law Agnes and Renald Lussier.
A humble woman of quiet means, she loved her cats and rabbits, and was a devout Catholic who prayed every day for her extended family with amazing ferocity. She was content with the simplest of pleasures — maple syrup, chocolate and oreo cookies — and had a sweet tooth that rivaled any of her brothers-in-law or nephews.
Laureanne was predeceased by her parents, her sisters Denise and Constance of Quebec, her brothers Bertrand and Cyril of Quebec and Yvan of Charlotte. She is survived by her brother Norman (Evelyn) of Quebec; and sisters Agnes (Renald) of Charlotte, Edith (Jim) of Isle LaMotte, and Danielle of Virginia.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, July 7, at 11 a.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Shelburne.
Our thanks to the Howard Center, but especially to Agnes and Renald for their dedicated care of Laureanne for the last 25 years. It certainly is not easy to be “parents” to an older sister. Special thanks also to her sister Edie and niece France for their help in the care of Laureanne in the past year, and to the caring staff at Northwest Medical Center in the last week of her life.
Congratulations
Anna Stevens of Charlotte earned a master’s of social work from Widener University’s College of Health and Human Services for the spring semester.
Mason Otley of Charlotte was named to the dean’s list at Lehigh University for the spring semester.
Sophie Pidgeon and Jasmin Townsend-Ng of Charlotte were both named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at the University of New England.
Two Charlotters joined former Senator Patrick Leahy to complete a trio of Vermonters receiving honors from the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Patricia O’Donnell, founder of Heritage Landscapes of Charlotte, received the American Society of Landscape Architects Medal.
Jim Donovan, of Broadreach Planning & Design, received the American Society of Landscape Architects Community Service Award.
Leahy, longtime senator from Vermont, was named an honorary member of the American Society of Landscape Architects at the organization’s 2023 Honor Recipients.
The Charlotte Library also got some props from the Vermont Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. The library received a Vermont Public Places merit award for its rain garden. A release about the awards noted how much “homegrown” community volunteer effort was involved in the design and installation of more than 1,500 plants in the library’s rain garden.
The purpose of the rain garden is to make visible the library’s stormwater management plan for both education and public enjoyment. As part of the Ahead of the Storm program, it also provides info on good stormwater management practices for homeowners through signs and placards, the release said.
“The Sweet Tooth Dilemma” by Andrea Grayson of Charlotte is scheduled to be published July 18.
“Most people know that eating too much sugar can lead to weight gain, but it also can lead to inflammation, which is associated with every chronic disease, including heart disease, dementia and depression,” Grayson said in an email.
The book is based on a course she teaches to help people break free from sugar.