Born Burlington, Vermont
Died 12/28/2022
McClure Miller Respite House, Colchester, Vermont
Details of services
There will be no service at her request. Liz’s final resting place is at the Edmunds gravesite, Lakewood Cemetery in Burlington. Gifts in her memory may be made to ECHO, Leahy’s Center for Lake Champlain, 1 College St., Burlington, VT 05401, and Vermont Works for Women, Inc., 32A Mallets Bay Avenue Winooski, VT 05404.
Elizabeth Edmunds Stempel (“Liz”) died December 28, 2022, at the McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester, VT. Liz was born in Burlington, Vermont, and was predeceased by her loving daughter Anne, her former husband Joseph S. Stempel, her brother William Edmunds, and her parents William and Ethel (Sherman) Edmunds. She is survived by her sister-in-law, Carolyn Smith Edmunds, and Carolyn’s children, Stephen Smith, Sally Bissonette, Sheryl Madden, and their families. Throughout her life, Liz enjoyed and was warmly supported by a caring circle of friends, each of whom was deeply appreciated.
Liz attended Middlebury College and graduated in 1966 from the University of Vermont. She was a risk analyst for Liberty Mutual Insurance in Boston, MA, and a buyer for the US Navy Aviation in Philadelphia, PA. Liz lived ten years in Philadelphia where she met her husband and began her family before moving back to Vermont. She was an avid traveler, golfer, skier, gardener and tennis player.
Liz was a founding member of the Ronald Mc Donald House in Burlington and spent her life involved with the community. Despite losing her beloved daughter in the 1980’s, she lived life in support of others who had losses and were in need, with a special focus on supporting young women. She demonstrated that “courage was not the absence of fear but the ability to act despite it.” (Desmond Tutu). In her later years she found painting – both in oil and watercolors – very rewarding.
Liz lived a rich and storied life. She had durable kindness, enduring patience and was a perennial friend to many.
There will be no service at her request. Liz’s final resting place is at the Edmunds gravesite, Lakewood Cemetery in Burlington. Gifts in her memory may be made to ECHO, Leahy’s Center for Lake Champlain, 1 College St., Burlington, VT 05401, and Vermont Works for Women, Inc., 32A Mallets Bay Avenue Winooski, VT 05404.