Born Nov. 5, 1938
Brattleboro, Vermont
Died Aug. 27, 2023
Brattleboro, Vermont
Details of services
Burial was private. A memorial service and gathering will be held at 1:00 PM on Sunday, September 10th at the home of Beverley and Stuart at 30 Covey Road in Brattleboro, with parking at Lilac Ridge Farm. If you wish, please bring a favorite dessert to share, in honor of Stuart.
Please consider memorializing Stuart by making a donation in his honor to The Vermont Land Trust, 54 Linden St, Brattleboro, VT05301 and Brattleboro Area Hospice, 191 Canal St, Brattleboro, VT 05301.
On August 27th, with Zinnias waving in a light breeze outside his window and the milking cows grazing in a nearby pasture, Stuart Johnson Thurber died peacefully in his home surrounded by his family.
An astute farmer, a respected conservationist, and civic leader, Stuart was an anchor to the Windham county community stewarding Lilac Ridge Farm, his home for 84 years.
Born in Brattleboro on Nov 5, 1938 he attended the original Academy school in West Brattleboro. Involved in agriculture at an early age, Stuart participated in 4H and practiced his craft early on at the home farm. A popular story accounts for when he burned his first sugaring pan because he was called in for dinner. He was 10 years old. He graduated from Brattleboro
Union High School where he was an officer in the FFA. He supported his family’s dairy farm by dropping milk off at the Hillside Dairy Creamery on the way to school.
Stuart attended the University of Vermont and received a degree in Animal Science. While at the University he was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho, played cornet in the band and made lifelong friends and colleagues in the Vermont agricultural community.
He returned to the farm in 1960, and served in the National Guard while endeavoring to make Lilac Ridge Farm a modern diversified dairy farm. On August 7, 1965, he married Beverley Evans from Guilford and forged a partnership that made for a successful farm and family.
Over the course of his agricultural career Stuart’s impact was found in the many organizations he was involved in. He served as a director for the Agway cooperative, as well as the Northampton Cooperative Auction. But perhaps he is most remembered for his contribution for land conservation in the town of Brattleboro and to the state of Vermont. He worked as a member of the Brattleboro Ag Advisory board to help create local tax stabilization on farm land in Brattleboro – an effort that continues today to protect and maintain working farmland in the community. In 1987 he was appointed by Governor Madeleine Kunin to serve on the first Vermont Housing and Conservation board. The task to create affordable housing and protect farmland around the state was a fulfilling mission for him and his insight and forward thinking still has a lasting impact on how Vermont looks today. He cherished the relationships that he made with fellow board members.
Alongside his civic commitment, Stuart was also a devoted member of his faith community. He served as a Sunday school superintendent and Elder for many years at the West Brattleboro Baptist church.
In his later years, Stuart continued to be involved in Lilac Ridge Farm’s transition into organic production. He heartily embraced new technology to manage grass based dairy and enjoyed time working in the woods and helping in the sugar house during the early spring. He also enjoyed serving on the Windham Regional Woodlands Association and continued to take interest in learning about forestry practices.
If there was any version of “retirement” that he adopted it was to make time to attend the many athletic events that his grandchildren participated in. From high football games to nordic ski races, college track to middle school field hockey, he rooted heartily for all of his grandchildren to compete at their highest level.
Stuart leaves his wife Beverley Evans Thurber, his partner in farming and life, to whom he was married for 58 years, and his children: Sara Thurber Cobb (and her husband Ed) of Maynard, MA, Hanna Thurber (and her husband Shabir Kamal) of Brattleboro, Ross Thurber (and his wife Amanda Ellis-Thurber) of Brattleboro, and daughter Jessica Thurber Gould (and her husband Eli) of Brattleboro. Stuart was a beloved “Papa” to nine grandchildren (Madeline Cobb Mueller (and her husband Zach Mueller), Rosemary Cobb, Violet Cobb, Isabella Thurber, Henry Thurber, Willem Thurber, Calvin Gould, Eva Gould, and Delia Gould. Of special note, Stuart met and held his first great grandchild, Colette Thurber Mueller, who was just born in July in Portland, Maine. Stuart leaves his sister Helen Robb (Charles Robb, Sr.) of West Brattleboro and a number of nieces and nephews.
Burial was private. A memorial service and gathering will be held at 1:00 PM on Sunday, September 10th at the home of Beverley and Stuart at 30 Covey Road in Brattleboro, with parking at Lilac Ridge Farm. If you wish, please bring a favorite dessert to share, in honor of Stuart.
Please consider memorializing Stuart by making a donation in his honor to The Vermont Land Trust, 54 Linden St, Brattleboro, VT05301 and Brattleboro Area Hospice, 191 Canal St, Brattleboro, VT 05301.
