Obituaries

June Jones
B: 1944-06-16
D: 2025-05-03
View Details
Jones, June
Jeannine Vallieres
B: 1938-04-21
D: 2025-05-03
View Details
Vallieres, Jeannine
Carin Sargent
B: 1949-07-27
D: 2025-05-03
View Details
Sargent, Carin
Mark Shand
B: 1968-11-28
D: 2025-05-02
View Details
Shand, Mark
Paul Talley
B: 1956-04-01
D: 2025-05-01
View Details
Talley, Paul
Marie Edwards
B: 1952-05-06
D: 2025-04-30
View Details
Edwards, Marie
Sharon Bickford
B: 1953-02-10
D: 2025-04-26
View Details
Bickford, Sharon
Thomas Hellman
B: 1943-09-01
D: 2025-04-25
View Details
Hellman, Thomas
Anthony Scalzo
B: 1946-09-25
D: 2025-04-21
View Details
Scalzo, Anthony
Howard Kirby
B: 1938-10-19
D: 2025-04-20
View Details
Kirby, Howard
Dale Knowles
B: 1932-08-18
D: 2025-04-20
View Details
Knowles, Dale
Helena Tuxbury
B: 1934-03-08
D: 2025-04-20
View Details
Tuxbury, Helena
Cheryl Kail
B: 1946-04-17
D: 2025-04-18
View Details
Kail, Cheryl
Robert Hanson
B: 1958-06-16
D: 2025-04-18
View Details
Hanson, Robert
Daniel Carver
B: 1957-05-21
D: 2025-04-18
View Details
Carver, Daniel
Susan Waterhouse
B: 1953-09-02
D: 2025-04-16
View Details
Waterhouse, Susan
Catherine Howes
B: 1970-02-28
D: 2025-04-13
View Details
Howes, Catherine
David Letourneau
B: 1947-10-13
D: 2025-04-12
View Details
Letourneau, David
Darleen Grenier
B: 1947-11-19
D: 2025-04-12
View Details
Grenier, Darleen
Jayson Colebaugh
B: 1984-09-15
D: 2025-04-12
View Details
Colebaugh, Jayson
Rosanne Savage
B: 1950-11-22
D: 2025-04-10
View Details
Savage, Rosanne

Search

Use the form above to find your loved one. You can search using the name of your loved one, or any family name for current or past services entrusted to our firm.

Click here to view all obituaries
Search Obituaries
1176 Main Street
Fairfax, VT 05454
Phone: 802-849-6261
Fax: 802-849-6262

Immediate Need

If you have immediate need of our services, we're available for you 24 hours a day.

Pre-Arrangement

A gift to your family, sparing them hard decisions at an emotional time.

Obituaries & Tributes

It is not always possible to pay respects in person, so we hope that this small token will help.

Order Flowers

Offer a gift of comfort and beauty to a family suffering from loss.

Ending Denial and Finding Acceptance

Acceptance is the very first task in your bereavement. Dr. James Worden writes that we must "come full face with the reality that the person is dead, that the person is gone and will not return."

This is where a funeral can be very important. Traditionally, the casketed body of the deceased is at the front of the room and guests are invited to step up to personally say their goodbyes. Part of stepping up means seeing with our own eyes that death has actually occurred and that actualizing is an essential part of coming to accept the death. Yet, the tradition of viewing has eroded over time with many families today choosing cremation and opting to hold a memorial service after the cremation has taken place. The focal point of the ceremony becomes the cremation urn, holding the cremated remains or ashes out-of-sight and making the reality of the death less evident and the road to acceptance less clearly marked.

Acceptance May Seem Out-of-Reach

For many, acceptance means agreeing to reality. Most of us, when we lose someone dear to us, simply don't want to agree to it; we actually have an aversion to agreeing and accepting. So, let's use a different word - try adjustment, or integration. Both words focus on the purposeful release of disbelief. Someone who has integrated the death of a loved one into their life has cleared the path to creating a new life; a pro-active life where a loved one's memory is held dear, perhaps as a motivating force for change.

It does take time. In Coping with the Loss of a Loved One, the American Cancer Society cautions readers that "acceptance does not happen overnight. It’s common for it to take a year or longer to resolve the emotional and life changes that come with the death of a loved one. The pain may become less intense, but it’s normal to feel emotionally involved with the deceased for many years after their death. In time, the person should be able to reclaim the emotional energy that was invested in the relationship with the deceased, and use it in other relationships." 

Whatever you call it, this essential part of mourning is what allows us to live fully again. It allows us to step out of the darkness of mere existence and back into the sunshine where life is sweet again. Of course, it's a very different life than the one you had before your loved one died.

Sources:
Worden, James, Grief Counseling & Grief Therapy: A Handbook for the Mental Health Practitioner, 4th Edition, 2009.

American Cancer Society, "Coping with the Loss of a Loved One", 2012