Joyce Elaine Randall
Joyce Elaine Randall, 85, a longtime West Glover resident, died peacefully on August 10, 2022, at the Newport Health Center. She was born on March 31, 1937.
She was predeceased by her parents, Lawrence and Hilda (Mason) Peavey, by her husbands, Paul Bickford and Edward Randall, and by her eldest son, Ashley Bickford.
She is survived by her children: Amber, Shane and his wife, Annette, Loraleh, and Garth, and by her nine grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held for Joyce at the West Glover Congregational Church on Thursday, August 18, 2022. Calling hours will be at 1 p.m., and be followed by the service at 2 p.m.
Online condolences may be made at curtis-britch.com.
Diane L. Mandigo
Diane L. (Brooks) Mandigo, 75, of Derby died peacefully on August 3, 2022, at the Jack Byrne Center for Palliative and Hospice Care in Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Diane was born on July 11, 1947, to Thomas Brooks Sr. and Lucille (Cheney) Brooks. Diane spent most of her younger life in Morrisville.
On October 24, 1964, Diane married Kenneth Mandigo and went on to raise five children.
Diane was employed at Northeast Kingdom Community Action for many years, in both the Island Pond and St. Johnsbury locations. After moving away to Pennsylvania and working at Walmart there for a few years, she returned home to Morrisville to live with and take care of her mother, Lucille. During her time in Morrisville she worked at Price Chopper.
Diane’s purpose and joy in life was to be there for all of those around her, both family and friends.
Diane leaves behind many loved ones who will miss her dearly: her brother, Thomas Brooks Jr., and his wife, Connie, of Woodbury; her four children: Monica Quick and her husband, Gary, of Island Pond, Denise Fletcher of Derby, Christopher Mandigo and his wife, Constance, of Newport, and Kenny Mandigo of Newport; her grandchildren: Robert Ingram, Judie Mandigo, Kristal Cote, Desi-Rae Fletcher, Dawn Fletcher, David Fletcher, Amber Simino, Michelle McVeigh, Alexandra McVeigh, Joshua Mandigo, Danielle Mandigo, Alexander Mandigo, and Anna Mandigo; and many nephews, nieces, and great-grandchildren.
Diane was predeceased by her parents, Thomas Brooks Sr. and Lucille Brooks, by her sister Patricia Keen, and her son Scott Mandigo.
It was Diane’s wishes that no services be held for her, and her family wants to honor her wishes.
Christopher Gordon
On Monday, August 1, 2022, Christopher “Chris” Gordon, residing in Burlington, died from complications of COVID-19. Chris was 55 years old.
Chris was born on July 14, 1967, in Neptune, New Jersey. He was the son of June and Edward, and the baby brother to Lynn and Julie, and eventually big brother to Jessica. Chris grew up in Florida where he developed his love of the outdoors. Chris spent nearly all his free time fishing, biking, and swimming, coming inside only when he heard his mother call out, “dinner’s ready!”
As a young adult Chris relocated with his family to New Jersey and then to Vermont, where he bought a home on Crystal Lake. Chris spent countless hours on the lake with his two St. Bernards, Moose and Annie. He loved to jump into his canoe and go spot wildlife. Chris found his peace among the fish and the birds.
He was a skilled craftsman, possessing the ability to construct nearly anything out of wood. He was especially talented with a scroll saw, crafting beautiful pieces that his family will treasure. Chris was also creative with words, writing poetry that was sprinkled with his quick-witted humor. He had an infectious laugh and a smile that lit up his entire face.
Chris moved to Burlington six years ago and was blessed to have met the man who became his best friend, Mike Shea. Mike facilitated Chris becoming Chef De Bar on board the Spirit of Ethan Allen, a job Chris was so very proud of. Chris felt blessed to be surrounded by a wonderful group of coworkers, many of whom became friends, and some became his family away from family.
Cruising the waters of Lake Champlain never got old to Chris; he loved the lake, the rock formations, and the wildlife. He found beauty in the smallest things and felt compelled to share that with others, frequently sending pictures with the captions, “thought of you when I saw this,” or more commonly, “Ok, you tell me…what the hell is this??!”
Chris was honest, even about things others might find difficult to share. He openly discussed his previous struggles with addiction and although this is not what took him away from his family, he would want it as part of his story. He would want it known to encourage others to seek help, to continue to lift the stigma of addiction, and to let others know they are not alone. To that end, Turning Point Center of Chittenden County, was instrumental in Chris’ recovery. They provided Chris with a safe, judgment free place to just hang out as well as provide support services, such as job searches, use of the computers and housing. They even got him to attend yoga classes! The thought of that should make everyone smile.
Going forward will be so very difficult without him but find ways to remember him. Here are a few: Recycle! Gosh, he hated when people didn’t. Raise a glass to him, tell a great story about something he said or did, find the beauty in something and take a picture, send it to someone and say, “thought of you when I saw this.” Lastly, hold the door for someone. Boy, he hated it when people didn’t!
The family wishes to thank all the people who have supported the family during this time, for loving him, for caring and listening to him, and for letting him know he mattered.
Chris is survived by his stepfather, Lawrence Reynolds, his sister Julie, buddy Mark, nephews Ryan, Adam, and Adam’s wife, Keshia, nieces Cara, Cheyenne, Victoria, and Izzy, and his best friend and the guy he called his brother, Mike Shea, friend Thida Meksavan, and lastly, a whole bunch of people who adored him. God speed, Critter.
A memorial will be held in his honor on the morning of August 28, aboard the Spirit of Ethan Allen in Burlington. Please check the website gregorycremation.com for the exact time.
Please consider donating to Turning Point. The site is turningpointcentervt.org, select “in memory of” on the donation page and type in his name.
Sheila Clark
Sheila and Ross at Sloppy Joe’s (Hemingway’s Bar) in Key West, Florida.
Sheila Clark, 76, of Glover, died peacefully on August 9, 2022, in Glover, with her family by her side.
She was born on September 17, 1945, in Hartford, Connecticut, to Mary (Skrabut) Shattuck and Robert Shattuck.
On December 2, 1967, she married Ross Clark, who survives her.
Sheila attended Derby Academy and Spaulding High School in Barre. After graduating from Spaulding, she attended St. Petersburg Junior College in Florida.
Sheila came back to Vermont and worked for the Governor’s Crime Commission and the education department in Montpelier. After moving to Glover, Ross and Sheila welcomed two daughters: Molly and Tara.
She then worked at Lake Region Union High School, first as the guidance secretary and then the administrative assistant to the principal. She was “Mrs. Clark” to many, and was the eyes and ears of Lake Region. She got to know many students and their families through the years. She retired from Lake Region after 26 years of service there.
In their early years, Sheila and Ross spent many days boating and waterskiing on Waterbury Dam. Later on, most summer weekends they could be found somewhere on Crystal Lake in their boat.
Sheila enjoyed traveling, especially with Ross to the Florida Keys. One of her favorite places was the beach at Coco Plum in Marathon, Florida. She could be found there enjoying the sun and a good book, while Ross was out on a charter fishing trip. She also made many trips to Colorado to visit Molly, and together they shared many fun excursions.
She loved to shop, especially outlet shopping in North Conway, New Hampshire. Sheila and Tara went on many shopping trips to North Conway, often bringing friends along the way to join in on the fun. She loved spending time with her grandchildren. She was a fixture on the sidelines of Chris and Robin’s baseball and basketball games, always cheering for them and their teams.
Sheila also loved animals, and cared for many family pets through the years, including Darcie, Tasha, Kitty, Tippy and Thatcher.
She is survived by her husband, Ross, daughter Molly, daughter Tara, son-in-law, Dan and her grandchildren, Chris and Robin.
She is also survived by three sisters: Bobbi, Denise, and Earline; by her brother-in-law Bruce, and his wife, Leslie, as well as by many extended family members, friends, and loving staff at the Union House.
There will be no calling hours or services.
Should friends desire, contributions can be made to the Union House Nursing Home Activities Fund, Attention: Desirae Sanville, 3086 Glover Street, Glover, Vermont 05839.
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