Rodney Vieux
A group of Rodney’s Vermont friends met on Sunday, June 23rd to remember Rodney, commit his ashes, and dine together at the Stannard Town Hall. The following announcement was in the local newspaper, The News and Citizen of Morrisville.
A celebration of the life of Rodney F. Vieux, formerly of Cady's Falls, will be held 4 pm Sunday June 23 at the cemetery behind the Stannard Church located at 615 Stannard Mountain Road, in Stannard, VT. A potluck will follow. Rodney died October 16, 2018.
From Ron Penland
Betty and I were able to join Rodney’s Vermont friends to celebrate his life. I talked to everyone in attendance about how special Rodney was to our classmates and that many were with me in spirit. I mentioned how he was our senior class president, lettered in football & track, and attended many of our five-year reunions. I took as many pictures of Rodney that I could find which included grade school class pictures as well as junior high home room pictures, copy from our yearbook of the senior class officers and finally some of our reunion pictures. The group was very appreciative of getting to see pictures of Rodney’s early days in Augusta. I thanked Denise Wilder, Ann Lawless and Jan Lewandoski for arranging the memorial on a day that one of Rodney’s classmates could join in the celebration of his life.
Everyone attending commented about what a wonderful weather day it was and such a special gift to Rodney on the day of his memorial, the best weather day since last fall they said.
There was a group of 17 who met to celebrate Rodney’s life. He had a strong core of Vermont friends attending who had known Rodney since the early 70’s and several of them had only recently met each other at a birthday party for Rodney a week before he passed. Half of those attending took the opportunity to say a few remarks about their memories and experiences with Rodney.
Carol from New York City talked about how she met Rodney when they were camp supervisors in Vermont in the late 60’s and how he loved different foods and visiting Carol in the city, he could enjoy a variety of cuisines.
Denise talked about her memories of Rodney when she first met Rodney and his wife. Denise in the 80’s spent a couple of years in Eastern Europe teaching and she talked about how Rodney came to visit her on two occasions and together they travelled around Europe. For the past five years Denise was Rodney’s medical advocate. She helped him through two heart surgeries as well as a cancer operation, took him to doctor appointments and was his main advocate. Denise was a very special friend and was instrumental in helping Rodney in the last few years of his life. He was well taken care by his Vermont friends during his final years.
Some of his friends mentioned how they had met Betty and Roger Brown last year when they visited Rodney. I know Stan Cyphers visited him several years ago and I spent some time with him in 1998 when on a business trip to the East Coast. Rodney was always very curious about our fellow classmates and how they were doing, what they were doing, and any other news about classmates.
Rodney Frederic Vieux
Obituary
September 20, 1943 -- October 16, 2018
Rodney Frederic Vieux died peacefully with the sun shining on him at noon on October 16, 2018, where he had been treated kindly and made comfortable during the last three months by the medical staff at St. Johnsbury Health and Rehabilitation Center, as well as by Hospice and volunteers of Caledonia Home Health Care. Local and distant friends also provided support. Rodney was 75 years old.
Rodney was born the second child to Frederic and Virginia (Moyle) Vieux on September 20, 1943 and raised with his sister in Augusta, Kansas.
He attended Augusta’s public schools and graduated from Augusta High School in 1962 as class president. Rodney was engaged in many school, extracurricular, and church activities. His desire to serve carried over into university days and extended into his professional and civic life.
Rodney graduated with a BA from Washburn University of Topeka, Kansas, and later with a law degree from The University of Kansas School of Law in Lawrence. During his college years, Rodney explored a move to New England, working as a counselor for several summers at Camp Walt Whitman in Piermont, New Hampshire. He was admitted the Kansas Bar in 1969 and the Vermont Bar in 1971.
In 1969, Rodney married Melinda Cole and they moved to Vermont. They later divorced. Rodney spent the next 45 years living in Cadys Falls, Vermont, first working for Vermont Legal Aid and later in private law practice in Johnson, Vermont. He was a member of the Vermont Bar Association. He moved to the Canterbury Inn in St. Johnsbury as his health declined.
Every Christmas holiday, Rodney traveled to Washington state to join his sister’s family and to share time with his nephew and niece and their growing children. He is survived by his sister Leigh A. (Toni) and her husband Donald of Bothell, WA; his nephew Jason Brown of Seattle, WA and his daughter Ashly and her husband Devin Dean and their children Zoe and Farra of Salmon River, WA; his niece Heather Lonzake and her children Ivy and Jubie, all of Seattle, WA. Rodney cherished his role as godfather to Mona and Julia Lewandoski formerly of Stannard, VT, and to the late Lucinda Mason of Johnson, VT.
Before Rodney became ill he enjoyed traveling in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Rodney loved books. He loved music. He loved movies. And, he loved people. People loved him in return. Should friends desire, memorial contributions may be made in Rodney’s name to Caledonia Home Health Care and Hospice, 161 Sherman Drive, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819.
A celebration of his life will be held in late summer 2019.
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