Sally Spear was born in Burlington, Vermont, on March 22, 1936. She was the second of two children born to Argyle Stalker and Bertha Blakely Stalker who have both predeceased her. She lived all her life on or near the Blakely Farm on Blakely Road in Colchester. She loved the fields, ledges, and brook of the place that had been in her family for six generations, and she knew every stone, flower, and inch of the worn gray barns. She knew how the light fell on the old farmhouse in every season, and how the wind and snow and rain touched the land. Throughout all her travels, Sally carried the farm in her soul.
An avid outdoor adventurer, Sally’s love of nature led her to experience every nuance of it as fully as she could. She was first and foremost a hiker, though she loved to cross-country ski and snowshoe, canoe and kayak, and ride her bike on country roads. In Vermont, she followed the Long Trail end to end. In New York, she climbed the forty-six AdirondackHigh Peaks in winter, and in New Hampshire, she traversed the Presidential Range. She backpacked in Maine and in the Canadian Rockies. Her spirit often led her to the foggy coast of Maine in a sea kayak, and then farther afield to northern Labrador. She fell in love with the jagged coast and the windswept tundra, broken only by waterfalls, herds of caribou, and traces left by ancient people thousands of years ago.
She captured her memories in beautiful photos and in poetry. A writer by nature, she earned two masters degrees, one in English literature from UVM and one in creative writing from Vermont College. As an English teacher at Burlington High School, she shared her love of language with students who recognized her years later as one who had taught them the beauty of words. She was also a proofreader at Queen City Printers, a librarian at UVM, and an assistant editor for the medical Journal of Trauma. For many years, she was the editor of Ridge Lines, the newsletter for the Burlington section of the Green Mountain Club.
Sally was married for many years to Bob Spear, a well-known Vermont naturalist, and later shared her outdoor adventures with Len Carpenter. She loved her daughter Kari Jo with all her heart. Her two granddaughters, Alaria and Crystal, brought her enormous joy and pride. They knew she could always be found with a book to read aloud, whether in her chair by the farm’s woodstove or on the sunny deck at the family camp on Malletts Bay. She was at every concert and ballet recital with a huge smile, hug, and bouquet. And she had a bottomless jar of peanut butter in the cupboard.
Despite serious health issues during the past few years, Sally could always be found curled up in the sun with her face to the window and book nearby. Her smile and wit never faded, nor did her gentle courtesy and compassion for others. On March 17, 2017, just five days shy of her eighty-first birthday, she decided enough was enough. She passed at four in the afternoon, after a fresh snowfall, giving herself enough daylight to snowshoe to the top of Camel’s Hump with her old hiking companion, Komodo. She watched the sunset from the summit and then continued on her way by moonlight.
Sally is survived and greatly loved by her daughter Kari Jo, her son-in-law Dennis, her granddaughters Alaria and Crystal, and her brother Frank Stalker.
Special thanks to The Arbors in Shelburne, Vermont for their kindness and warmth for the whole family.
Visiting hours will be held on Friday March 24, 2017 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at A W Rich Funeral Home – Fairfax Chapel, 1176 Main Street, Fairfax, VT 05454. Funeral services and inurnment will be private and at the convenience of the family. Memorial contributions in Sally’s memory may be made to the Green Mountain Club, 4711 Waterbury-Stowe Road, Waterbury Center, VT 05677, Alzheimer’s Association, VT Chapter, 300 Corner Stone Drive Suite 128, Williston, VT 05495, or American Diabetes Association, Vermont Affiliate, Inc., 77 Hegeman Ave. Colchester, VT 05446.