Sara
Ann (Fisher) Rice, best known as “Sally,” exited this life on
April 20, 2025, just as she lived it — quickly and decisively,
surrounded by the people she loved, in the home she cherished, in the
community that she embraced.
The
oldest of four children, she was born in Eau Claire, Wis., to Orville
and Mary Elaine Fisher on January 3, 1942. As a product of, and
sometimes in spite of, a textbook Midwestern life, Sally and her
siblings, Chip, David and Laurie, lived a life full of propriety and
irreverence, humor and depth, love and loss — punctuated by endless
days of teasing each other at every misstep and foible. They shared
many adventures and remained extremely close until the very end.
Sally’s
parents encouraged her to pursue one of the three professions
“appropriate” for a young Midwestern woman of the early 1960s:
teacher, nurse or secretary. Fresh out of the University of Minnesota
with a degree in education, Sally hopped on a bus to teach school in
Mexico, followed by teaching positions in Bangkok, Texas and Boston.
While her parents embraced her early role as an educator, they were
immensely proud when she later added marketing executive,
firefighter, alderwoman, executive director of the Vermont Republican
Party, mayor of Montpelier, political leader, activist, adventurer,
rabble-rouser, bon vivant and woman-about-town to her list of many
earned titles, both official and self-proclaimed.
While
undeterred by solo travel, her best travel adventures were always in
the company of family and close friends, but none more so than with
her loving partner and companion of the last 10 years, Darwin Niles.
Together they embarked on 44 incredible journeys across Japan,
Mongolia, Svalbard, Easter Island, Ushuaia, Armenia, Georgia,
Uzbekistan, Australia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Komodo Island and countless
other destinations. Sally treated every adventure as if the world was
trying to challenge the bounds of her curiosity, knowledge, energy
and, most importantly, her independence.
Sally
raised her three sons, Jed, Stephen and David, in Montpelier, Vt. As
a mother of three energetic young boys, she was a counselor, drill
instructor, cheerleader, disciplinarian, public defender, prosecutor,
champion, coach and companion. She put her very best into molding her
children into the men, fathers, husbands, partners and professionals
they are today. Later, as a doting grandmother, “Grammie” was a
constant and positive presence in the lives of her seven
granddaughters and two grandsons.
Sally
eventually moved to Burlington, where she became firmly entrenched in
the community, helping refugees and displaced persons from Bhutan,
Somalia and Afghanistan become welcome members of the community. When
she wasn’t helping others, her calendar was filled with hikes, bike
trips, Zumba classes, Friends in Council, ski club, book club and
countless other activities that she enjoyed with the many dear
friends she made along the way.
She
is survived by Jed and his partner, Ali; Jed’s children, Matthew,
Catherine, Meghan and Claire; his stepsons, Alex and Will, and his
first wife, Callie; Stephen and his wife, Jody, and their children,
Charlie, Summer and Lucca; and David and his wife, Fatima, and their
daughters, Ihsan Sara and Taia. She is also survived by her brother
David and his wife, Barbara; her sister, Laurie, and her husband,
Chris; and her many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews.
She will be dearly missed by Darwin Niles, her loving companion. She
will be happily reunited with her parents, Orville and Mary Elaine;
her brother Chip; and her cherished friend Otto Meier.
A
celebration of life will be held the week of July 8, 2025, in the
Burlington area, followed the next day by a scattering of her ashes
on the summit of Camel’s Hump, where she will continue to keep a
close and watchful eye on all those she loved and adored.