Irene Stotts, 92, died at The Gary Home in Montpelier, Vt., on December 2.www.vermonthabitat.org, a charity Ms Stotts generously supported.www.guareandsons.com.The Newtown Bee         December 9, 2016

An active teacher for 30 years in Newtown, she readily gave up her desk when the school was in short supply of them, as she never sat still long enough to need it. After officially retiring from teaching at the age of 70, she moved to Vermont to be close to family and continued to substitute teach at Union 32 High School and the local elementary schools for ten more years.

She lived much of her life in New England, but her Western roots ran deep. Memories of her early life in Washington State were infused with stories of growing up with her Grandma and Grandpa Henton. In high school, she caught the tennis "bug," becoming the girls' singles champion of Yakima High in 1942. She went on to coach, play a lifetime of formidable tennis, and to travel around the world following the Grand Slam Tennis Tour.

Ms Stotts loved people. If you were lucky enough to visit her in her home, she might pique your interest by asking, "Have you ever seen my pilot's license?"Her interest in diverse modes of transportation did not stop there. Once she crossed three states on horseback while herding sheep to market and took pedestrian travel to the extreme by climbing to the top of Kilimanjaro in Kenya, after serving in the Peace Corps as an "old lady" at the age 50. Her students surely enjoyed her adventurous tales.

In her adopted home of Vermont, Ms Stotts continued to make friends through her membership at the Old Meeting House, and as a volunteer at the State House and the Adamant Co-op.

Her children Johnny Forever, Donald Stotts, Rebecca Reed and husband, Chris; five grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and countless dear friends survive her.

A memorial service was held at the Old Meeting House in East Montpelier on December 5.

Memorial gifts may be made to Habitat for Humanity at

Those wishing to express online condolences may do so at