Gerald Kaiser Spaulding, Jr. (Gerry) 64, passed away in Peace Health Medical Center
in Vancouver, Wash., surrounded by his family, on Monday, Feb. 25, 2013.
Gerry was born on May 11, 1948, the son of Gerald and Gladys (Wylie) Spaulding.For
many years the Spauldings lived in Craftsbury and St. Johnsbury. Gerry attended
grade school in Craftsbury then graduated from St. Johnsbury Academy in 1966. He
graduated from Lyndon State, Lyndonville, Vt., in 1971 with a BA in
English. He was editor of the college newspaper, The Critic.
On Dec. 24, 1971 Gerry married Mary Barnett of St. Johnsbury and as
he had been drafted into the Army he soon left for Scoffield Barracks
in Oahu, Hawaii, where he was editor of Army newspaper, The Tropic
Lightning. His wife joined him a few months later upon graduating from Lyndon College.
When his tour of duty was completed, Gerry worked for Vermont
Forests and Parks as a park ranger in various parks in the state. Later
he lived in Hardwick and worked for Vermont Department of
Corrections until his retirement. Gerry and Mary had two children,
Jessica and Travis who learned to love the outdoors and camping much like their Dad.
After his retirement Gerry spent two winters in Florida then resided
in Wolcott, Vt. On Jan. 11, 2013 Gerry moved to Camus, Wash. to be
with his children and grandchildren.
Gerry loved his music; piano, guitar and harmonica and he could
multi-task with these instruments. While in college he was part of a
group called The Potato Peelers. He always looked forward to
jamming with his friends in later years. He loved wildlife and one
might say that he was a would-be ornithologist as he could identify birds on the wing.
Gerry was an avid gardener, woodsman, hunter, also a friend and
mentor to many young people. While in college he spent most of his
summers as a counselor at Camp Wapanacki, a camp for the blind in
Hardwick. Most of all he loved camping with his children and
grandchildren particularly at one of his favorite places, the coast of Maine.
Survivors include: daughter, Jessica Eva Spaulding of Crested Butte,
Colo., son, Travis Spaulding and his wife, Rebecca Robidoux
Spaulding, grandchildren, Philomena (Mena) Eve Spaulding and
William Kaiser Spaulding of Camas, Wash., his sister, Roberta S.
Alexander and her husband, Robert M. Alexander of Craftsbury Common, Vt.
Gerry was predeceased by his parents, his companion in later years,
Maureen Horgan and his faithful cat, Fred.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 22, 2013 at the
Craftsbury Cemetery on Cemetery Road in Craftsbury, Vt. at 11 a.m.
with Pastor Alan Parker officiating Memorial contributions may be
made to a non-profit organization, Keeping Track, a branch of wildlife
conservation at Keeping Track, Inc., PO Box 444, Huntington, VT
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