Lucinda “Cindy” Sherman Hamlet passed away peacefully on February 6, 2024, after a courageous 14-year battle with Parkinson’s disease. Cindy was born in Watertown, N.Y., to Virginia and Nathaniel Sherman. Cindy and her siblings were raised on a farm outside Watertown, which engendered Cindy’s lifelong love of all creatures, big and small.
After high school, hoping to meet the cowboy of her dreams, Cindy ventured west to Bozeman, Mont., and enrolled at Montana State University. After two years, she transferred to the University of Colorado, where she fell in love with a man from Boston, Stanton Hamlet. After graduation, the couple married and moved to Lexington, Mass., for a few years before finally settling in Vermont.
Cindy and Stan raised their three children on a farm in Underhill, where they collected goats, sheep, horses, pigs, chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, cats and dogs. For many years, Cindy taught kindergarten at Orchard School in South Burlington, where she was adored by her students and coworkers. Cindy maintained deep and lasting friendships wherever she went. She served on the Underhill Library Board and participated in hiking groups, ski groups, bridge groups and book clubs in both Burlington and Underhill.
Cindy’s favorite activities took place outdoors — she loved to hike, bike, snowshoe and ski. In her later years, she would walk the trails daily near her Harvey Road home, with walking sticks and her beloved dog, Josie.
Cindy leaves behind her three children: Russ and his wife, Meg Hamlet, of Bainbridge Island, Wash.; Penny and her husband, Peter Serrurier, of Portland, Ore.; and Sandy and her husband, Fred Barber, of Cambridge, Vt. Cindy had four beloved grandsons: Alex Serrurier, Nathaniel Serrurier, Curren Hamlet and Ethan Barber. Cindy also leaves behind her two siblings, Carol Sherman Knapp of Damariscotta, Maine, and Chick Sherman of Watertown, N.Y. Cindy’s husband of nearly 50 years died in 2010.
Cindy’s children are grateful to the University of Vermont Hospice and the incredible community of Underhill, where Cindy leaves behind so many wonderful neighbors and friends.
There will be no services, but please consider a gift in honor of Cindy to the Underhill Historical Society or the Vermont Land Trust.
This article appears in Feb 14-20, 2024.