Frederick Winslow Stetson II, 83, of Burlington, Vt., died on April 18, 2026. He was born on February 20, 1943, in Boston, the son of Brewster Stetson and Rhoda Belknap Stetson.
Fred grew up in Duxbury, Mass., where he spent his childhood exploring the tidal salt marshes.
He attended Derby Academy in Hingham, Mass., and graduated from St. George’s School in Newport, R.I., in 1961. At St. George’s, he played football, was captain of the varsity tennis team and was elected senior prefect by his classmates.
He graduated Middlebury College in 1965 with a degree in American literature and was a member of the varsity hockey and tennis teams. At Middlebury, he developed a lifelong love of Vermont and Robert Frost and, through the college’s ROTC flight program, learned to fly single-engine Cessna 172 aircraft.
Following Middlebury, Fred went on to U.S. Army helicopter training and then combat service in Vietnam. He served as a member of the 175th Aviation Company, based in Vinh Long from 1966 to 1967. Upon his return, he became an instructor-pilot at the U.S. Army Primary Helicopter School in Fort Wolters, Texas, and then a pilot in the Vermont National Guard for over 20 years. In all, he accumulated more than 5,000 hours of military flight time.
Fred returned to Vermont in 1968, where he worked as a writer and photographer. He was a reporter for the Burlington Free Press, edited books at Garden Way Publishing Company, and wrote for regional publications, including the Boston Globe, the Montréal Gazette and Vermont Life. He coauthored Ultralight Boat Building with boatbuilder Tom Hill. His award-winning photographs of Vermont scenes have been exhibited and published throughout New England.
Fred was a skilled athlete and outdoorsman. He loved skiing, sailing, squash, tennis, hockey, hiking and bird hunting. His love of the outdoors took him on adventures throughout New England, the Adirondacks and as far as the Andes.
Fred was a natural teacher and at various times taught writing, photography, tennis, sailing and squash. He was a sailing instructor at the Burlington Community Sailing Center and volunteer guide skier with Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports.
Fred was thoughtful and gentle by nature. As a true New Englander, he held his emotions close but showed his love through countless acts of kindness and generosity. He was mild-mannered and always polite. To the many friends and family who shaped his life, he would want to say: thank you.
Fred leaves behind his beloved wife of nearly 40 years, Katherine (Kate) M. Pond; daughter, Elizabeth (Liz) Stetson, and her partner, Fritz Kuhn; sister, Rhoda “Rhodie” S. Whittemore; sister-in-law, Phyllis Haffenreffer Stetson; niece Amy Stetson and her husband, Jay Ryan; and many other nieces, nephews and cousins. Fred leaves a large and loving blended family, including his stepchildren, Jennifer (Jenny) Robins and Chris Robins and his wife, Carol Robins; step-grandchildren, Angela Robins and Fiona Lovins and her husband, Benjamin Lovins; step-great-granddaughter, Juniper (Juni) Lovins; Margaret (Meg) Pond and Jim Rader; Patrick Robins and Lisa Schamberg; his first wife, Mary Esther C. Treat; and many others whom he loved dearly.
Fred was preceded in death by his brother, Brewster “Mike” Stetson Jr., and his brother-in-law, Dr. Anthony Whittemore.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports, the Community Sailing Center in Burlington, or the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.
A memorial service will be held this summer.