On March 10, 2026, just as the red-winged blackbirds returned to Vermont, Alexandra Mary Rebecca Lehmann, 70, of Charlotte, took flight skyward and left her earthly confines behind. After a lifelong battle with severe depression that began after she endured numerous traumas, including sexual abuse at a young age, Alexandra bravely chose to end her own life. There are no words to describe the hole that her death leaves in the heart of her sister, Lucie Lehmann.
Alexandra was a woman of grace, intellect, humor, great personal flair and style, and many, mostly endearing, quirks. She often said she was not of this century and preferred a slower, quieter pace than the modern world offered, although that didn’t stop her from driving at high speeds without a seatbelt, often down to Cookie Love in North Ferrisburgh for her near-daily creemee in the summer. She was easily recognizable around Charlotte and Shelburne, whether kayaking on the lake in a skirt and linen jacket; hiking Mount Philo in a ribbon-bedecked hat and a jeweled brooch; or biking to the farmers market — sans helmet — in an antique dress that she clamped with a clothes pin to prevent it from getting caught in the gears. She was, oddly, both as ethereal as a fairy and as solid as a stevedore, with a raucous laugh that boomed for yards, often at inappropriate moments in movie theaters.
Alexandra was a beloved and fiercely devoted sister and friend; a gifted artist in multiple mediums; a visionary gardener who tended the World War I memorial in front of the Old Brick Store in Charlotte for many years and cultivated her own stunning garden; a voracious reader; a dedicated BBC Radio 4 listener; a fabulous cook and jam maker; a quiet but generous philanthropist; a talented linguist; and one of the gentlest souls this world has known. She could also fix many things, from tools to sewing machines and bikes, although not without the occasional mishap, such as the time she nearly electrocuted herself rewiring a lamp. She was an atrocious speller, which never stopped her from playing Bananagrams with gusto and misplaced confidence, and a complete Luddite, but because so many other things came easily to her, it was hard to fault her on those.
Alexandra was born in 1955 in Weybridge in the United Kingdom, the third child and first daughter to her Swiss parents, Wolfgang and Annemarie Lehmann. Two other siblings followed, including her younger sister, Lucie, and the family eventually moved to Westchester County, outside of New York City, where their father was an international business executive. Their mother left when Alexandra was eight, adding another layer of fragility to an already delicate soul.
Alexandra spent much of her life between New York and Switzerland. She attended Vassar College and graduated from Columbia University but then returned to Switzerland, where she lived for many years near the Swiss capital, Bern. She came back to the United States in the late 1990s and eventually found her way to Charlotte, a place she said reminded her of Switzerland and which remained her home until her death.
Throughout her life and everywhere she went, Alexandra created beauty and bestowed a sense of whimsy and wonder onto others, from young children to adults. Her flower arrangements were legendary and freely given; her baked things looked and tasted like they came from a French patisserie; and even the little bunches of herbs that she tied and gave away at the Old Brick Store were works of art. She designed and hand-stitched exquisite quilts, and her fused glass creations, usually of flowers and butterflies, catch the light on windows across the country. Every year around Christmas, she undertook a craft project, whether refinishing an antique sled, building a fairy house with her dear friend and fellow prankster Ted Roberts, or handcrafting exquisite felt Christmas ornaments, and then sold raffle tickets for them and donated the proceeds to the Charlotte Food Shelf.
Because of her own struggles with mental illness, Alexandra was keenly attuned to others who suffered similarly. She was a longtime donor to COTS, Spectrum Youth & Family Services, Howard Center, and other organizations that helped to destigmatize mental illness and foster independence in those who lived with trauma. Anyone wishing to honor Alexandra’s memory is encouraged to consider making a contribution to one of those organizations.
In lieu of a formal service or funeral, there will be a celebration of Alexandra’s life when the weather turns warm and the flowers are in bloom. Details will follow in the coming weeks.
Alexandra is survived by her sister, Lucie Lehmann, of South Burlington; her brother Pete Lehmann and his partner, Annie Valdes, of Pittsburgh; Pascal and Sandi Lehmann of Sydney, Australia; Daniel Lehmann of Amelia Island, Fla.; and Shaun Lehmann, Lauren Whiteman, and their two daughters, Molly and Madelyn Lehmann, of Friendship, Md.