Chip Hedler passed away in his home in South Strafford, Vt., on March
19, 2024. He is survived by his wife, Maria Cabri; his stepchildren,
Cedar Davidson and Gioia Cabri; and his siblings, Susan, Martin and
Alan Hedler.
He was born in
Toledo, Ohio, on May 13, 1945, to Doris Sing and Richard Hedler. He
initially attended the University of Toledo, but he was drafted and
served as a medic in Vietnam. After the war, he became very involved
in a YMCA camp in northern Michigan, as a counselor, where he became
a sailor and all-around outdoors person, as well as a folk singer and
guitar player. He later enrolled in Oberlin College, where he never
quite finished, due to anti-war activities and the general turbulence
of the era. He eventually wound up graduating from Antioch New
England with a degree in outdoor education and a certification in
elementary education.
Chip was a veteran
of Vermont’s one-room schoolhouses, having taught in Danville and
Walden, and eventually in Vermont’s last one-room schoolhouse, the
Elmore School. Chip held various teaching positions over the years
but eventually settled at Rumney Memorial School in Middlesex, Vt.,
where he taught for over 20 years. He was fortunate to have a role in
the school where his many skills could be applied. In a typical
school day, Chip might replace a wireless base, teach a keyboarding
lesson, show students how to use a miter saw and then see students
safely onto the bus at the end of the day.
The Civil Rights
Movement and social unrest which he lived through influenced his
unceasing desire that the school — its personnel, practices,
policies and written materials — be models of fairness and equity.
Chip was always
forgiving of error, his own and others, and very understanding of the
well-intentioned mistake in any form – a lesson, a line of code, a
misunderstood remark or an administrative decision. In moments of
reflection, he quoted one of his favorite teachers: “We all do
things in the best wrong way we know how.”
After retiring from
full-time teaching at Rumney, he joined the Newton School in his town
of Strafford, where he quickly became a valued member of the school
community. Along the way, Chip became an accomplished guitarist and
was well-known and loved among the traditional music community in
northern New England. He was a founding member, rhythm section and
caller for the Nips (or the Parsnips), a northern Vermont contra
dance band. He was a member of two local bands, Cuckoo’s Nest and
Blind Squirrel, who played for many a contra dance in Tracy Hall and
elsewhere around the Upper Valley. He was valued for his deep
appreciation for the roots of New England dancing, as well as his
ability to anchor any band and anchor the dancers’ feet to the
beat.
During his 24 years
living in Strafford, he enjoyed backcountry skiing and hiking with
his wife, Maria. As an avid cyclist, he would regularly ride his
vintage and lovingly restored 1959 Geminiani
road bicycle up to 100 miles around the Connecticut river valley. He
was a steady and inspiring mentor for Cedar and Gioia during their
formative years. A night owl himself, he could be relied on for late
night homework help and sound life advice.
A celebration of
life will be held on June 29 2024, and additional details will be
released to the website beforehand. A website to share photos,
memories or anything else about Chip can be found at:
sites.google.com/view/rememberingchiphedler.
This article appears in Apr 10-16, 2024.