Christine Nemeth Bay, 75, passed away on December 20, 2023, after a
long fight with dementia and Alzheimer’s. She was surrounded by her
loving husband, Fred, and her three daughters, Shauna, Laura and
Meredith.
She is survived by her husband, Frederick Bay;
her daughters, Shauna Knapp, Laura McCostis and Meredith Bay-Tyack;
her sons-in-law, Kevin Knapp and Josh Tyack; and her seven
grandchildren, Alison McCostis, Owen McCostis, Ben Knapp, Jack
McCostis, Kate Knapp, Eleanor Tyack and Cora Tyack. She is also
survived by her mother, Leanna Nemeth, 100 years old; her six
siblings, Theresa Wexler, Joey Nemeth, Patricia Sherrow, George
Nemeth, Kathy Kayne and Mary Castaldo; and eight nieces and
nephews.
Christine was born in 1948 in Kittanning, Penn.
She was the first child of her parents, Joseph Nemeth, an engineer,
and Leanna McFarlane Nemeth, a chemist. She attended Syosset High
School, SUNY Cortland and C.W. Post College, graduating with a
bachelor’s degree in education. She began her career as an
elementary schoolteacher in Long Island, N.Y. She later became a
social worker and had a huge impact on the lives of many families and
children in Vermont.
She was a longtime resident of
Londonderry and then Landgrove, Vt. Since 2004, she lived in
Burlington, Vt., and in 2019 moved to Shelburne, Vt.
Christine
had a passion for gardening and volunteered to weed nearly any garden
she was near. She loved spending time with her grandchildren, playing
games, hiking and cooking. She was committed to her community and was
a longtime volunteer at local food pantries and other organizations.
She was passionate about environmental activism and conservation. She
was integral to the launch of the first recycling center in
Londonderry, Vt. As she always said (and had on bumper stickers),
“Think globally, act locally.” She served for many years on the
board of the Stratton Arts Festival and, eventually, as
chairperson.
A memorial will be held in Burlington, Vt.,
in spring 2024. Details will be shared
on everloved.com/life-of/christine-bay. Condolences and
memories can also be shared on this website. Memorial donations in
Christine’s memory may be directed to Vermont Public or Burlington City Arts.
This article appears in Dec 27, 2023 – Jan 9, 2024.