Dave Reade Colburn was born and raised in Burlington and died at the McClure Miller Respite House on November 10, 2023, at the age of 84. He was the only son of poet Gladys Laflamme Colburn and painter Francis Colburn. His childhood in the family house on South Willard Street gave him a lifelong appreciation of the arts that sustained him alongside his career as a civil engineer.
Dave tried his hand at poetry, sculpture and blacksmithing as a young man, but music was always at the forefront. He lived a life enhanced by music, whether playing his Martin guitar or through his expansive appreciation of others’ virtuosity — especially blues, bluegrass, folk and country. He showed his family how to love music like it was something magical and to take deep pleasure in it. Toward the end of his life, Dave returned to sculpture and created beautiful mobiles, one of which adorns the reading room in the Fletcher Free Library.
Dave served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and was a surveyor and engineer in California, Vermont, Maine and in the web of tunnels underneath Washington, D.C., during construction of the Metro system. In the 1980s and ’90s, he worked in the Burlington area on projects that largely exist underground. He was immensely proud of his work, often waxing poetic about the many bridges, culverts and sewers he worked on. Decades on, Dave would still stop by the parking lots in town that his work lay beneath, just to see how the drainage had held up.
Dave was both a notorious grump and a consummate joker — he had that dry Vermont wit, owned a “museum of bad taste,” and loved karaoke and a good costume. He was a steadfast supporter of his children’s endeavors, always believing in what they were trying to do in the world. His pride in them was sustaining.
He leaves two daughters: Selene Colburn and her family, Chris Burns, Ione Burns and Clio Burns; and Adriane Colburn and her family, Jonathon Lowery and Ajax Erasmus Colburn-Lowery.
He spent 30 years with his first wife, Lorrie Colburn. Together they had many adventures, roamed the country and raised two daughters. She and her siblings also survive him.
His second wife, Annie Dudley, predeceased him in 2009. With her, he found immense joy, laughter and an expanded family. They are survived by her children, their partners and grandchildren.
His family expresses gratitude to the many individuals who cared for him during his illness from a rare lymphoma, including the staff of St. Joseph’s, providers at the University of Vermont Medical Center, the nursing staff of McClure 6 and the incredible team of the McClure Miller Respite House. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Respite House.
A memorial service will be held in 2024. Please contact Selene Colburn at selene.colburn@gmail.com or 802-233-1358 if you wish to attend.
This article appears in Dec 27, 2023 – Jan 9, 2024.