Obituary: John Vibber, 1943-2022 

• Courtesy
• John Vibber

John Howard Vibber died peacefully at home on October 14, 2022, with his loving partner, Ann, by his side.

John Vibber was born on December 4, 1943, in Holden, Mass. His parents, Donald Champlin Vibber and Eloise Margeurite (Cram) Vibber, raised him in Auburn, Mass., for the first 17 years of his life. He graduated from Rutland High School in Vermont and received his BS at the University of Vermont in 1966, after finishing his senior honors project and working summers for the Lake Champlain Studies Program. In 1968, he received his MS from UVM and completed the coursework for his doctorate.

John was married to Caroline Mabry in 1968, and their daughter, Jess, was born in 1973. In 1975, John moved with his family to Canaan, Vt., to teach junior high and high school sciences after teaching in Townsend, Vt., and Poughkeepsie, N.Y. He was an avid fly fisherman and partridge hunter and loved the Northeast Kingdom. The couple divorced in 1983, and John and his daughter moved to Bristol, Vt., where he taught biology at Mount Abraham High School and supervised teachers in four academic areas. He was proud of his work and his innovation as an educator. He established the school’s Advanced Placement Biology course and the first integrated math program in Vermont, and he was involved in national science standards work. He retired from Mount Abraham High School in the summer of 2005. John made yearly trips to England to visit Jess, her husband, Rob, and his granddaughters, Amelia and Amanda.

In 2000, new doors opened up when he met Ann Brown, the love of his life. John moved to Burlington and lived with Ann for 22 years, the rest of his years. They enjoyed many wonderful travel adventures, especially winters in Florida. They also enjoyed their special place of adventure and peace at their primitive Bristol Pond camp, where they fly-fished and tromped through the woods and swamps, celebrating the natural world with their much-loved golden retrievers. John was most himself in the wilderness with his golden dogs.

John had a large intellectual curiosity. He read voraciously and published two novels. As a music lover, he was known to have musical dialogues with loons on his penny whistle. He reveled in a group of close and generous friends and was always ready for an intellectual discussion. Above all, John cherished his wonderful daughter, Jess, and his granddaughters, Amanda and Amelia.

John was predeceased by his parents. He leaves behind his partner of 22 years, Ann Brown, and her daughters, Maya Brown and Laurie Brown; his daughter, Jessica Crampton, and her husband, Rob Crampton; granddaughters, Amanda and Amelia; his brother, Dave Vibber; his nephew, Alan Vibber; and niece, Teri Dunn.

He was grateful for the professional and humanitarian care he received from oncologist Dr. Shahid Ahmed, family doctor Dr. Steven Baad, and the loving support of Home Health & Hospice.

A private service will be held graveside. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in John’s name to Lewis Creek Association, a nonprofit that works to conserve Vermont’s important landscapes and natural resources: Lewis Creek Association, PO Box 313, Charlotte, VT 05445.