Obituary: Marianne Luckett Shaw Blanchard, 1928-2023 

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Marianne Luckett Shaw Blanchard of South Hero, Vt., died in her home, as she wished, on September 30, 2023. She departed on a stellar and sunny fall day. Born in New York City on August 25, 1928, she was the daughter of Katharine Luckett and Albert Shaw Jr. of Ardsley-on-Hudson, N.Y.

In her youth, she attended the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., and graduated from Vassar College in 1950. After college, she spent a year abroad in Europe. On her return, she joined the faculty at the Hudson River Day School. In 1952, she married Harry Cutler Blanchard, and her life took a decidedly less conventional path. They honeymooned on his 40-foot ketch, the Blue Nose, sailing from Brooklyn Harbor south to Key West and beyond. Three daughters soon followed, and they settled in Greenwich, Conn., where they started one of the first Volkswagen dealerships in the U.S. as Harry pursued his auto-racing passion. After Harry’s tragic death in 1960, Marianne and the family moved to Litchfield, Conn. It was here that she met John Evangelisti, putting his lumber yard business to heavy use! Over many construction projects that were often designed as a simple sketch on a legal pad, they had fun and built houses. Over time, they were lucky in love and married in 1994.

Marianne was a true traveler and island girl. She was born on the island of Manhattan, and throughout her life she lived on the islands of South Hero, Grand Isle, Monhegan, Key West, Key Biscayne and Mallorca. She called these places home while she adventured across all the continents. On these journeys, she amassed an eclectic collection of art, objects and memories, often while traveling afar with her beloved brother, Eddy Shaw.

Marianne broke the mold of the 1950s mother, passing on cookie baking and apron wearing. Instead, she gave her three daughters extraordinary adventures and memories that today seem larger than life. She took them down the Amazon in dug-out canoes and camping under the stars in Kenya to lions roaring in the distance. She drove the children to Florida several times before there was an interstate through the Deep South, snacking on Stuckey’s Pecan Rolls the whole way. She drove them across the Canadian Rockies, stopping at every cave walk and pony ride in sight. She drove the family from Connecticut to Vermont multiple times with a menagerie in tow, including a horse, a raccoon, a guinea pig, an alligator, dogs and a cat — along with her three girls. The tales of how Marianne managed this feat are sources of constant speculation and entertainment within the family.

She did have other passions. She got her master’s in humanities at the University of Vermont in 1977. She loved gardening and a good sunset over a cocktail. She followed Pavarotti in the opera houses and devotedly read her books. The mint chocolate chip ice cream freezer section can now be found stocked, as Marianne will be getting her scoops elsewhere. An introvert by nature, she kept many of her thoughts to herself, but her quiet presence had a meaningful and resonant energy on those around her that will be missed. Her best friend, Cys, says Marianne helped more people than we will ever know and that good from her actions will ripple out for years to come.

Marianne is survived by her daughters, Casey Blanchard (Dan Cox) of Shelburne, Vt., Lee Blanchard (Ronan Belisle) of Charlotte, Vt., and Nina LeDuc (Ron LeDuc) of South Hero, Vt; her nieces and nephews, Stephen Bower, Perry, Max, Ellen and Erik Blanchard, and Tomas, Tania, Ben and Jonathan Shaw; her grandchildren, Cory and Erin LeDuc, Lily Belisle, Gussie Logan, and Julia Luckett Cox; and her great-grandchildren, Lucy, Will, Sawyer, Remi, Wes, Scarlett and Beau.
Marianne was predeceased by her parents, her husbands, and her two younger brothers, Albert and Edward Shaw.

A heartfelt thanks to all Marianne’s caregivers these past years; to Jan, Kate, Val, Gladys, Kerri, Champlain Island Health Care, and Bayada, and to her friends and neighbors Windy and Brent, Mary and Rich, and Jonathan Shaw.

We are collecting stories and memories to share at Marianne’s memorial service in July 2024. If you have a story, please send it to one of her daughters or by email to [email protected], or to PO Box 777, Shelburne, VT 05482. Donations in her memory can be made to the South Hero Land Trust, 106 Community La., South Hero, VT 05486.