Meredith Potter of Montpelier, Vt., died of complications from metastatic breast cancer at her home not long after the sun rose on July 30, 2026. Attended by those dearest to her, her final days were peaceful and full of love.
Meredith was born in Vermont and lived briefly in New Haven, Conn., during the 1960s and 1970s. The anti-war movement, feminism, the environment and racial justice flowed through her veins. Her oldest brother was one of her greatest heroes, having spent nearly two years in federal prison for tearing up his draft card.
By the time she was 16, she had followed her dreams and begun to tour: first to Boulder, Colo., and then on to San Francisco … anywhere the Grateful Dead were playing. A “Deadhead” for over 44 years, Meredith’s happiest memories were of these incomparably joyful musical journeys. During her final years she tried to attend live music whenever she could.
From dance to photography to gardening, Meredith found beauty in her lifetime. At an early age, Meredith’s sister Stephanie inspired her lifelong love for horses. Eventually, Meredith fell in love with the art of dance, earning a BS in dance from Johnson State College in 1989. She ran her own dance studio for a while, and, restless once again, she decided to work toward a MA degree in education from Saint Michael’s College. In addition to dance, Meredith adored skateboarding, and each child in her family learned to ride a board, including her grandchildren. She also delighted in old VW buses, photography and watching Saturday Night Live and Northern Exposure.
Eventually, teaching became her lifelong career, and after her graduate studies at St. Michael’s College, she became a high school social studies teacher, working at Bellows Free Academy (BFA) and Missisquoi Valley Union High School (MVUHS). For five years she was the director for an at-risk youth program, largely made up of Abenaki students. She taught a full high school curriculum there. With those students she canoed, hiked, camped, and explored Native American spirituality and history. Meredith was admired in her academic community for her respect and advocacy for at-risk students. She was a foster mom who received much advanced training in neuroscience. She was the coordinator of the BFA Diversity Week each year. She was a fierce advocate for equity at BFA and her leadership led to a decrease in ability tracking in that school.
Meredith was known for her accomplishments as an organic gardener, earning her the monikers “vtgardengypsy” and “Dirty Girl.” The garden was home to her, where she found connection to the earth and sky. She found great peace and happiness there, and many people came to her for advice and help with their gardening questions.
After selling her home in northern Vermont, she finally put her roots down in Montpelier, where she had wanted to live for most of her adult life. Other passions included camping and visits to Nantucket, Mass. She loved the time spent in her beautiful Hornbeck pack canoe. She was incredibly proud of her Vermont heritage, which went back eight generations.
Meredith leaves behind her brothers, Daniel “Chip” Tallon of Gypsum, Colo., and Keith Tallon of South Reading, Vt.; and sister Stephanie Potter of Burlington and Montgomery, Vt. She was predeceased by her sibling Ashley, as well her parents, Barbara Niles Hoffman Potter and Robert John Potter.
She also leaves behind her children, Ethan C. Potter of Montpelier, Vt., and Marika Potter Isom of South Royalton, Vt. Known as “MaMere,” she also leaves her beloved and beautiful grandchildren, Gabriel Isom Malloy, Noah Isom Malloy and Cedarmyrth Isom Ruhe. Each year she delighted in putting together a solstice party for her family that included all the gifts and food she could put together.
Toward the end of her life, Meredith was immensely grateful for the care given to her by the compassionate nursing staff at the University of Vermont Medical Center and Central Vermont Medical Center. Wisdom, loving care and guidance was also given by her deathworker, Michelle Hogle Acciavatti, founder of Vermont Forest Cemetery. Love and gratitude are also extended to Barry Kade of Montgomery, Vt.; Kristine Peeler of East Calais, Vt.; and Kathy McBeth of Stowe, Vt. She also leaves behind the enduring friendships of Amy Rich of Berkeley, Calif., and Jennifer Twombly of Stowe, Vt. There are no words to express how grateful she was to her caregiver and partner, John Smyth, whose love, day after day, never wavered.
Meredith believed in soul love: that her love for her friends and family will never go away. Love is real, not fade-away. Meredith will be buried on Monday, August 3, 2026, at Green Mount Cemetery in Montpelier, Vt., in the Orchard Natural Burial Area. A celebration of life will be held later in August with pizza from her beloved Woodbelly Pizza.