Sandy
Ducharme was born on August 7, 1951, in St. Johnsbury, Vt. She was
the oldest daughter of Ruth Stuart LaPoint and Avery LaPoint and one
of six children. She graduated from Cabot School in 1969. Sandy
married her high school sweetheart, Richard Ducharme, also of Cabot,
on May 22, 1971. They have resided in Cabot ever since. She is
survived by her daughters, Christina Ducharme (Cabot, Vt.) and
Stephanie Ducharme (Vass, N.C.), and her beloved grandson, Nathaniel
Munro-Ducharme (Montpelier, Vt.).
Sandy
lived a full and varied life. She loved the arts, walking, nature and
being of service. She was involved in community arts from the time
her daughters were small children through to the end of her life. In
the ’80s, you could find her making hats and sculpted dolls. In the
’90s, she made costumes, arranged hair and did makeup for all of
the high school musicals. In fact, she began making costumes and
clothing for her siblings as a very young girl. As an adult, she
expanded into creating and selling floorcloths and eventually became
known for her fabulous hooked rugs. Sandy loved rug hooking. She
created several masterpieces that won internationally judged shows
and was regularly featured in rug hooking magazines. Sandy loved to
share her joy of art through teaching, and her classes were in high
demand.
Nature
was the inspiration for all of her art. She could be seen walking
miles a day in her neighborhood, watching for birds, noticing baby
foxes and texting photos of each sunrise. She was also an avid flower
gardener. Richard and Sandy ran Hillcrest Nursery for 10 years and
loved the people and the plants.
Sandy
fell on July 16, 2025, and suffered catastrophic injuries to her
spinal cord and was paralyzed from the neck down. Her final days were
spent surrounded by loved ones and making us laugh with her facial
expressions, which spoke volumes. She made the choice to come off of
life support on July 18, 2025. Sandy passed in a circle of loved ones
sharing stories and favorite moments. She was a gem in our community
and will be sorely missed.
Memorial
services will be held on August 9, 2025, at noon, at Richard and
Sandy’s home at 849 Ducharme Rd., Cabot VT. Parking for the
memorial service is located in the field behind the house, courtesy
of Under Orion Farm. Condolences and memories of Sandy may be shared
with her family at dgfunerals.com.
This article appears in Jul 16-22, 2025.