Sarah Leigh Dopp, of Cheese Factory Rd., South Burlington, VT., left
us, gently and suddenly, on March 7, 2024. She was born in Burlington
to Leroy J. Dopp Jr. and Katharine (Eckley) Dopp on November 21,
1946.
Sarah attended South
Burlington schools and graduated from the University of Vermont in
1968. She worked as a medical technologist at Mary Fletcher Hospital
for 50 years. A work exchange program, in her early years there, led
her to the United Kingdom, where she renewed her fascination with all
things historical. She returned to UVM, where she received her MA in
English.
Sarah tirelessly
gave herself to her friends and the many organizations that were
close to her heart. She was the founder and president of the South
Burlington Land Trust. As a conservation champion, she donated 40
acres of her own land in the Southeast quadrant to be protected
forever. She was also the volunteer leader of the Champlain Valley
Conservation Partnership. Sarah was a longtime CSA member of the
Intervale Community Farm and a devoted supporter of her neighbors at
Bread & Butter Farm.
Sarah served as
president of both the Chittenden County Historical Society and the
Vermont Historical Society, where she was currently a trustee on
their board. Sarah was a member of the First Baptist Church of
Burlington for 63 years and served as the church moderator and
historian, among myriad other roles. Sarah was a regular volunteer at
Meals on Wheels and Age Well Vermont, and she loved UVM women’s
basketball. She never hesitated to take on any task, always with
grace and cheer. She lived out her faith in all that she did.
Sarah was a great
supporter of the arts. She served as president and supporter of the
Craftsbury Chamber Players and donated her field to them during
COVID, where they could perform outside with ease and joy. She
sponsored the Katharine Dopp Organ Recital each year at First Baptist
and supported the preservation and use of historic organs around
Vermont.
Sentiment of place
and the land — past and present — was so very important to Sarah
Dopp. She kept records and documents of local history for all of us
to learn from and value. Her love of the land, history and
agriculture in Vermont, as well as her love of music and her great
faith, were always within her, and she was proud to share it all.
Sarah loved reading outside in the sunshine, especially in spring,
with snowdrops and daffodils in bloom.
Sarah is survived by
her first cousins, Sue Ellen Dopp, Douglas Dopp, Christopher Chase
and Katrina Gorsky; and by countless friends.
All are welcome to
attend a memorial service at the First Baptist Church of Burlington
at 81 St. Paul St., on Friday, April 12, 2024, at 10 a.m. Those who
would like to view the service remotely can receive a Zoom link by
emailing welcome@fbcburlingtonvt.com. In lieu of flowers, please
consider a gift to the First Baptist Church Memorial Fund or the
Vermont Historical Society.
This article appears in Mar 13-19, 2024.