Life Stories 2025
These “Life Stories” profiles are a collection of articles remembering Vermonters who died in 2025.
Life Stories: Remembering Vermonters Who Died in 2025
From a clever Weybridge farmer to a beloved rock-and-roll roadie in Burlington to a pioneering trans-rights advocate, they reflect what it is to be a Vermonter.
Life Story: Activist Brenda Churchill Was a ‘Fierce’ Advocate
The transgender activist from Bakersfield had an abiding belief that everyone deserved to be treated with dignity and respect.
Life Story: Todd ‘Highway’ Sica Was ‘Like a Human Version of a Pitbull’
Burlington’s most beloved roadie trafficked in tales of adventure and street wisdom gleaned from his life on the road and was like a second father to at-risk youth.
Life Story: Jay Stevens Loved ‘Being a Good Ancestor’
The Vermont author, poet and “warrior scholar” penned the definitive book on LSD. He traveled far and wide but was always drawn back to life on the family farm.
Life Story: Sister Sankofa, aka Shanda Williams, ‘Was a Force’
The Montpelier entrepreneur, actor and activist worked to dismantle racism and heal the trauma it inflicts — and changed her name to reflect her mission.
Life Story: Roger Wales ‘Was Not Bound by Convention.’
The seventh-generation Weybridge farmer quit milking cows but raised buckwheat and goats. He could fix anything and was a straight shooter, with guns and words.
Life Story: Linda Danziger ‘Believed Everyone Has an Artist Inside Them’
The Plainfield art teacher had a gift for convincing people to try new activities, drawing people into her orbit by creating beautiful and inviting spaces.
