Our
beautiful, sweet boy has left this earth, and the world is lesser for
it. James Brook Lisaius died at home on November 19, 2024, with his
parents by his side. After a 15-year battle with anorexia, it became
apparent his condition was terminal, and he was placed in hospice
care at home for the last three months of his life.
Brook
was born in Burlington, Vt., the son of Joseph David and Josie Neary
Lisaius of Burlington and Montgomery, Vt. He grew up in Burlington
spending as much time as he could outdoors. From a very early age, he
felt at one with nature and loved to be in it as much as possible. He
was full of wonder and joy. He grew up fishing with his dad, and they
were often accompanied by their fishing buddy, Rick Provost. Brook
loved snowboarding with friends, hiking and mountain biking, but
mostly he loved being in the woods and observing and exploring
nature.
He
was an incredibly talented artist who created so many beautiful
paintings, wood carvings, sculptures and metal works. His imagination
knew no bounds!
He
travelled extensively with his family. One of Brook’s favorite
times of year was spending two weeks in Maine every summer, where he
made lifelong friendships. He looked forward to seeing them every
year, and they would pick up as though not a minute had gone by. He
also had a great time visiting with his cousins — they laughed the
entire time. He loved going to the Caribbean each winter as well as a
very memorable trip to Lithuania. He also took several cross-country
trips with his family, where he explored so many different beautiful
areas of the country. It inspired him to go back out west and work in
different national parks during the summers of his college years,
including Glacier, Zion, Badlands, and Big Bend. He loved the journey
as much as the destination — meeting people from all over the
country in small, rural areas and always feeling welcomed.
Brook
graduated from Burlington High School, where he was an honor student
and co-captain of the cross-country and tennis teams. He graduated
from the University of Vermont, where he was a dean’s list student
and a teaching assistant. In the community, he tutored children at
King Street Center as well as volunteered at the Chittenden Emergency
Food Shelf and the Special Olympics. Following graduation, he worked
in the school system as an autism specialist.
To
know Brook was to love Brook. He was intelligent, creative, funny,
athletic, brave, curious and adventurous — but most importantly, he
was kind and empathetic. He understood the world around him and made
it a better place — he brought light to it.
Besides
his parents, Brook leaves behind his loving pup, Sable; a large
extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins; and many friends,
including his lifelong and loyal friend Brian MacFadyen. He was
predeceased by his grandparents, Dr. James Ryder and Charlotte
LaFleur Neary and Joseph and Hilda Lisaius; and his maternal uncle,
Peter R. Neary.
The
family would like to thank Dr. Koulouris for her compassionate care,
his team of specialists at Denver Health medical center, Angel
MedFlight for their lifesaving transport of Brook to Denver on
several occasions, and UVM Home Health & Hospice, which provided
loving care to Brook and tremendous support to his family.
A
gathering will be held at a future date.
He
is finally unburdened, free and at peace.
There
is a hole in the universe through which we will forever hear the wind
blow.
This article appears in Nov 20-26, 2024.