Louise
Belden Kolvoord, née Edith Louise Belden, 94, of Essex, Vt., died of
complications from liver disease on June 22, 2024.
Louise
was born on June 3, 1930, in Burlington, Vt., the daughter of the
late Ashley Belden and Jean MacKay Belden. Louise is also predeceased
by her brothers, Duane, Rodney and Roger.
Louise
graduated from Burlington High School and the Faulkner School of
Nursing in Boston. Upon graduation, she worked for a couple of years
in the Boston area and then returned to Vermont and began a career as
a public health nurse, working with the Vermont Department of Health.
In November 1960, she married Philip Amidon Kolvoord. Upon the birth
of her two sons, she gave up her nursing career to raise them, and
she got involved in a variety of volunteer activities, as well as the
First Congregational Church of Essex, where she was a longtime
member. Louise served on the Visiting Nurses’ Association Board for
a number of years and as a Red Cross volunteer nurse. She was very
active in the Burlington Garden Club for many years and served a term
as president in the 1970s. Louise was a charter member of the Essex
League of Women Voters. She was an elected justice of the peace and
delighted in conducting marriage ceremonies on her front lawn,
overlooking Mount Mansfield. She was an avid sports fan and loved to
watch her beloved Celtics and Red Sox. She also loved gardening,
flowers, tennis, travel and her extended family.
Louise
is survived by her son, Robert Andrew, as well as Robert’s wife,
Holly Haney, and her grandchildren, Andrew, Zachary and Abigail
Kolvoord. Visiting hours will be on Thursday, August 8, 5 to 7 p.m.,
at Corbin and Palmer Funeral Home, 9 Pleasant St., Essex Junction. A
celebration of life ceremony will be held on Friday, August 9, 2
p.m., at First Congregational Church in Essex Junction. In lieu of
flowers, memorial contributions may be made to First Congregational
Church, 39 Main St., Essex Junction, VT 05452.
This article appears in Jun 19-25, 2024.