Josephine E. Lauth

BARRE – Josephine Estelle Lauth, 97, of Academy Street, passed away peacefully on February 12, 2020 at the Woodridge Nursing Home in Berlin. She was surrounded by her loving family, including her beloved cat Sasha.

Born on January 5, 1923 in Vinalhaven, ME, she was the daughter of Florence (Tripp) Lauth and Gary Young. She attended elementary school in the central Vermont area and graduated with honors from Spaulding High School in 1940. She then attended the Kinsey Business School in Barre and was recruited into US Government Service in February of 1942.

Throughout Josephine’s career with the government, she held many positions in multiple agencies. These included working in the Office of War Information, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Secretaries Office, the Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion and was an inspector for the US Department of Agriculture for 30 years until her retirement in 1980.

In 1992 she moved to Sioux Falls, SD, where she worked for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, collecting statistics until her second retirement in 2011. She then moved back to Vermont to be closer to her family.

Josephine interests included reading, doing crossword puzzles, embroidery, crocheting, listening to music, playing cards and spending time with her family and friends.

Survivors include many great and great-great nieces and nephews, particularly Jessica and her three sons DJ, Elias and Hunter of South Dakota; Joshua Blodgett of North Dakota, Aaron and Leslie Blodgett of Hyde Park, David Blodgett of Northfield, Joey Blodgett of Chelsea, Helen Fisk of Barre and Samuel Fisk of Barre. She also leaves many relatives and friends in Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Virginia and South Dakota.

Besides her parents, she was predeceased by her sister Harriett Blodgett and her five nephews Francis, David, Norman, Joseph and Eddy.

A service to honor and celebrate Josephine’s life will be held in the Christ Community Alliance Church on Route 302 in Orange on Tuesday, February 25, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. A time of fellowship and luncheon will follow at the Orange Town Hall across the street. Burial will take place in the Hope Cemetery in Barre at the convenience of the family in the spring.