Sandra Elaine Morris Holt

EAST MONTPELIER – Sandra E. “Sandy” Holt, 81, our beautiful, vibrant, strong mother, wife, sister, and friend, lost her courageous battle with one of the only diseases that claims its victims twice- robbing them of their personality and memory while alive and then finally taking them physically, but the irrepressible, independent Sandy didn’t go down without a fight. Sandy was the foundation and rock of her family and her impact on her loved ones, and the memories we have, will always remain

Sandra Elaine Morris was born in Barre, Vermont on November 25, 1942 to Dorothy (Buswell) and Edward Morris.  Along with her sisters, Patricia Morris (David), Bonnie Morris (Murray), Avis Morris (Herwig) and brothers, Edward, Richard, Steven, and James Morris, Sandy grew up in Orange and East Montpelier, Vermont. She attended Spaulding High School, and met and fell in love with John H. Stacy, marrying him at a young age.  Together, she and John had three daughters, including Laurie Stacy (Pecor), Cindy Stacy (Scott), and Bonnie Stacy (Duke), and three sons, John Stacy, Jr., Thomas Stacy, and James Stacy.  After John’s premature and tragic death, Sandy was left with six children under the age of ten to raise on her own.  She rebuilt her life as a single mother, working multiple jobs to support her young family, and then met and married Kimball Carson DeForge (Charlie) and had one more son, Jason DeForge. Together, they faced many challenges and raised all seven children in the family home in East Montpelier. After Charlie’s sudden death in December of 1999, Sandra rebuilt her life yet again, finally falling deeply in love with Larry Holt of East Montpelier, who had also lost two spouses to tragic circumstances, and marrying him in the autumn of her life, then renovating and rebuilding a home together in East Montpelier that she truly loved. Larry and his “Honey Gal” traveled across the country and to Europe, dancing and laughing together. Attending Red Sox games and sitting outside their home together, enjoying their flower gardens and the visiting songbirds, dancing at area social clubs, and attending grandchildren’s baseball games enriched the lives of these two, who were blessed to find the greatest loves of their lives in their later years.

She worked as an Activities Director at Berlin Health and Rehabilitation Center for decades, winning accolades and awards as the best Activity Director in the State of Vermont.  She served as a consultant for multiple nursing and long term care facilities. She became active as a singer, recording a country album and performing enthusiastically on the karaoke circuit in central Vermont. Sandy rose at dawn to participate in a Jazzercise club five to six days a week, and loved her flower gardens, her family, and her home. She was thrilled by the allure of casinos and gambled with her sister whenever possible, was each of her children’s biggest fan and source of support, and could elbow others out of the way on Black Friday with the best of them to get the choicest deals. Sandy was filled with life and love, and had the singing voice of a country angel.

Sandy was a loving, generous, thoughtful presence to grandchildren Natalie Scott, Kelsi Alger, Dillon Pecor, Louis Scott, Dustin Scott, Lindsay Scott, Jonathan Stacy, Julia Stacy, Andy Stacy, Abby Stacy, Jordan Duke, Jesse Duke, Tanner Duke, Tracen Duke, Samantha Stacy, Carson DeForge , and Kaitlyn DeForge, as well as great-grandchildren Addilyn Stacy, Conor Stacy, Hayley Alger, Keenan Alger, Madison Pecor, Lacey Gingras, Jackson Scott, Noah Scott, Cora Scott , and Zayn Duke. She loved each one of them, and went out of her way to create traditions and memories, specializing in her homemade peanut butter fudge, never using a recipe, (which caused many sibling rivalries and furtive hiding of the treasured treat so one could take it home), massive Golden Egg Easter hunts, extravagant Christmas gatherings, and birthday dates one-on-one with Grammy. These epic Christmas celebrations grew so large that Sandy rented out the Canadian Club to accommodate the hundreds of gifts she purchased throughout the year for each and every one of her loved ones. For many years, she never missed a birthday, play, or sporting event, cheering joyfully as her loved ones participated. She adored her children’s spouses and there was often a friendly competition about who was the favorite among sons-in-law Louis Scott, Shayd Pecor, and Douglas Duke. Daughters-in-law Tina Stacy, Jane Stacy, and Talia DeForge enhanced Sandy’s life with the knowledge that they took care of the sons she loved. Sandy’s love and acceptance included them all, along with step-daughters Debbie, Dawnna, and Cheryl.

A stroke in 2018 marked the beginning of the encroachment of dementia.  The areas of the brain the stroke destroyed began to affect her moods, her memory, and her personality. Having retired from a nursing home professionally, her biggest fear was being placed in one, but eventually, the needs of her care became too much for her daughters and husband to absorb, and eventually, Woodridge became the place in which she lived, but refused to call “home.”     She was fierce in her independence even as the disease progressed, fighting its onset and progression, inexplicably saying and doing things completely foreign to her children and loved ones but at the same time, maintaining her beauty and strength of character, and flashing a beautiful smile when least expected, all in defiance of the intense  suffering she was enduring.  The incredible staff on Maple Wing at Woodridge understood that it was the disease and not the human being that caused Sandy’s moods and behavior, and treated her with compassion and understanding despite Sandy’s resistance to care.    Sandy’s family is eternally grateful to you.

Defiantly and with the stubbornness and steel will she had demonstrated through adversity her entire life, Sandra Elaine Holt passed on October 27, 2024. She may have finally joined the multitudes who fall prey to the pernicious, evil disease that causes its victims to essentially die twice, but she never, ever lost her spirit. We love you mom. You have been the sun around which we all revolved.  Be at peace.  Your battles are over. We promise to take care of each other.

Please join us for a celebration of Sandy’s life on Saturday, November 2, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. in the Hooker Whitcomb Funeral Home, 7 Academy Street, Barre, followed by a gathering of friends and loved ones.  For a memorial guestbook, please visit www.hookerwhitcomb.com

In lieu of flowers and in recognition of the Christmas spirit Sandy embodied, please purchase a gift for a child or teen in your neighborhood, wrap it beautifully as our mother did, and anonymously drop it off at their door on Christmas Eve.