Arthur Bruce Elliott

 

Lyndon, Vt. – Arthur Elliott, 78, died at his home on Elliott Road on Sept. 13, 2023, attended by family and friends, after several years of declining health. Arthur Bruce Elliott was born in Burlington, Vt., on May 4, 1945, the son of Dr. Wilfred T. and Mary Wakefield Elliott. He graduated from Lyndon Institute in 1963, and in 1965 he married Jeanne Akley of Lyndonville.

They had two children, Sarah E. Sherratt and Benjamin Elliott, born in 1972 and 1975, respectively, who survive him, as does a beloved grandson, Ethan Sherratt. Arthur and Jeanne bought the Lynburke Motel in Lyndonville in 1975, and it became the center of their evolving partnership focused on family, business ownership and management, and social gatherings.

In order to permit their employees to have holidays off, Arthur and Jeanne stayed home and became hosts for the holidays, especially Thanksgiving, when anywhere from about 15 to 40 guests gathered at Lynburke – often including tourists or traveling salespeople marooned at the motel. After 39 annual Thanksgivings, declining health forced them to give it up soon after they sold the motel and built their house on Elliott Road around 2005.

After moving to their new home, Arthur said, “There. I don’t need to go anywhere else ever again.” And he made a bonfire and burned his luggage – despite the fact that he and Jeanne traveled often for vacations from the motel and Jeanne continued to travel with friends. Arthur’s community involvement included serving as a selectman for the Town of Lyndon from 1983 to 1985; as a director of the Lyndonville Savings Bank & Trust Co. and of the Wells River Savings Bank; and as a volunteer running the clock for Lyndon Institute football games for 40 years.

Over the years the parties became fewer but didn’t end. Arthur became the sponsor of a dinner every few months in which he bought a bucket of tripe to serve to people he knew who liked it. The tripe parties became the new Thanksgivings, in a sense – with much smaller gatherings.

He liked sports. He played football in high school and softball as a young man for the Coca-Cola Coolers, a local men’s softball league in which he played first base and was a good line-drive hitter. In middle age he took up golf with a passion. He was an accomplished and imaginative cook and an enthusiastic fisherman, especially when casting for Atlantic salmon. For many years he ran a small sugaring operation with the help of relatives and friends.

But eventually all of those activities faded away as he gave them up, one after another, in the face of declining physical ability. But he never gave up his garden. Even this past summer, barely able to walk or bend over, he insisted – with help from his daughter, Sarah – on planting half the usual number of rows of corn and tomatoes and a few short rows of beets and onions and lettuce. He began talking about a smaller garden for next year, but as it happened, this year was his last.

There will be a private gathering in his memory at a future date.

He is survived by his children and grandson; a sister, Mary Elliott Beausoleil, of Lyndon; a sister, Carmen, and a brother, Ted, of Maine; a brother, Raleigh, of California; siblings-in-law Raelyn and Thomas Silva; nieces, nephews, cousins, and several good friends. He was predeceased in 2022 by Jeanne, his beloved wife of 56 years; his parents; several inlaws: parents, brother, daughter Juliana Elliott, former son Jason Sherratt; and many dear friends.

The family would like to thank Dr. Joyce Dobbertin of Corner Medical and cardiologist Dr. Joachim Mueller of Barre for their wonderful care and for making it possible for Arthur to spend his last days at home.

Condolences may be shared online with the family at www.saylesfh.com.

Those who would like to make a donation in his memory are invited to direct it to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Trust Fund, 1 National Life Drive, Montpelier, VT 05620; or to the Lyndon Institute Endowment Fund, PO Box 127, Lyndon Center, VT 05850.

Arthur’s and Jeanne’s ashes will be buried together on a hillside near their home.

https://vtfishandwildlife.com/get-involved/donate/fish-and-wildlife-trust-fund