Carl L Buffum

Carl Lee Buffum

Wallingford- Carl Lee Buffum, 85, of Wallingford, Vermont, died peacefully with his wife Ann at his side and his daughter Lisa present on his final day. He was born on November 20, 1940, in Wallingford to Carl Leroy Buffum Sr. and Helene Saltus Buffum.

Carl lived in Wallingford until his family moved to Manchester, where his father ran a bakery called the Helen Fiske Food Shop. He graduated from Burr & Burton Seminary in 1958 as part of a very small class of schoolmates and friends. He spent many summers and autumns at the family camp on Tinmouth Pond, where fast boats and water skiing were early passions. He went hunting and fishing with his father. Downhill skiing at resorts throughout Vermont and Canada also figured prominently in his youth. He graduated from the University of Vermont in 1963.

Carl devoted much of his professional life to education and public service. He began his teaching career at Woodstock Union High School, continued at Wallingford High School, and spent sixteen years teaching at Shrewsbury Elementary School. In addition, he served as administrative director of antipoverty programs in Newport, Montpelier, and Burlington, and later worked in statewide employment program administration through the Vermont Department of Labor.

Carl was first married to Judith Antonovich in 1962. In 1973, he married Ann Zinn of Brooklyn, New York, with whom he shared more than five decades of partnership, exploration, and devotion.

In 1982, Carl founded and became director of The Hayes Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing academic enrichment and financial support to bright, motivated students from Rutland County. Over more than thirty years, the foundation supported and mentored hundreds of local youths, leaving a lasting educational legacy in the region. Each summer, the foundation ran a two-week children's camp inspired by themes from history, geography, science, music, and the arts. These camps not only enriched the children but also Carl himself and all the counselors involved.

For over fifty years, Carl was a practicing potter, producing stoneware, porcelain, earthenware, and raku pottery for everyday tableware, baking, and home décor. He worked from a home-based studio and a kiln he designed and built himself, blending craftsmanship, function, and beauty.

Together with Ann and family, Carl pursued an active life of travel, hiking, paddling, and camping throughout New England. In retirement, Ann and Carl traveled widely abroad and cherished revisiting friends and familiar places in Canada, England, Wales, Orkney in Scotland, New Zealand, Tasmania, and Ireland. Carl and Ann spent time each winter camping in Florida at Ft. DeSoto near St. Petersburg. One year they camped around the entire United States and into the Canadian Rockies, enjoying kayaking in many scenic, beautiful locations. For more than forty years, they spent annual September stays on Cape Rosier, Maine-a cherished tradition.

Carl was a longtime and devoted member of Wilderness Friends Meeting in Shrewsbury, reconnecting with the Quaker faith of his earliest forebears.

Carl had many wonderful friends, treasured students from his years in Wallingford and Shrewsbury, and deeply valued relationships in Vermont and all over the world. He loved talking about and exploring history, different cultures, and the beauty found in nature-whether close to home or far away. He loved reading, listening to music, and photography. He had a large collection of music from different periods-especially jazz and folk-and thousands of beautiful photographs from his many journeys around the world.

Carl is survived by his immeasurably devoted wife, Ann; sister, Linda (Lauriston), of Tinmouth, Vermont and Florida; his three children, Lisa Rodriguez of Gilsum, New Hampshire; Damon Buffum (Marilee) of Fairport, New York; and Dylan Buffum (Laura) of Efland, North Carolina; and his grandchildren Sam, Andrew, and Olivia; Chloe, Colin, Darby, and Riley, Danielle, Nathan, and Grace; and Ben Buffum; as well as ten great-grandchildren; nephew Matthew of Mexico and nephew Trevor of Houston, Texas.

There will be a Celebration of Life in the summertime; the date is to be determined, and notice of that event will be shared in the future. Burial will take place in the summer of 2026 at the family plot in Green Hill Cemetery in Wallingford, Vermont.