Florence V. Short

Florence Veronica Short, 98, of South Burlington, VT died at home on March 9, 2024 after a fall and broken shoulder. She lived her last days in the loving care of her large family. In her long arc of life, her spirit did not diminish. She lived with vitality throughout and her influence continues exponentially. Florence was cherished and irreplaceable because she treated others as cherished and irreplaceable.
Florence Veronica Gallagher was born in Dublin, Ireland on July 12,1925 the daughter of Stephen and Kathleen (Heffernan) Gallagher. Born to teenage parents, she immigrated to the United States at age 13 months. The ship from Cobh, Ireland to Hoboken, NJ. sailed past the Statue of Liberty. She grew up among the "tired and poor" in Jersey City, NJ during the depression. The hardships of her early years provided a foundation to her resiliency that relied on family and friends, with a commitment to social justice and a sense of empathy.
Florence married Hugh Short on December 1, 1945, after he served in the Army during World War II. Overseas letters during the war started a life-long romance that lasted over 70 years. In their early years, they lived in Michigan, New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area. Seeking nature's beauty and a place to live a sustainable life, they moved to Montgomery Center, VT in 1955. They remained in Vermont for the rest of their long lives, while creating a family of eleven children. From 1957-2000 they lived in Chittenden, then Richford from 2000-2010, and finally resided in South Burlington.
Florence was a devout Catholic and her values were based on her deep faith. In her final years, she was a parishioner of St. Catherine of Siena in Shelburne, where she had special connections to Father Dwight Baker and Annie Roth. She studied the lives of the saints and would recommend a prayer to St. Anthony to find socks or remedy other lost causes. She was broad minded and supported the civil rights movements advocating for equal treatment for all; no matter class, race, religion, gender, or ability. The personal impact of the 1960's Women's Movement bridged the limitations imposed on her generation to the opportunities her 8 daughters were allowed.
Florence saw the importance of education to advance and enrich life. She supported Hugh's education, and in their early years of marriage, she studied Psychology and Russian. Florence went on to earn a PhD of a sort in child-rearing and raised a household of readers and accomplished students. As a life-long learner, she took writing, dance, and cooking classes. She got her driver's license at age 69.
Florence loved language. She alliterated with alacrity and was a spelling and grammar phenom. She wrote advertising jingles, her submission to name a library program was selected, and her writing was published, including poetry. The League of Vermont Writers, Inc. awarded her top honors in 1973 for her nonfiction article, In a New Light. In 1957, she wrote about her experience of helping a neighbor family. Their infant daughter was failing to thrive and emaciated. The doctor gave the child a week to live. Florence offered her breast milk to feed the baby. Her article, "Breast Feeding Saves Baby's Life" was published in The Ladies Home Journal, a leading magazine at the time.
While breastfeeding her eleven children, Florence supported other mothers through the early years of the Le Leche League. Advocating for breastfeeding was an aspect of her great interest in nutrition. In the post-war, wonder bread world of increasingly processed food, her way of feeding her family is now considered common sense. Hugh grew the food in the garden and ground the wheat while Florence created delicious meals. Her kids loved coming home on a wintry evening to the smell of fresh bread and tasty vegetable soup. She laughed when teased that she couldn't boil water when she got married, but she got the last word as she pulled flaky pies from a wood cookstove oven. It was, "Thanks!"
Florence had a deep appreciation of music from Mozart to Broadway to Bob Marley. She had a beautiful singing voice and her family remembers music filling the house. Florence could cut a rug dancing the jitterbug with Hugh. She took dance classes through much of her life, moving on to yoga and tai chi as she approached age 90; and she could still tap dance in her last years!
Along with the hard work of raising a family, Florence sought a career. When her last child boarded the school bus, she "walked up the hill" and started housekeeping at Mt. Top Inn in Chittenden. Years later, she retired as an Administrative Assistant at Tuttle Publishing in Rutland, VT, among America's oldest book publishers with a focus on the arts, language, and culture of Asia. She was hired for her final job because of her award-winning skills in shorthand, but she took on increasing responsibilities beyond the office to working with books.
Florence was gorgeous with a beauty that defied aging. Beneath the surface, she was a person of intelligence and grit. Her resiliency relied on ironclad bonds to family and friends, and engagement with the greater community. She stayed well informed about world affairs, especially politics. She saw the seeds of hope in personal and societal adversity. Florence spread laughter and had enough confidence to disarm her own foibles and failings with self-deprecating humor.
Florence was predeceased by her husband Hugh. At the time of his death in 2020, they were the longest married couple in Vermont. Florence is now the beloved ancestor of her eleven children: Frank and Helen Short of St. Albans, Michael Short of Burlington, Katie Bell of Grass Valley, Calif., Maureen Short and Stan Katz of New Haven, Peter Short of Cobb, Calif., Mariellen and Matthew Facchino, of San Jose, Calif., Maria Short of Fletcher, Christine Short of South Burlington, Eileen Short of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Julia and Scott Batdorff of Portland, Ore., and Deirdre Short of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Florence had 22 beloved grandchildren, many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, including step- and foster-children. She was an endeared member to a large extended family. She valued many special and long-time friends and kind neighbors. She was predeceased by her sister, Kathleen (James) Coughlin, and her brothers Joseph and William Gallagher.
Florence lived her last year in the loving care of her daughter Christine. The family is most grateful to Age Well, especially Alex Trexler and Jennifer Harbison. In her final days, Florence received kind and professional care from The University of Vermont Health Network Home Health and Hospice. Her family thanks Case Manager, nurse Judy Johnson, and the entire team for their gentle and attentive care.
A funeral mass, interment, and celebration of Florence's life will be on Friday, June 21, 2024. A 10:00 AM mass at St. Catherine of Siena in Shelburne, VT will be followed by interment of ashes at Resurrection Park in South Burlington, culminating in a Celebration of Life at St. John's Club in Burlington.
Arrangements are being handled by Ready Funeral & Cremation Services, Burlington. Please consider a donation in Florence's memory to Age Well, 875 Roosevelt Hwy #210, Colchester, VT 05446, or The University of Vermont Health Network Home Health and Hospice, Hospice Program, 111 Prim Road, Colchester, VT 05446.