Kristin R. Maille

Kris Maille, better known as Aunt Kris, passed away peacefully at home on 2.23.24 after the most beautiful last day surrounded by family and friends. She fought tirelessly for the last 3 years to give us all just a little more time but ultimately cancer stole her from us way too soon.
After 43 years of marriage, she finally let Tom (aka Uncle Bump) take care of her for once. They made so many amazing memories together from high school on: great adventures to Disney, Aruba and recently to Nashville, one of their bucket list trips. Rob and Lori have fond memories of going with them to Maine to see the Puffins and to enjoy her happy place at the beach. When Kris and Tom retired, they purchased their camper and right away started planning trips all over with their best friends Kirk and Vicki. Their most memorable trip was to Assateague Island this past year to see the wild horses. While retirement and trips will certainly look a lot different, Kris wants nothing more than for those camping trips to continue and to grow to include more of the family members.
She also took amazing care of her siblings over the years. The big 3 had a special bond. Julie and Kris had time together daily. While living so close, they were able to regularly walk the neighborhood and dog swap all their precious pups. She absolutely loved being a dog mom/aunt. Kris also stepped in to help Rob with his kids when they were very young. She immediately became the mom they needed, and they became great friends. Kris' most favorite and fulfilling role was being Aunt Kris to Shelba, Ty Ty, Miss Shannon, Angela and to all of their spouses, friends and children (Tristan, Dylan, Liam, Ben, Beckett, Mackenzie and Riley). They filled the void she felt, not being able to have kids of their own. She loved to take the kids hiking, have sleepovers that included lots of "tubbie time" and go swimming at Popi's pool. She did hair and make-up countless times for skating competitions and school dances. She gave haircuts and made sure everyone was dressed to impress with an annual back-to-school shopping trip, even as recently as last summer for Ben and Beckett. She took Rob, Shelby, Tyler and Shannon on a surprise trip that will never be forgotten to Disney along with multiple trips to Maine. She LOVED walking on the beach. It's a blessing that those trips were to see friends (the Douglass') who grew to be family over the last 30+ years. None of us will ever leave Maine without at least trying to find a sand dollar, knowing that it was her rule to be able to go home.
Life-long friends like Sharon and Joe are prime examples of how she turned friends into family. That's just who she was. It's one of the many reasons why she was so incredible in her role with the VNA for 21 years. Her VNA family came to the rescue for us at the end. They came out of the woodwork and supported us all every step of the way. She was treated like royalty because her impact on them was just as profound as it was on us all.
She will be missed every single day but most specifically during girls' trips and family gatherings. She'll be there in spirit as we have taco salad, hide Easter eggs, during the annual "arts & craps", during wine time and when we completely butcher "We Wish you a Merry Christmas" over flaming ice cream at Russell Christmas. We will continue to eat off "fine china", sob as Russell bird stories are read, and look for "cwescent" moons, just for you.
She taught us to seize the day, stay cardinal strong and to love unconditionally. In Kris fashion she left the kids with packages of pictures and cards, so thoughtfully written and to remind us of "the drill":
• Be kind
• Make good choices
• Doubt means don't
• Only drive as fast as your guardian angel can fly
Our angel had a lead foot so we're quickly learning how we can step up and show her she taught us all incredibly well.
In lieu of flowers, all donations can go to www.uvmhomehealth.org/give to the Respite house. Services will be June 15th. More information to follow via Facebook.