North Fayston, Vermont - Richard J Petit, 83, passed away peacefully with the help of Vermont’s Death with Dignity Act on December 17, 2022 in his home in North Fayston, VT with his wife by his side.
Richard was born on March 16, 1939 in Worcester, MA the son of Grace and Laurent Petit. He spent his childhood on Tory Fort Lane adventuring with his brother Michael and other neighborhood boys. Richard graduated from Wentworth Institute with an Associates degree in Architecture and from Clark University with a Business degree. At this point, he began traveling to Vermont to visit his uncle and to ski. He purchased a camp on Lake Willoughby in 1966 and soon realized Vermont was meant to be his home, not his weekend getaway. He found a job as the Business Manager for the Northfield School System in 1968 when he met his wife, Marjorie (Marge).
Richard and Marge settled in Plainfield, Vermont where they had two daughters, Elizabeth and Christine.
Richard was the Business Manager for U-32 when it opened in 1971. He taught both accounting and shop classes at U-32, machining at Barre Technical Center and he was a machine tools salesman in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Truth be told, his real job was at home managing the family’s small family farm while also renovating the farmhouses, barns, sugarhouse and various outbuildings along with the camp that he and Marge owned over the years.
Richard was an engineer by nature; he was always learning new skills and finding ways of tackling projects of all sizes and complexities. Richard showed both his creativity and his love through the projects he designed, built, and gifted; bookshelves, Christmas tree toppers, and weathervanes to name a few. He would build anything he was asked to make and he added his own touch to each project. Richard valued sharing his skills and knowledge with his daughters and later with his granddaughter; from welding and roofing to yearly history trips and all things between.
Richard was an avid reader and historian. He co-authored the Pictorial History of Plainfield. He researched and then self-published a pamphlet on Carlyle Goodrich, an 1870s Plainfield photographer who made stereoview photographs of hundreds of families and homes in northeastern Vermont. Most recently, he self-published his family’s genealogical history dating back to the 1600s.
Richard was also an avid skier and hiker. He and Marge traveled to Utah to ski western powder for most of each winter in their retirement. In the summer he could be found puttering around the house, reading on the back porch or hiking with “the boys” as he referred to his hiking buddies. He ended every day with a game of cards with Marge after dinner.
Richard will be deeply missed by his devoted and loving wife of 52 years, Marge Petit, his daughter Elizabeth Cunningham and her husband Christopher Cunningham of Holly, MI, his daughter Christine Farnham of Barre, VT, his favorite granddaughter, Kelyn Farnham of Danville, VT, his brother Gene Petit and his wife Roe Wathos of Peabody, MA, his sister-in-law Judi Petit of Worcester, MA, and many friends and relatives. A private celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice or the Vermont Historical Society.