Laurance Charles Wyman died on January 4, 2022 at home in Weybridge, Vermont. He was born on May 24, 1935 in Summit, New Jersey, the eldest son of Guy and Esther Wyman.
Larry graduated from Carteret School in West Orange, NJ in 1953 and then attended Drew University. He worked in greenhouses in New Jersey where he developed a passion for horticulture. Throughout his youth, his family enjoyed summers in Grand Isle, VT. Because of his love of plants, trees, and Vermont, he transferred to Marlboro College in Marlboro, VT to study forestry and dendrology. In forestry class at Marlboro, he met Fern Wilde whom he married. They were married 63 years.
With his father and brother, Grayson, Larry started a life-long career as a dairy farmer. They had farms in White River and Brownsville, VT before buying a farm in Weybridge in 1968. Before he retired from farming in 2005, Larry was proud to have the family farm preserved in perpetuity by the Vermont Land Trust. His farm life was the subject of a book, Forty-Six Years of Pretty Straight Going: The Life of a Family Dairy Farm, written by his friend and neighbor, George Bellerose, through the Vermont Folklife Center. Larry and Grayson transferred stewardship of the farmland to Dan and Corinne Kehoe, special neighbors and family friends.
Larry and Fern had three daughters. He was very proud of them and loved to tell people that they attended college at the “Little Three”: Williams, Amherst, and Wesleyan. Family meant everything to Larry.
Larry was predeceased by his parents and youngest brother, Dale. He is survived by his wife, Fern; his daughters and their spouses, Carin and Colin Hart of Hinesburg, Beverly Wyman of Weybridge, and Sandra and David Browning of Olympia, WA. He is also survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Grayson and Beth Wyman of Weybridge, and sister-in-law, Barbara Wyman of Wynantskill, NY; and six grandchildren and seven great grandchildren: Abraham and Elizabeth Miller of Colchester and daughters Reagan, Quinn, and Fern; Dana and Tucker Kear of Saratoga Springs, NY and children Smith, Renny, and Summer; Robin and Seth Jackson of Berlin; Nicholas and Caitlin Hart of Essex Junction and daughter Nora; Gwyn Browning of Hertfordshire, England; and Phoebe Browning of Olympia, WA. He is also survived by close cousins Beverly Goodwin of Charlotte and Lois Field of Essex Junction, as well as many dear nieces, nephews, and cousins.
There will be a family celebration of Larry’s life later this year. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made in Larry’s memory to the Vermont Land Trust using their website, VLT.ORG.
To send online condolences to the family please visit www.brownmcclayfuneralhomes.com
Beautiful obituary. Love that picture. I’ll always remember our Boston sports talks. Now I’ll cheer them on for both of us. You can count on me Larry! Sympathies and prayers for the family. Love from Canada.
We will miss Larry, his sense of humor, his stories, his listening ear. He was a friend and mentor and we’re so thankful that we got to be part of his life. Praying for all the family and friends.
We are sorry for your loss of a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, great grand father and more. We will miss Larry’s smile and good farming stories. He was kind and thoughtful in helping others. Our pray is that the Lord will comfort the family and friends as you share your wonderful memories.
Sorry to hear about your loss, Larry was a great man, one of the kindest men Ive known and a the true meaning of a VT dairy farmer. I always appreciated the discussions we would have when stopping by the barn for a visit. I always felt proud to be able to help Larry and Grayson when I worked at Monument Farm and regret not keeping in touch as I moved on. My thoughts are with you, Weybridge has lost a matriarch.
Brian Kemp
I was so sorry to hear about Larry. I didn’t really know him — except I remember his great smile — but he must have been a wonderful father and husband because he and Fern raised three incredible daughters. My thought and prayers are with you all during this sad time.