CRAFTSBURY – Linda Kay Lussier, 81, of Craftsbury passed away peacefully on Monday, March 4, following a lingering illness.
She was born January 29, 1943, in Hardwick, the daughter of the late George M. and Lois E. (Darling) Butler. She attended Craftsbury Academy.
Linda was a talented musician. Although not formally trained, she played piano and guitar by the time she was a teenager. She drew her siblings and their friends into her musical circles, teaching singing in harmony and the rudiments of playing guitar and keyboard. The little group she led performed for family and neighborhood gatherings.
On October 1, 1959, she married the love of her life, Bernard Ronald Lussier, at St. Norbert’s Church in Hardwick.
Linda enjoyed cooking and keeping her home clean and organized. She was a dedicated employee of Miss Jean Simpson, acting as a personal assistant and helping with household management. Later, she started her own business providing housekeeping services for visitors spending their summers in the Craftsbury-Greensboro area. Linda sang and played keyboard with the Craftsbury Vibrations, a band created by locals to entertain throughout Northern Vermont on weekends and for weddings, funerals, and other celebrations of life.
Linda was always a hard-working woman until her health failed, and in 2019, she entered a nursing home. When personal in-home care became available, she left the nursing home and was cared for by Danette and Stuart Powers at their home in Eden. Their loving care helped to make her comfortable for the last few years of her life.
She was a member of Mary Queen of all Saints Parish. She and her husband Bernard would sing regularly at Mass at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Craftsbury and St. Norbert’s Church in Hardwick. During her earlier years she was a Sunday School teacher. Linda was dedicated to her family, especially spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She will be missed by all who were privileged to have known her.
Survivors include her husband of more than 64 years, Bernard Lussier of Craftsbury; two grandchildren: Jason Allen and wife Hallie, of Barre, and Shaun Allen and wife Misty, of Craftsbury; eight great-grandchildren: Natalie, McKenzie, Matthew, Nicholas, Paxton, Lillian, Linsey, and Devin Allen; four siblings: Glenn “Buck” Butler of Barton, Edward Butler of Scottsdale, Ariz., Carole Young and husband Brian, and Bonnie Young, all of Glover; as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Linda was predeceased by her only child, Claudette Lussier Allen; her son-in-law Mahlon “George” Allen, Jr., a brother George Lee “Joe” Butler, and a brother-in-law Owen Young.
There will be no visiting hours.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at 11 a.m., on Saturday, March 9, at Mary Queen of all Saints Parish, St. Norbert’s Church, Hardwick location, with Father Raj Madri, celebrant. A reception followed at the VFW in Hyde Park.
A burial will be held in the spring in the family plot in the East Craftsbury Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to Mary Queen of all Saints Parish, P.O. Box 496, Hardwick, VT 05843.
Arrangements are in the care of Dian R. Holcomb of Northern Vermont Funeral Service, 60 Elm Street, Hardwick. Online condolences are welcomed at: northernvermontfuneralservice.com
