Janet Winkler, 81, of Middlebury

JANET WINKLER

July 21, 2022

MIDDLEBURY — Janet Beers Winkler, 81, of Middlebury completed her life on July 13, 2022, when her generous heart, which held love for so many, could beat no longer. She was residing at Shard Villa in Salisbury, where she lived out the final months of her life.

Born Janet Ross Pippitt in Boston, Mass., on May 9, 1941, she was the eldest of three daughters born to Lillian Ross Pippitt and Richard Branch Pippitt, M.D., and the granddaughter of noted golf course architect Donald J. Ross.

Janet spent most of her youth in Waban and Wellesley, Mass., and graduated from Wellesley High School. She then graduated from Mount Holyoke College, in South Hadley, Mass., in 1963. In both high school and college, she forged deep friendships that would remain with her throughout her life.

After college, Janet lived in New York City, working for the Netherlands Office for Foreign Student Relations and then for the Experiment in International Living. While in New York, she coordinated and led tours around the country for foreign diplomats in service to the embassies in Washington and at the United Nations.

Returning to Wellesley, Janet met and married Bradford Beers and they went on to have two children together. For three years, Janet and Brad ran the Stone House Club Inn on the Rhode Island coast in Little Compton. It was an experience she often recalled, and throughout her life and travels, Janet expressed great admiration and empathy for bed and breakfast hosts and the proprietors of country inns.

Newly divorced in 1976, she moved with her two young children to Middlebury to be near her sister and brother-in-law. She soon met fellow single parent of two, Frank Winkler, but neither showed any serious interest in the other, until 1983 when romance between them suddenly blossomed; they were married that June, combining their families. Theirs was a fun-filled, sometimes boisterous, and always loving family, thanks in large measure to Janet’s uncanny ability to avert potential conflict through good humor.

Janet and Frank went on to successfully raise their four shared children and enjoy 39 years of happy marriage. They traveled extensively, including living for a year in Cambridge, England with the entire family. They also lived for extended periods in Boulder, Colo., La Serena, Chile, and Canberra, Australia — all places chosen for their connection to Frank’s work as an astronomer.

Janet’s involvement helping implement the “Spirit and Nature” Symposium in 1990, which brought the Dalai Lama to Middlebury, was a highlight of her work as an assistant to philanthropist and Middlebury College professor Steven C. Rockefeller. She worked with him for over 30 years, from soon after her arrival in Middlebury until her retirement in 2008.

In addition to her professional work, she was a long-time and committed volunteer, especially at the Congregational Church and The Addison County Parent/Child Center, as well as an active member of the American Association of University Women, and she supported many seniors in need in the community.

Janet was also known for her handcraft talents, especially hand-spinning, knitting, and origami. She was an enthusiastic member of the Twist O’ Wool fiber guild in Middlebury and took quiet pride when her entries won ribbons at the Addison County Fair and Field Days.

Janet was a generous, loving person, with a wonderful sense of humor, and she will be sorely missed by her family and a large network of friends.

She is survived by her husband Frank and by all four of their children and five grandchildren: Sarah Beers of Queens, N.Y.; Nathan Beers, wife Remy, and daughter Lillian of San Francisco, Calif.; Kate Corcoran, husband Ethan and daughters Allison and Claire, of Portland, Or.; and Johanna Durrett, husband William, and their children Madeleine and Quincy, of Fremont, Calif.

Other survivors include her two sisters, Susan Véguez and husband Roberto, of Cornwall, Vt., and Elizabeth Shapiro of Atlanta, Ga., along with a nephew and niece in Atlanta, Alexander Ross Shapiro, and Victoria Shapiro Kasper, her husband Jonathan, and their two sons, Charles and William Kasper.

The family would like to thank the administration and staff at Shard Villa for the attentive, professional and loving care Janet received there in the final months of her life. A memorial service will be held at a future date. Donations in Janet’s honor may be made to the Middlebury Congregational Church or to Shard Villa. ◊

Casey Neistat's 10 Stoic Practices (For Productivity)

 

The Rt. Rev. Peter James Lee, Rest in Peace and Rise in Glory and Power

 

Funeral for the Rt. Rev. Peter James Lee Friday, July 15, 2:00 p.m. Chapel of the Cross 304 E. Franklin St. Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Clergy are invited to vest and process Funeral will also be broadcast via livestream Gifts in memory of Bishop Lee may be made to: Virginia Theological Seminary, the Peter James Lee Endowment for Small Church Revitalization in the Diocese of Virginia, or the Peter James Lee Organ Fund, Chapel of the Cross. Condolences may be sent to: The Lee Family, 511 East Rosemary Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. ______________________________________________________

The Right Reverend Bishop Peter James Lee, 12th Bishop of the Diocese of Virginia, passed away in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on July 2, 2022. He was 84. Bishop Lee served for 25 years as Bishop of Virginia, from 1984 to 2009.    During his tenure as Bishop, Peter Lee ordained more than 200 people to the priesthood; helped to strengthen the Church Schools in the Diocese of Virginia; oversaw major capital improvements to the two diocesan conference centers, Roslyn in Richmond and Shrine Mont in Orkney Springs; developed a partner relationship with the Diocese of Christ the King in South Africa; and established a program to give financial assistance to diocesan youth to make mission trips. He also helped to establish the Triangle of Hope, a covenantal relationship between the Dioceses of Virginia, Liverpool, England and now the Diocese of Kumasi, Ghana. The Triangle of Hope promotes reconciliation and healing from the three dioceses’ shared history in the slave trade.   One of the hallmarks of Bishop Lee’s episcopate was his vote in 2003 to confirm the first openly gay bishop in The Episcopal Church. That decision prompted 11 churches to break away from the Diocese, which led to a legal battle over property ownership. The Diocese ultimately won the legal dispute in 2012 when the courts ruled that the seceding churches’ buildings and land were the property of the Diocese.   Bishop Lee said that some of the highlights of his career were meeting Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and being presented to the Queen of England.   Another legacy he leaves to the Diocese of Virginia is a fund established in his name, the Peter James Lee Fund for Small Church Revitalization. The endowment fund was established in 2001 and its purpose it to assist small churches in their revitalization, preservation and expansion primarily of their facilities.     While Bishop Lee eventually found his way to seminary, ordained ministry was not his first career. Prior to his call to ministry, Bishop Lee served as an Army Intelligence Officer (61-62), then as a journalist for several newspapers, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch.   He enrolled in Duke University Law School in 1963, but it was during his first year that he felt his call to ordained ministry. It was also the year he met his wife, Kristy Margaret Knapp.    Bishop Lee graduated from VTS in 1967 and was ordained a deacon that same year. In 1968, he was ordained a priest. From 1968-1970, he served as Assistant Rector of St. John’s Lafayette Square, then became rector of Chapel of the Cross, Chapel Hill, NC, where he served from 1971 – 1984. He was elected Bishop CoAdjutor of the Diocese of Virginia in 1984.     While Bishop of Virginia, he served in many leadership positions in the wider Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, including as President of the Presiding Bishop’s Fund for World Relief (1987-1993); President, American Friends of the Diocese of Jerusalem (1989-1996); Chairman, Board of Trustees, VTS (1993 – 2009); Chaplain, Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, Washington, DC (1994-2000) and Chairman of The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral in the United States (2003 – 2018).   Though he resigned as Bishop of Virginia in 2009, he continued a distinguished career in ministry. He went directly from Virginia to San Francisco where he served as Interim Dean of Grace Cathedral from 2009-2010. From 2010-2011, he served as Interim Dean of General Theological Seminary in New York City. From New York, Bishop Lee moved to Paris, where he served as Interim Dean of The American Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (2012-2013). In 2013, he was elected Provisional Bishop of the Diocese of East Carolina, where he served as an Interim Bishop until 2014. He served in a variety of other ministries including Interim Rector, Christ Church, Georgetown, (2015 – 2017); Assisting Bishop, Diocese of North Carolina and Bishop-in-Residence, Chapel of the Cross, Chapel Hill, NC.   Bishop Lee is survived by his wife, Kristina Knapp Lee, daughter Stewart, son James, and several grandchildren.   Please keep the Lee family in your prayers.