Gardens

 

dia de los muertos

 

Today is Halloween here in America, a holiday of fun and mischief for children—masks, candy, and staying up late. But tomorrow, in Mexico, begins Día de los Muertos, a holiday more aimed at adults and with deeper philosophical roots. All over Mexico and in other places that celebrate the holiday, people are gathering not for treats, but to honor and remember their loved ones who have passed away. It’s a three-day reflection on the essence of memento mori (check out our memento mori collection here)—a collective moment of bereavement that blends somber remembrance with the vibrancy of a jazz funeral. The great Montaigne (if you haven’t read his famous Essays or Sarah Bakewell’s How To Live, put them on your list!) once shared a story from the New World: an ancient drinking game where participants would pass around a painting of a corpse in a coffin, toasting, “Drink and be merry, for when you’re dead you will look like this.” It’s both cheeky and profound, perfectly capturing the spirit of Día de los Muertos. The imagery of skulls and skeletons, the face paint, the music and dancing, the prayers, and the altars—all serve as reminders that death is not a horror to avoid, but a natural part of life to acknowledge and, in some ways, celebrate. At first glance, it may seem strange to celebrate death—stranger still to involve children. But is it really any odder than banishing all thoughts of death from our lives, allowing it to resurface only in moments of dread? Or pretending that the one universal certainty—our mortality—can be ignored? There is great value in rituals that allow us to confront and even dance with the reality of death. Taking time to process, grieve, and accept this inevitable part of existence helps us live with more clarity. It’s better to regularly acknowledge death, like scheduling an annual check-up, than to be shocked by it when it inevitably arrives. So tomorrow, drink, be merry, and celebrate the Day of the Dead. Remember those you’ve lost, and cherish the ones still here. In the end, that’s all we can really do. For generations, humans have been trying to keep the idea of memento mori at hand in different ways. In addition to the Aztec traditions that evolved into our modern day Día de los Muertos celebration, you can see it in historical writing, art, music, and of course jewelry. All created with the intent of reminding their observer that death doesn’t make life pointless—it makes life purposeful.

Hello, sun

 

 

W. Landon Dennison Jr., 89, of Hinesburg

October 16, 2025

W. LANDON DENNISON JR.

HINESBURG — W. Landon “Lanny” Dennison Jr. died at his home in Hinesburg, Vt., on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. He was 89 years old.

Lanny was born in Princeton, N.J., on Jan. 22, 1936. He attended Deerfield Academy and graduated from Princeton University in 1958 and Jefferson Medical College in 1962.

Lanny married the love of his life, Alison Holland, on July 4, 1960.

Lanny served as the medical officer aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, SSBN-602. In 1970, he completed his residency at Mary Hitchcock Hospital in Dartmouth and moved his family to Hinesburg to open his dermatology practice.

As a doctor, Lanny traveled to the Northeast Kingdom, Middlebury and St. Albans. He never turned away a patient, taking payment in eggs, crocheted afghans, and even feed for his daughter’s horse. It wasn’t unusual for him to stop by a patient’s home after church on Sunday.

In addition to being a devoted doctor, husband and father, he was a true renaissance man, painting, tying flies, studying philosophy, hunting, and cycling until the end of his life. His Vermont connections started early in life and ran deep. He spent summers as a camper and counselor at Keewaydin Camp on Lake Dunmore, where his parents worked each summer.

Lanny leaves behind his wife of 65 years, Alison Holland Dennison; children Meg (Tim Peek), Bill (Deb Dennison), Andrew (Alison Dennison), and Michael (Tiffany Dennison); nine grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren; and brother Tom (Marianne Dennison).

A celebration of Lanny’s life will be held Sunday, Oct. 26, at 2 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church in Shelburne with a reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Lanny’s name may be made to Trinity Episcopal Church of Shelburne, 5171 Shelburne Road, Shelburne, VT 05482 or Hinesburg Community Resource Center, PO Box 444, Hinesburg, VT 05461.