Burial Date October 9, 2013
Obituaries » LYNDOL HUTCHINSON
HUTCHINSON, LYNDOL, 101, of Plainfield, passed away on October 1. Lyndol was born in 1912 on a farm in Greensboro and lived there with his parents, Frank and Grace Hutchinson, until the family moved to Connecticut when Frank Hutchinson found work at Loomis Institute, a private school for boys. There Lyndol was able to attend this rigorous and prestigious school as a day student. After returning to Vermont, Lyndol graduated from Plainfield High School and then attended Green Mountain Junior College for one term before leaving school for work in the midst of the depression. Lyndol helped his parents start Hutchinson Gardens on a 13-acre farm where the Plainfield Hardware Store is today. Hutchinson Gardens became a local institution and for decades sold fine vegetables, fruits, flowering plants, and eggs, to Central Vermont folks and to local markets and restaurants. Lyndol married Edna Scott and they lived in Plainfield with their three children: Joan, born in 1944, Edward born in 1947, and Cheryl born in 1962. Lyndol and Edna were active in the Macedonia Baptist Church and helped bring the church to Marshfield from Montpelier. Lyndol loved singing and sang tenor in the choir for twenty+ years until his hearing began to fail. He taught his son how to harmonize and fostered Ed’s own life-long love of singing. Although all the children grew up helping with “the Gardens,” each went on to other kinds of work as adults. However, until he came to live at Woodridge Nursing Home about ten months ago, Lyndol continued to share the family home on School Street in Plainfield with his daughter Cheryl Gray and her husband, Thomas. Lyndol’s beloved wife, Edna, preceded him in death in 1984, and Lyndol has now gone to join her. He is survived by his sister Phylis Foster of Northport, Fla., by his daughter Joan Hutchinson of Santa Monica, Calif., by his son and daughter-in-law, Ed Hutchinson and Alexandra Thayer of Plainfield, and his daughter and son-in-law Cheryl and Thomas Gray of Plainfield. In retirement, for many years, Lyndol was a fixture at the Twin Valley Senior Center which serves Plainfield and Marshfield. The Senior Center and the Macedonia Baptist Church both had gala celebrations for Lyndol’s 100th birthday in 2012, complete with congratulations from Vermont’s congressional delegation and President Obama. Visiting hours will be held at the Whitcomb-Hooker Funeral Home at 7 Academy St., in Barre from 6-8 pm on Wednesday, October 9th. Pastor Robert Butler will lead a celebration of Lyndol’s life at 11 am on Thursday, October 10th at the Macedonia Baptist Church, with reception following, at the church located on Rte. 2 in Marshfield. Internment at the Plain-Mont Cemetery on Rte 2 in Plainfield will follow immediately afterwards. All are welcome.
