ATHENS, Vt. – Lois Elizabeth (Perrin) Sippel, age 90, slipped peacefully into the arms of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on May 24, 2023, following a brief illness.
Born March 3, 1933, in Orange, N.J., she married the boy next door, Richard “Dick” Sippel, on Jan. 12, 1952. They built their home on the land between their parents, residing in West Orange, N.J., until 1990, when they retired and built their home in Athens, Vt.
Lois worked full-time, beginning as a dental assistant before graduating from West Orange High School and finishing her career as the director of medical records for West Essex General Hospital in Livingston, N.J. Mid-career, she graduated from Northeastern Bible College in Essex Fells, N.J., with an associate degree in biblical studies.
She served as a lister for the Town of Athens, and volunteered in many community and church activities, and at Camp Good News in Charlestown, N.H. Her sewing skills were used to make clothing for Appalachian children, her knitting supported the senior center in Bellows Falls, and she was often found helping Dick clear trails for the Pinnacle Association or the Nature Museum in Grafton, sugaring maples, collecting firewood and honey from their bees, or baking bread in their homemade brick oven.
Lois was predeceased by her parents James and Lois (Crane) Perrin, and by her husband Dick in 2019. She is survived by her daughter Dale Williamson and her husband Erik Williamson, her brother James Perrin and his wife Patricia, cousins, nieces, and nephew.
A graveside memorial service will take place on Saturday, July 8, at 1 p.m., at Athens Cemetery, Valley Cemetery Road in Athens, Vt., and is open to the public. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Thompson House in Brattleboro, Vt., to support the loving care given every day to the Thompson House family of residents.