Lynne Margaret Hall died gracefully and peacefully on Jan. 14 in the loving care of her husband, David Brandau; his son, Zachary; and Zachary’s girlfriend, Julie. She was blessed to receive the wonderful support and prayers of the caring staff of Continuum Care and her friends on St. John who loved her as well her many friends in Vermont, her home for almost 40 years.
She was visited by her daughter Margo and her sister Joanne just before her death. She was at her winter home on St. John at Rainbow Ridge, which she and David had purchased in 2009 from the Politis family with whom they had vacationed for many years beginning in 1982. She and David through their wonderful friend, Teddy Politis, and her parents made many lasting friendships here. She enjoyed being part of the Unitarian Universal Fellowship of St. John.
Born in New Jersey on October 7, 1949, to parents Charles M. Hall and Margaret Leslie Hall, she grew up in Glen Rock and Wyckoff with her older brother, Fred, and older sister, Joanne. In 1976 with her young daughter Margo and first husband Jim Eddy, she moved to Sharon, Vermont. Later divorced, she and Margo lived in Woodstock before moving to Royalton, Vermont, to live with David and Zachary.
Married to David in 1985, they soon started Standing Stone Perennial Farm in the fields and barn of their 1857 farm house. Lynne had a keen eye for color and form as well as a green thumb. Together with David, they created a cornucopia of gardens and thriving flower nursery, which became one of the premier perennial nurseries propagating and displaying field-grown plants in New England. For 25 years, Lynne happily shared her love of beauty and knowledge of plants with the thousands of people who found their way across the White River and up the tree shaded Vermont back road. Lynne attributed her love of plants to her father Charlie who gardened with her growing up.
Lynne was a skillful seamstress, a whiz with a sewing machine, needle and thread or knitting needles. She made clothing for her family as well as sewed for a stuffed toy company and later a soft luggage company. Lynne’s artistic talents shown brightly in her painting and watercolors in particular. Her "beach quickies" are shown and sold at Bajo el Sol on St. John. She would paint the view from a beach visited that day, and send the scene to friends and family as a postcard from St. John. Lynne was also a gourmet cook. She loved to share recipes and cooking tips with friends and family. Lynne and David hosted many pot lucks in Vermont and St. John, where her dishes were eagerly consumed. Her heart shaped carrot cake with cream cheese frosting was special.
Lynne will be greatly missed by her husband, David Brandau; his son, Zachary; her daughter, Margo Fraker, and her husband, Erik, and her grandsons: Charlie and Sam of Seattle, Washington; her mother, Margaret Hall of Shelburne, Vermont; her brother, Fred Hall, and his wife, Connie, of Canmore, Alberta; her sister, Joanne Johnston, and her husband, Chris, of Marblehead, Massachusetts; and nieces; nephews and cousins in Arizona, Maine, Ontario and other states.
For questions and condolences, please contact David Brandau, 36 Johnson Hill Road, S. Royalton, VT 05068 or by e-mail at brandau49@ gmail.com
Those who wish to make a contribution in Lynne’s name may choose from the following:
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of St. Thomas-St. John, NUUS, 1-340-776-6332, http://uufstjohn.com/; The Nature Conservancy, www.nature.org, 1-800-628-6860; Visiting Nurse and Hospice of Vermont and New Hampshire, 66 Bennington St., Suite 6, W. Lebanon, NH 03784 (www.vnavnh.org); Continuum Care, Inc. 50 Estate Thomas; Suite 211 St. Thomas, VI 00802, www.CCIVI.com; The St. John Revolving Loan Fund, PO Box 37, St. John, VI 00831. Donate by check with Lynne Hall in the memo line.
A celebration of Lynne’s life will be arranged at later dates on St. John and in Vermont.
Cremation arranged by the Davis Funeral Home, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
