Benjamin Waitt Thurber, 92, passed away peacefully on January 21, 2025, in his home in Craftsbury, Vt., following a long battle with vascular dementia. A beloved father, artist and minister, Ben will always be remembered for his kindness, commitment to his community and great sense of humor.
Ben was born on September 27, 1932, in Newport, Vt., to Wendell and Maude Thurber. After spending his early childhood in Island Pond, Vt., Ben and his family moved to Burlington, Vt. He attended Burlington High School and graduated in 1950, earning the title “Class Artist.” Ben then moved west to California, where he graduated from Pasadena College in 1954 with a major in theology and a minor in art. He declined a full art scholarship to the Art Institute of Los Angeles and pursued graduate studies at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena from 1954 to 1958, where he received his master of divinity degree. He was ordained in 1959 and held standing in the Vermont United Church of Christ for 65 years.
Throughout his varied career, he used art in his ministries and taught at local community centers. His first church was in Derby, Vt., where he also served Morgan, Vt., from 1958 to 1961. He then moved to Des Moines, Iowa, from 1962 to 1964, where he served as pastor before moving on to work with intervarsity students as a chaplain in Minnesota, South Dakota and Iowa from 1964 to 1969. He became assistant professor of religion and chaplain at Malone College in Ohio from 1969 to 1971. He returned to his role as pastor from 1971 to 1982 at the Hamilton Congregational Church in Massachusetts. After 1982, he shifted gears to do art full-time while serving interim ministerial assignments throughout Vermont (Coventry, Vergennes, Salisbury, Milton) and filled in at churches throughout the state. From 1993 to 2003, he served as pastor of the Church on the Common in Craftsbury.
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In addition to his ministerial work, Ben was an accomplished artist, focusing on pen-and-ink sketches and paintings of classic Vermont scenes and buildings. He served as president of the Vermont Handcrafters and participated in craft shows and stores throughout Vermont and New England. He is also known for his tree fungus art and his annual calendar that featured his sketches and watercolors celebrating Vermont. The 2025 calendar is the 41st edition.
Ben was predeceased by his parents, Wendell and Maude Thurber; his brothers, Stanley and Lawrence Thurber; and his sisters, Atlantis Poor, Isabel Brown, Francelia Thurber, Rachel Thurber and Elizabeth Thurber. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Beverly, of Craftsbury, Vt.; his daughters, Carla Burridge of Sandwich, Mass. (husband Bob), Julia Wood of Morgan, Vt. (husband Gregg), June Ellen Cushing of Bolton, Mass. (husband Pascal), Barbara Reiley of Kula, Hawaii (husband Michael), Ruth Lindsay of Beverly, Mass. (husband Doug), and their mother, Sara Hamel Connolly; his sons, Benjamin Thurber Jr. of Walpole, N.H. (wife Lindsay), and James Thurber of Burlington (wife Karyn); his stepchildren, Kurt Mayr of Glastonbury, Conn. (wife Abigail), Karoline Mayr of Brambleton, Va. (husband Todd), and Karl Mayr of Westport, Conn. (wife Nicole); 32 grandchildren; 47 great-grandchildren; and his niece, Bonnie Thurber Klimowski (husband Steve) of Fairfax, Vt.
Special thanks to Shauna Shepard, Julie Wood, Jennifer LaPoint, VNA aides Abby and Chelsea, Pastor Kim Larose, Michelle Warren, Cheryl Williams, and Dr. Alison Landry for their kind help during Ben’s final days.
A celebration of Ben’s life and legacy is planned for Memorial Day weekend (details to be announced later). In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Craftsbury Church on the Common’s Deacons’ Crisis Fund, PO Box 46, Craftsbury Common, VT 05827, or Orleans/Essex VNA Hospice, 46 Lakemont Rd., Newport, VT 05855.
