Mary Lou Raymo
DOVER - Mary Lou Raymo, 80, died the morning of Friday, May 13, at Clare Bridge Memory Care at Brookdale Fillmore Pond in Bennington.
Mary Lou was born June 16, 1941, at Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend, the daughter of Dorothy and William Holland. Mary Lou grew up on the family dairy farm on Holland Road in East Dover with her parents and her younger brother Ray Holland. She attended a one-room schoolhouse in East Dover through eighth grade. She then attended Wilmington High School, graduating as class salutatorian in 1959.
It was at WHS that Mary Lou met her future husband James “Jim” Raymo; he was always “Jamie” to Mary Lou. They were married at the East Dover Baptist Church on July 9, 1960, with a reception at the Holland farm. After their marriage, Jim and Mary Lou lived in Wilmington for a year and then returned to Holland Road and built their house on the family farm. It was a house designed by Mary Lou and built by her husband, her father, and neighbors. Jim and Mary Lou made Cider Mill Pasture their home for 57 years.
Following high school, she worked in a variety of jobs, including as a milk tester for dairy farms around southern Vermont and with her mother as janitors at Dover Elementary School. In the mid-1970s she began a career in Dover town government, starting as an auditor, secretary, and assistant town clerk. In 1979 she ran for town treasurer and, seven years later after Virginia Carruthers’ retirement, she became the town clerk and treasurer. She retired as town clerk in 2007, having served the town for 30 years. Not completely done with town duties, in 2007 she was elected as first constable and collector of delinquent taxes, a part-time position she held until 2015.
Mary Lou was active in the Vermont Coalition of Municipalities during the initial fight against the implementation of Act 60. That included withholding town tax payments to the state education fund and a court case that eventually went to the state Supreme Court, where the law was upheld.
She knew many people through her work in town government. One of her most cherished friendships was with former secretary of state and governor Jim Douglas. Aside from government, they shared a love for Vermont history and would often cross paths at events around the state. She loved to tell the story about him passing her on the interstate and waving from the governor’s official vehicle.
Mary Lou felt that chronicling history was so important and she took it seriously. As town clerk she took great pride in designing the annual Town Report for Dover. Often the cover was an original drawing by Mary Lou. She won multiple awards for her efforts in producing them, and continued compiling them for the town even after her retirement. She was also a driving force in the planning and execution of the Dover bicentennial celebration in 2010.
A lover of genealogy, she researched and recorded long-lost family history. She, Jim, and her cousin Ernie Wilson visited countless cemeteries looking for missing relatives and dates. A highlight was a trip to Up Holland, England, that she, Ernie, and his wife Janet took, all in the name of research.
Mary Lou was an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She spent time fundraising and commemorating veterans, including placing flags at Dover cemeteries every Memorial Day. She was also active in the Dover Center Cemetery Association and was president for many years.
Mary Lou had vast interests and hobbies. She was a talented artist working with acrylics and oil on canvas, wood cutouts, and natural mediums, focusing on rural landscapes and local scenes. She built numerous replica doll houses and loved photography and videography, much to her family’s amusement at holiday gatherings. She loved to dance to country music and loved dancing with Jim. Together they would turn many heads on the dance floor.
Mary Lou and Jim stayed true to their agricultural roots, raising heifers, mowing fields, baling hay, and continuing to work the family homestead well into their 70s. Mary Lou enjoyed gardening, canning, baking, crocheting, and sewing, including designing clothing for her daughters and their Barbie dolls. She could be found late in the evening at her sewing machine.
Jim and Mary Lou loved to travel, taking trips all over the United States and Europe. She also liked sports and could be seen rooting for her children and grandchildren at games. She was a fixture with her husband at Dover youth sports, and Wilmington and Twin Valley high school games. She was also a big fan of professional bull riding and traveled to New York City for competitions.
She was intelligent, hardworking, and fierce. She would tell you what she thought, whether you wanted to know or not. She was always moving, making every hour count. She touched many things in life and everything she touched was made better. No one was angrier than Mary Lou when she was diagnosed with memory loss. It seemed unfair for someone who had been so dynamic and talented.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband on January 3, 2021; and her brother on June 30, 2021. She is survived by daughters Victoria and husband Randy Capitani, of Dover; Michelle and husband Larry Mann, of Wilmington; and Janet Sherman and partner Richard Sprague, of Searsburg. Also surviving are in-laws Linda Holland, Diane Raymo, Jane and Bart Raymo, and Isabelle and Steve Rice; grandchildren James Sprague and wife Sarah, William Capitani, and Wesley Capitani; great-grandchildren Taylor and Brayden Sprague; many cousins; and her beloved cats Smoky and Jessica.
A memorial service is planned for Saturday, July 16, at 11 am at the Dover Center Cemetery, 22 Holland Road. A reception will follow. Memorial contributions in Mary Lou’s name can be sent to the Dover Center Cemetery Association, PO Box 249, West Dover, VT 05356; or the Daughters of the American Revolution, Brattleboro Chapter, c/o Jayne Rivers, 173 Country Hill, Brattleboro, VT 05301.
