OLD BENNINGTON, Vt. – Vermonters on Friday mourned Bennington’s pivotal voice in the state Senate.
A contingent of friends and colleagues from politics, social services and other walks of life gathered at Old First Church to mourn the late State Senator Dick Sears, who died June 1 at age 81.
Sears’ friend and Senate colleague Brian Campion led the organization of the service. The Rev. Kenneth Clarke, pastor of the First Congregational Church, led it.
Former Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin (2011-2017), a close friend of state Senator Dick Sears, gave the eulogy at his funeral on Friday at the Old First Church in Old Bennington, Vermont.
Danny Zaffarano – Bennington Flag
Speakers spoke of a man from humble beginnings who cared passionately about the disadvantaged, a man of great political acumen who in his 30-year career in the state Senate authored 617 bills, 128 of which became law .
Clarke said they gathered to “remember the life of an extraordinary man, a public servant, a kind father, a man who meant a lot to this city and this state. And that is why we come together in gratitude for the life of Dick Sears.”
Speakers at the event included Campion and retired Senator Jane Kitchel, another friend and colleague. Many of Sears’ fellow Vermont state senators attended.
Gov. Phil Scott spoke and former Gov. Peter Shumlin, a close friend of Sears, delivered the eulogy. The last to speak was Sears’ son, John Murphy, accompanied by Sears’ two granddaughters, Kadin and Delilah Murphy.
“You were also his family. He loved and respected them all,” John Murphy told lawmakers. “I appreciate each of you.”
Dick Sears’ son John Murphy and Sears’ two granddaughters Kadin and Delilah Murphy arrive at his memorial service at the Old First Church in Old Bennington, Vermont.
Danny Zaffarano – Bennington Flag
All of the speakers told endearing Sears stories, many of which elicited laughter. Scott, a Republican, told how, when he himself was a new senator, he sometimes felt a little intimidated by the sometimes gruff Sears, a Democrat. However, they found a connection in his shared love of golden retrievers.
Others mentioned Sears’ love of cruise ships, the Boston Red Sox and the state Senate. Sears’ beloved late wife, Beverly, also appeared in the stories.
Sears’ record as an accomplished and intelligent legislator resulted in the passage of civil unions, judicial reform, and much more. Shumlin talked about how they met in the early 1990s, when they were both running for state Senate seats and were at a Bernie Sanders campaign event.
“One of the closest and most loyal friendships of my life had begun. I drove home, hoping beyond hope that we would both win, so that I would have a friend in the Senate. I ended up with a friend for life,” she said.
Attendees arrive to attend State Senator Dick Sears’ memorial service at the Old First Church in Old Bennington, Vermont, on Friday.
Danny Zaffarano – Bennington Flag
Born in Connecticut, Sears, after living in three foster homes, was adopted by his loving parents, Richard and Charlotte Sears of Framingham. This experience led him to his lifelong passion of working with at-risk youth.
“From the beginning, it was unlikely that his life would end this way, and he never forgot it for a second,” Shumlin said.
Sears dedicated his life to helping underprivileged children “who could have been him,” he said.
Shortly after moving to Bennington in 1971, Sears started “204 Depot Street,” a residential program for young teens. He served as principal for thirty-five years, during which time he had an impact on many young people.
Shumlin twice referred to Sears as “the Father Teresa of Vermont.”
Campion said Sears loved the Senate and the ability it gave him to change lives. “Dick loved the work of engagement, the work of finding solutions to the problems facing Vermont,” he said.
“Dick was funny. One of my favorite memories shortly after arriving in the Senate with him was when her friend, former Senator Claire Ayer, did not want to give the Vermont Veterans Home all the funding it wanted,” Campion said. “So she had us report an amendment that would close rural hospitals.”
“Dick was one of the great strategists and policymakers of the Legislature,” he said.
As an example of Sears’ legacy, Campion said he noticed that the nurse who cared for Sears during his last illness wore a pin celebrating pride.
“I told him that the man I was treating was instrumental in approving civil unions,” she said. “The young man smiled and immediately understood the historical significance of what Dick had done for him and so many others. He said, ‘So he is one of the heroes on whose shoulders we stand.’”
Music at the service included “These Green Mountains,” the state song of Vermont; “My country is yours”; “Come, all the servants of the Lord” and “O beautiful one of the spacious heavens.” After noting that the poet Robert Frost is buried in the Old First Cemetery, Clarke read the poem “The Road Not Taken.”
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