Sarah Lucy Brothers, 50, passed away in the comfort of her family at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York City on Friday, April 3, 2015. Born in Burlington on March 22, 1965, she was the daughter of Richard Brothers and Betsy (Paul) Brothers. Since 2004 Sarah has been a committed partner and wife to Jeffrey Herrmann.
Sarah was a 1983 graduate of Harwood Union High School in Duxbury and continued her education at Fisher College in Boston, MA, graduating with her associate degree in fashion design. Sarah began her career as a founding partner, with her sister Anne, of the clothing boutique Siblings in Stowe and Waitsfield, which they operated for several years. Following, Sarah was employed in management for Victoria's Secret, working in Columbus, OH, Boston and Burlington and responsible for opening 50 stores for the company. She later joined her sister at Fontana and Co. Salon and Boutique in Essex and South Burlington as a cosmetologist and esthetician, a vocation she enjoyed from 1997 until last year.
In addition, Sarah and her husband, Jeff, founded Herrmann & Brothers Real Estate Advisors specializing in real estate development, remodeling and sales, with offices in Stowe and St. Petersburg, FL. Over the past seven years Sarah has purchased, rehabilitated and managed over 20 residential and commercial properties for Herrmann Brothers in three different states. Projects range from complete-to-the-stud renovations of foreclosures to condo management and office space build-outs. Her most recent projects locally have been the complete renovation of the old Thompson Flour Mill on Mountain Road and the development of an eight-lot subdivision on Brush Hill.
Creative, spiritual, energetic, athletic and loving, Sarah had an essence that drew people to her. Her professional career nurtured her artistic talents for style and design; her athleticism gave her the skills to enjoy skiing, high-energy fitness regimens including Zumba as well as a number of other sports and activities; her holistic approach to life, which included yoga and meditation, kept her centered and balanced, particularly important to her as she faced cancer. Her love for her family and friends had no boundaries and was whole and endless. She found great joy in spending time with her children and enjoyed attending their many sports activities.
She is lovingly remembered for her ability to see the possibilities, not the problems, whether it was in life or in rehabbing real estate properties. She embraced life to its fullest.
Sarah is loved and mourned by her husband, Jeff Herrmann of Stowe and St. Petersburg; her children, Macall Meslin and Robert Meslin, both of Essex; her stepsons, Cole Herrmann of St. Petersburg and Rickie Herrmann of Rochester, NY; her mother, Betsy Brothers of Waitsfield; her father, Richard Brothers and his wife Mary of Waitsfield; her sister, Anne Roberts and her husband Bobby of Stowe; her brothers, John Pollock and his wife Lynn of Wilson Mills, ME, Neil Johnson of Waitsfield, and Lyle Johnson and his wife Ali of Burlington; a niece and three nephews, Gracie Pollock, Carter Lash, Kirk Fontana and Max Johnson; and her special canine companion, Willie.
Friends may call at Perkins-Parker Funeral Home in Waterbury on Friday, April 10, 2015, from 5 to 8 p.m. A service celebrating the life of Sarah Brothers will be held from Stoweflake Mountain Resort, 1746 Mountain Road, Stowe, on Saturday, April 11, 2015, at 12:30 p.m. with a reception to follow. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations would be appreciated to Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital: visit www.giving.mskcc.org; go to "Giving Pages," then "Find and Donate to a Giving Page," then please enter Sarah's full name. You may also consider donations to the North Country Animal League (www.ncal.com).
