Dana Gordon Kennison of Waitsfield passed away quietly in his sleep Sunday, December 13, 2015. His unexpected loss is deeply mourned by his family, friends and co-workers.
Dana was born July 2, 1982, in Burlington to Nancy C. Coombs and Bradley J. Kennison. Many birthdays were celebrated with July Fourth fireworks at his mother's parents’ summer home in Oquossoc, Maine. Born into a ski racing family, Dana demonstrated incredible skiing skills at a very early age but was fascinated with the freedom of snowboarding. He quickly mastered the board and was the envy of many who watched him sail by as if floating on air. In his teens, driven by the influence of his late and beloved uncle, Doug Coombs, he would adventure out for long hikes in summer and winter on the Long Trail. His adventures of overnight winter camping at 30 degrees below zero were memories he cherished. In his youth Dana played soccer for Essex United and Nordic Soccer Clubs.
Dana was a 2000 graduate of Harwood Union High School. Anybody who knew Dana, though, knows that his real learning came from trial and error and a genuine affinity to understand how things work. If you thought something was broken, Dana could usually fix it or at least make it better. His knowledge of electronics, computers and automobiles was uncanny. It was these skill sets that he brought with him to his career at Sugarbush Resort. Starting out checking lift tickets, then running lifts, he became a lift ops coordinator before becoming a lift mechanic. He hit the books to increase his electrical knowledge and certification for that job. He loved his position and his co-workers at the mountain. Many times Dana would send a picture out on Facebook of an early morning sunrise from the top of Lincoln Peak just to let everyone know he was on the job and it’s going to be a good day to ski or ride.
If you knew Dana, you understood his love of cars. Especially his cherished 2004 Subaru WRX that to this day looks brand new. He loved to go to the Detroit auto shows when possible with his father, as well as more local car shows with his friends. If your car had a problem, Dana might be able to help and if he couldn’t he’d give you a ride. He was known for the generosity of his time and trust. If you needed to move a couch he’d take the heavier load. If you needed to move your whole house, he'd spend his day helping you ... as long as there’s a sharing of beer afterward. He would never let a friend down.
Dana is survived by his mother, Nancy Coombs and husband Jim Hildebrand of Waitsfield; father, Bradley Kennison and wife Jill of Essex Center; brother, Scott Kennison and wife Lindsay and their son Syzer of Bradford, New Hampshire; uncle, Steve Coombs and wife Karen of Londonderry; and cousins, Whitney Coombs of Crested Butte, Colorado, and Brent Coombs and wife Jill of Londonderry; aunt Andrea Echo and her husband Craig and cousins Stefan and Hannah; grandmother, Anne Kennison of Essex Center; great aunt, Barbara Tripp of Libby, Montana; aunt, Emily Coombs, and cousin, David Coombs, of Jackson, Wyoming; stepbrother, Kyle Hildebrand and family of Riverside, Connecticut; and stepsister, Meghan Hildebrand Barnes and family of South Burlington.
A memorial service is being planned to honor and remember Dana’s life. Details of time and place are in process. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Dana’s name can be made to the Doug Coombs Foundation (dougcoombsfoundation.com), which provides low-income children the opportunity to learn to ski, and the Green Mountain Club (
