Britt A. LeBaron-Brien, 25, passed away peacefully at her home in Norwich, Vermont, on June 22, 2019, surrounded by her loving family, following a courageous battle with cancer. Britt was born to Christopher Brien and Colleen LeBaron in Randolph, Vermont, on April 28, 1994. She attended elementary and middle school in Nantucket, MA, and Hanover High School in Hanover, NH. Britt graduated from the University of Vermont in 2016 and moved to Boston, MA.
Britt was a free spirit from the day she was born, always calling the shots, keeping her parents on their toes and at a loss for sleep, full of energy and full of life. In her early childhood in Waitsfield, VT, she loved walking to the nearby farm to visit the cows and baby animals, going for hikes with her family, planting and playing in the garden, skiing and chasing butterflies with her dad. After moving to Nantucket Island in first grade, she developed a love of the beach and the ocean and close friendships that lasted her lifetime. But Vermont was always home for her, so after moving back in high school she spent as much time as possible outdoors in nature, enjoying the beauty that surrounded her, whether hiking, skiing or just going for a walk with a friend. She loved to travel and did so at every opportunity, visiting Hawaii, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Greece and traveling across the United States by car with friends. Britt approached her life and its many challenges with grit and grace, overcoming setbacks and tragedies with renewed determination. Britt was beautiful and brave, facing her illness with strength and tenacity, never giving up, determined to beat the odds and live her best life. Her final wish was for us all to do just that, live our best lives in her honor, do the things she never had time to do, live fully, love generously, be kind and good to others, laugh often, dance in the rain, take the trip, be happy, no regrets. She will be so profoundly missed by her family and so many others whose lives she touched.
Britt loved her family deeply and is survived by her father, Chris Brien; stepmother, Deborah Brien; and siblings, Sumner LeBaron-Brien and Lucas Brien. She is also survived by her mother, Colleen LeBaron; stepfather, Vince Gross; and grandparents, Doris LeBaron and Whitman Marchand; as well as many loving cousins, aunts, uncles and very dear and devoted friends. The family is eternally grateful to the medical team at Massachusetts General Hospital that worked so hard, with the greatest care and compassion, over so many months to save Britt’s life, and to the wonderful community of friends and loved ones whose generosity and support have made this journey bearable.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Cabot Funeral Home in Woodstock, Vermont. A service will be held at St. Denis Catholic Church in Hanover, NH, on Friday, June 28, at 10:45 a.m. followed immediately by a private burial. The family will host a celebration of Britt’s life the same day at 2 p.m. at a nearby location to be announced. In lieu of flowers, the family asks you to consider a donation to Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire.
An online guest book can be found at cabotfh.com.
