On May 26, 2020, Nelson “Put” Putnam ended his 89-year journey peacefully at his home in Fayston with Lucia Roraback Putnam, his wife of 64 years, at his side. Put was born in Rochester, VT, on April 12, 1931, to Edith Milner Putnam and Lewis Adrian Putnam. Put is survived by his wife, Lucia; his five children, Elizabeth Hoerle Putnam Flint (Delos), Robin Milner Putnam Ahmann (Steve), Stephen Roraback Putnam (Phoebe McNeally), Alison Butler Putnam (Paul Guimond) and Scott Nelson Putnam; his 13 grandchildren, Dale, Connor, Brian and Caitlin Flint, Travis and Lindsay Ahmann, Abigail and Mikayla Guimond, Brig, Soren and Reidar Putnam, and Pfeiffer and Kessler Putnam; and several nieces, nephews, cousins and grandchildren’s spouses. Put is predeceased by his parents; his brothers, Earle and Frederick Putnam; and his nephews, Christopher and Timothy Putnam.
Put completed high school at Phillips Academy Andover in 1950 and then earned his B.A. from Dartmouth College in 1954. Following two years of service in the Army in the Signal Corp (Fort Benning, GA, and Fort Lewis, Tacoma, WA), Put returned to Dartmouth to complete his MBA degree in 1956. Put worked for many years as a corporate business executive, primarily at Crouse Hinds Inc. and General Electric Corp. in central New York state and Burlington, VT. He and family resided in Manlius, NY, from 1966 until they relocated to Fayston in 1980.
Put, a superb skier, always enjoyed the outdoors. He met his wife, Lucia, while skiing at Stowe and shared his passion for skiing with his whole family. During college breaks he worked outdoors on the Mount Washington Cog Railway. He started ski patrolling at Labrador Mountain, Truxton, NY, in 1969 and shortly thereafter joined the Mad River Glen ski patrol, Fayston, VT, where he patrolled for over 40 years. Put loved to boat, waterski, sail, play fetch with his dogs, cheer on the Red Sox and work with wood. He and Lucia spent summers on Lake Champlain and Twin Lakes in Salisbury, CT. They sailed extensively along the East Coast and traveled worldwide from British Columbia to New Zealand to ski and sail with friends and family.
Most importantly Put was a loving father and faithful husband. He was an intelligent, steadfast and supportive man who set a wonderful example for his children and grandchildren. He was the wind beneath our wings.
Because of coronavirus restrictions the memorial for Put will be later this summer at Twin Lakes and at Mad River Glen next winter. We greatly thank Karin, Paige and his other caregivers for the loving care and support they gave to him, Lu, and family during his prolonged illness. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in his name to the Stark Mountain Foundation (www.starkmountain.org), to the Dartmouth College Outing Club (Friends of the DOC.) or to the Vermont Foodbank. Condolences may be sent to Lucia Putnam in Fayston.
