Judith Abbott of Waitsfield, VT, passed away on Monday, October 23, 2023. She leaves behind her four children, Tamara Laskaris, Clearwater, FL; Susannah Laskaris, Brooklyn, NY; C. Nikolas Laskaris; Sydney, Australia; and Theodore C. Laskaris, Waitsfield; along with five grandchildren, Eleni, Anna, Nik, Emma and Jacob.
Judith was a unique woman with a great laugh and a radiant smile for everyone. She appreciated her strong ties and connection to the Waitsfield community and to longtime friends from her past. Judith’s family and friends have been a source of light and love for her, as she has been for them. She has always understood the interconnectedness of all things and people. She enjoyed volunteering, loved nature and taking long walks, treasured seeing friends, enjoyed working at Hartshorn’s Farm Stand, and was committed to staying connected with a large network of friends and family throughout her life.
Judith was born on April 28 1935, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Jean Douglass of Buffalo, New York. Her father, an Englishman, Derek Abbott, predeceased her. In 1937, Judith’s mother married Edward Yeomans of California and she was raised, along with her older sister Ann and younger brother Tom Yeomans on the East Coast. She completed high school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and attended Smith College before her marriage to Ion C. Laskaris in 1956. While raising four children in rural Putney, Vermont, and Franconia, New Hampshire, Judith completed her BA in 1967 at Goddard College, in Plainfield, Vermont. Her marriage ended in divorce in 1969.
Judith raised her children in Belmont, Massachusetts, and received a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Boston University in 1970. She worked as associate dean of Jackson College at Tufts University for four years, and pursued ongoing training at the Psychosynthesis Institute in San Francisco, California.
In 1975, Judith became the director of advising and assessment at The College of Public and Community Service, a new college for inner city adults at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. From 1977-1990, Judith continued living and working in Newton, Massachusetts, establishing a private practice in psychotherapy and building a strong community of friends and colleagues. After a short stay in San Francisco, she moved to Boulder, Colorado, and finally to Waitsfield in 2007 to be closer to family and her grandchildren.
In addition to her children and grandchildren, she leaves behind her brother Tom Yeomans, sister-in-law Anne Yeomans, of Colrain, Massachusetts; her niece Parvin Michaels, nephews Alan Untereiner, Peter and Ben Yeomans and their families. She was predeceased by her sister, Ann Untereiner, and her grandson Damien Bishop.
A memorial Zoom event will take place in January or February 2024. A celebration of life will take place in summer or fall 2024. If you would like updates on either event, email Susannah Laskaris at
