Brian Thomas Sweet
Brian Thomas Sweet, (Tom), passed away peacefully at home on December 8, 2024, surrounded by family. Born January 12, 1941, in Waterbury Center, VT, Tom’s parents were Lynwood (Jack) Sweet and (Mary) Alice Minott Sweet.
Tom was a hard worker, helping on his uncle’s farm and later walking three miles daily to his father’s dairy farm at the base of Mt. Hunger. He graduated from Waterbury High School in 1959 and, attended UVM, transferring to the U. of Maine at Orono to complete a degree in forestry, graduating in 1963.
Tom had a 60-year career as a forester, employed by the U.S. Forest Service in Vermont, Minnesota, and Michigan. In 1979, Tom became the forester for New England Land Associates, dba Ward Lumber Company, based in Waterbury. During that time, he began forestry consulting for private landowners retiring in 2023. He was fortunate that his profession was also his avocation, he often said that there was never a bad day in the woods. His summer delight of the last 44 years was making hay on the family farm (square bales), mainly for people who owned horses, interspersed with gardening and canoe trips.
In 1960, Tom met the love of his life Grace Lamson Waldo, marrying on August 15, 1964. Together, they raised three sons — Matthew, Philip (Rebecca Roebuck), and Daniel (Andrea Shedd) — and delighted in their grandchildren: Phoebe, Finn, Camille, and Chase.
He gave back to his community in many ways: as a Rotarian, a Cooperator for the Northfield Savings Bank for 30-plus years, a longtime member of the VT Farm Bureau, a member of the Waterbury Center Community Church, and he was on the Stewardship Committee for the Stowe Land Trust.
Tom was a member of the VT National Guard, Alpha Battery of the First Battalion of the 86th Artillery serving at the Waterbury Armory and becoming a First Lieutenant and the Battery Commander for three years in the 1960s.
In addition to his wife and children, Tom is survived by his sisters, Gayle (Bill) Waite and Carol Lee (Bill) Moulton, and Grace’s siblings, Guy (Barbara) Waldo, Mary Waldo, Irving Waldo, Gerald (Ginny) Waldo, and Elizabeth (George) Phillips and numerous nieces and nephews and many cousins. He was predeceased by his parents and his mother and father-in-law, Thelma (Lamson) and Philip Waldo.
The family thanks Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice staff for their compassionate care. The family is grateful for all the visits from friends and family and for the many people who brought delicious soups and other meals.
Memorial contributions for Harwood student(s) pursuing further education in Agricultural or Natural Resource studies can be made to the Brian Thomas Sweet Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 156, Waterbury Center, VT 05677.
Services are planned for Saturday, May 24, 2025. Details will be published.
