The committal service for Persis G. Stillson, 98, a former longtime resident of Hartland, who passed away June 18 at the Thompson House Nursing Home in Brattleboro, will be held Sunday, Sept. 6 at 1 p.m. in the Hartland Village Cemetery in Hartland. Rev. Paul Sawyer, Pastor of the Universalist Unitarian Church in Hartland Four Corners will officiate. The Knight Funeral Home in Windsor is entrusted with the arrangements.

BRATTLEBORO - A graveside service is planned for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 6, at the Hartland Village Cemetery for Persis Gilbert Stillson who passed away in her sleep early on the morning of June 18 at Thompson House in Brattleboro after a short illness with both of her children at her side. A gathering for family and friends will follow directly afterwards at the First Universalist Church, Hartland. Persis was born Sept. 7, 1916 the oldest child of Walter and Charlotte (Crawford) Gilbert. She attended the North Hartland School and was proud of attending and graduating from the Lyndon Institute in Lyndonville She attended many reunions at LI, the most recent being her 75th in 2009. She was the first in her family to attend college (Stoneleigh in Rye, New Hampshire.) After graduation she worked for the State of Vermont in old age assistance covering much of Southern Vermont. She had tales of driving over the Green Mountains on the highways of the area long before most were anything more than dirt or gravel and commuting by train from Bellows Falls to Rutland due to wartime gas rationing. After his discharge from the Army at the end of WWII, she married Robert Stillson on Aug. 17, 1946 in Hartland where they lived, worked and raised their family. Her last job before retirement in 1982 was as Hartland's Town Clerk, a job she held for 19 years. From 1965 onwards she was also the town Treasurer. She was a lifelong member of the First Universalist Society of Hartland. She enjoyed spending the winters in Florida with her husband where they spent many hours exploring the "boonies." Bob's green thumb kept both homes looking wonderful - with many kinds of citrus fruit on the table in Florida. She also enjoyed family, music, travel and reading her newspapers - the last a characteristic she inherited from her father. In addition to driving trips with her husband and later with her son, daughter or other family members, she enjoyed a wonderful trip to Ireland with her sister-in-law and daughter She is survived by her brother, Walter Gilbert of Forty Fort, Pennsylvania; her daughter, Hollie Bowen of Brattleboro; her son, Dick Stillson of Manchester Center; four grandchildren; four great-grandsons; and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband; one sister, Pauline French; and a niece. At Thanksgivings in later years she used to delight in sitting in a wing back chair while her great grandsons, her "little men," ran around the room. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the First Universalist Society of Hartland, PO Box 75, Hartland Four Corners, 05049. Graveside arrangements are under the direction of Knight Funeral Home in Windsor. This obituary will also appear in the July 16, 2015 print edition of the Vermont Standard.