STRAFFORD, VT — After a seven year long and courageous battle with lymphoma, Stephen William Wetmore of Strafford, Vt. died early in the morning of November 23, 2019 at the Jack Byrne Center for Palliative and Hospice Care at Dartmouth Hitchcock Memorial Hospital. He was 68. Family, friends and an ever-faithful border collie surrounded Stephen as he passed away peacefully.
He was born April 6, 1951 in Easton, PA, the second child of Dr. Stephen R. Wetmore and Ada Silverstein Wetmore. His family began vacationing in Vermont in the late 1950’s eventually purchasing an abandoned farm in Strafford dating back to 1798. Thus began Stephen’s childhood exposure to and life-long love of dogs, farming, nature and winter sports, most notably, skiing.
There are rarely any sheep producers or border collie enthusiasts in Vermont or the Northeast who are not aware of Stephen’s influence and legacy as a trainer, breeder and competitor of sheepdogs. His unique sense of humor, his love for people and dogs, not only enabled him to breed, train and compete with Border Collies but also to teach others about the breed. His sheepdog demonstrations thrilled young and old alike at several museums and countless fairs and schools throughout Vermont and New England.
An accomplished carpenter, Stephen built and remodeled many custom homes throughout Vermont and New Hampshire with Strafford contractor Blake Spencer.
For a complete obituary, please go to the Cabot Funeral Home website (www.cabotfh.com)
In lieu of flowers, donations in Stephen’s memory may be sent to The Hand to Heart Project, PO Box 248, Cornish Flat, NH 03746
(https://handtoheartproject.org) or The Lymphoma Research Foundation (www.lymphoma.org).
A celebration of Stephen’s life will be held in the spring of 2020, place and time to be announced.