• Courtesy Photo
• Mariot Huessy

Mariot Gardner Huessy, 95, died on Wednesday, September 15, 2021, in her sleep, at home, and at peace with herself and the world.

She was born on November 24, 1925, the daughter of Raymond and Margaret (Reed) Gardner. She graduated from Hanover (N.H.) High School in 1943 and attended Smith College and the Boston School of Occupational Therapy before marrying Henry E. Montgomery in 1947. (They separated in 1952 and divorced in 1955.) On March 1, 1958, she married Dr. Hans R. Huessy. She brought her two children into the marriage, he brought his six children into the marriage, and they had three more children together.

The creation of a single family was the great achievement of their life together. Mariot applied her organizational skills to epic food shopping trips, cooking, decorating and laundry. Her home was her castle.

Over the years, it was also home to numerous cats, dogs, horses, donkeys, sheep, pigs, chickens and ducks — as well as children’s pet mice and skunks. Her love for animals brought her joy and many wonderful friends throughout her life. She loved honoring (and creating) family traditions, and Christmas was the high holiday of her year. She reveled in a lifelong love of fabric, buttons and yarn. She made clothes for herself and her children, riding habits for children and friends, and costumes and scenery for the plays her children staged in the family barn.

She was predeceased by her husband, Hans, in 1997 and by her brother, Clinton C. Gardner, in 2017. She is survived and held in loving memory by her 11 children: Pamela (and Philip) Hazel of Statesville, N.C.; Paula Stahmer of Gainesville, Fla.; Mark (and Frances) Huessy of Essex, Vt.; Janet (and Stephen) Flanders of Norwich, Vt.; Peter Huessy of Potomac, Md.; Raymond Huessy (and Frederick Gray) of Putney, Vt.; Alan Huessy (and Karen Grose) of Pittsburgh, Pa.; Collin Huessy of Marion, Mont.; Hans Huessy of Essex, Vt.; Eugen (“Bear”) Huessy of Hobson, Mont.; and Margaret Laggis of Derby, Vt.; by her 10 grandchildren; by one great-grandchild; by beloved step-grandchildren; and by Benjamin Barney of Lókaachégai, Ariz.; Lucinda Godinez of Flagstaff, Ariz.; and Willem Leenman of West Haven, Vt.

A memorial service will be announced later. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in her memory to Essex (Vt.) Rescue, Inc.; Spring Lake Ranch in Cuttingsville, Vt.; or the University of Vermont Morgan Horse Farm in Weybridge, Vt.

A full obituary may be found at giffordfuneralhome.com/obituary/Mariot-Huessy.