• Marian Santos

Marian (Ramos Usher) Santos, 74, passed away at home with her children by her side on Tuesday, December 10, 2019. She was born April 11, 1945, at Waterbury Hospital in Waterbury, Conn., to Alice and Mario Ramos.

Marian grew up in Naugatuck, Conn., surrounded by a large extended family. After high school, she enrolled at Johnson State College and then received her master’s in education from the University of Vermont. She was a lifelong educator in Vermont, nurturing and inspiring generations of schoolchildren from the early ’70s through the mid-’00s. She taught elementary school in Addison and Vergennes, and was principal at Northeast Elementary in Rutland and associate principal at Mary Hogan School in Middlebury.

A holistic approach to educating children was always at the forefront of everything Marian did as a teacher. From yearly flea markets to benefit the humanitarian organization CARE and Chinese New Year luncheons (all with food prepared by Marian and her students) to weekly Class Star celebrations where each student would pick friends to bake a treat to share with the class, Marian created a classroom where creativity and empathy for others were valued, very often through cooking!

She moved to Colorado in 2012 to be near her grandchildren, who were absolutely the loves of her life.

She is survived by her children Matthew Usher, Blythe Usher and Electra Usher Peckham; son-in-law Dan Peckham; grandchildren Ava and Charlie; and former husband Charles Usher. She is predeceased by her parents and her brother Mario Ramos Jr.

A gathering to celebrate Marian's life will be held at the UVM Alumni House in Burlington, Vt., on Saturday, May 30, at 1 p.m. All who knew her are invited to attend and to bring stories and remembrances to share with friends and family.

To read more about Marian’s life, to share online memories and for additional information, visit inmemoriamservices.com/notices/marian-santos.