Carroll Edmund Towne

Carroll Edmund Towne, 94, of Milton passed away after a very well-lived life, on 6 Oct 2021 at his home surrounded by his children. He was a kind, honorable man, a great provider to his family, and was cheerful and friendly to neighbors, friends, and strangers. He was born to John and Glee (Carpenter) Towne on 2 Nov 1926, the 9th child of John's 6 sons & 5 daughters. Growing up on their Milton farm, Carroll learned the many skills of dairy farming. He attended Milton schools and graduated from Milton High School in 1944. Later, Carroll met a beautiful, energetic, and talented woman by the name of Nina Hazen. He and Nina were married on 1 May 1948 by Nina's father, the pastor at the Congregational church in Swanton, VT. Carroll & Nina attended the Milton United Church all their 68 years of marriage, often with their 4 daughters and 4 sons. Throughout his life he was very active in the needs of the church, serving in many capacities. Carroll and Nina bought the Towne farm he grew up on and spent over 44 years working and improving the dairy operation. While farming and after his retirement, Carroll contributed much of his time to public service for the Milton community and his state. He served as Milton's Town Representative in the Vermont House of Representatives for 11 years from 1963 to 1968 and from 1986 to 1992. He served on the Milton Select Board for 12 years from 1972 to 1984. He also was a Justice of the Peace for 26 years, served on the Milton School Board for 4 years, Milton Planning Commission, Village Cemetery Trustee, and on several citizen committees including those that brought Husky Corporation, the Villemaire Health Centre, and the Milton Family Community Centre to our town. He was a lifelong member of The Republican Party and was especially proud of his over-70 years as a Brother Mason. Carroll is survived by his and Nina's 8 children: they are Caffy (Dennis) Roberts of Milton, Timothy (Perla) Towne of Monument, CO, Christopher (Rosie) Towne of Milton, Annie (John) Desranleau of Milton, Judith (Nate-deceased) Johnston of Georgia, VT, Mary (Raymond) Hepburn of Milton, Mathew (Donna) Towne of Cresson, TX, and John (Rachel) Towne of Milton Mills, NH. He is also survived by his sister Alice Sheppard, brother Neil (Bobbi) Towne, and sister-in-law Bette Hazen. He also leaves 16 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, and 9 step-grand and great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife of 68 years Nina, siblings and their spouses Robert & Thelma Towne, Laura & Milton Parsons, Leland Stanley, Paul & Augusta Towne, Dorothy & Arthur Mayo, Helen & Glenn Smith, Pearl & Clayton Welch, Eugene & Arlene Towne, Donovan & Audrey Towne, and siblings-in-law Thomas Sheppard, Ellsworth Patno, Carroll & Marion Hazen, Harold "Tunney" Hazen, and foster brother-in-law Robert (Dawn) Herold. Visitation hours will be Thursday October 14, 2021 from 3-6pm (with a Masonic ceremony to follow) at the Minor Funeral Home in Milton. Funeral services will be held at 11am on Friday October 15, 2021 at the United Church of Milton, with internment to follow at Milton Village Cemetery. Carroll's family requests that in lieu of flowers donations may be made to United Church of Milton, P.O. Box 107, Milton, VT 05468.