Chiara Beaudette

Chiara Beaudette (Monfreda), 81, of Milton, Vermont passed away peacefully, surrounded by love and family in the early morning of March 9th, 2026.

Chiara was born on May 3rd, 1944 in Cassamassima, Italy. She was the daughter of Vincenzo Monfreda and Lucia Vita Monfreda (Radogna) and was one of 11 siblings. In 1964, at the age of 20 she immigrated to the United States with her 3 youngest siblings. She settled in Burlington, Vermont temporarily where she worked as a professional seamstress while learning English and the ways of her new world. It was during this time that she purchased her first apartment building in Essex, Vermont where she then resided while beginning her career at IBM up until she retired at the age of 49. At age 26, she put roots down in Milton, Vermont for good when she purchased her home as well as 2 more rental properties there. Chiara gave birth to two sons. Travis Beaudette and Jeremy Beaudette, raising them as a single mother, while maintaining her career and rental properties, never neglecting her strong family values and instilling them in her children and grandchildren. In 1990 Charles Thibault stepped into her life. The two became beloved life partners for the next 36 years, laughing, traveling and sharing many great experiences together. She loved to garden and maintain her land. She spent most of her retirement tending to it, thus making her gardens legendary. She would spend hours just sitting in solitude with her flowers watching and listening to the birds and the bees come and go during those long summer evenings. It was her favorite pastime when life slowed down on occasion. She loved mowing the lawn and mulching her leaves. The tractor became her place of solace and she rode it right up until the end. When she wasn’t working she enjoyed cooking and baking. In her retirement, she was able to hone her skills and took great joy in hosting the family get-togethers and trading recipes with her children. The true joy in her life arrived when she was able to care for and help raise her grandchildren, whom she loved so very deeply…teaching them the valuable life lessons and work ethic she had learned growing up in poverty in post WWII Italy.

Chiara’s story cannot possibly be whittled down to one paragraph. She lived an astonishingly full and rewarding life, with many peaks and valleys. She persevered over every obstacle that life ever presented to her with amazing grace. Her memory and the example of hard work and compassion she set will live on in every person that had the privilege to know her beautiful soul.

Chiara was preceded in death by her parents, Vincenzo and Lucia Monfreda; Her brothers, Pasquale, Stephano, Donato, Vito, Joseph “Guiseppe”; her sisters, Margherita, Angela, Carmella, Cecilia, Mellina; her beloved partner, Charles Thibault whom made her feel complete and her precious grandson Preston Beaudette.

Chiara is survived by her two sons, Travis Beaudette (Liza) and Jeremy Beaudette (Maya); Her grandchildren, Reagan, Jackson, Ariston, Casten, and Adisen; Charles’ sons, Rick Thibault, Scott Thibault (Lisa) and Shawn Thibault (Stacy).

Services will be held in early spring, to be determined.