Charlotte (Wylie) Blanchard Lahar was born November 14, 1924 in White River Jct. to Seth Elwell and Alice (Wylie) Blanchard, the youngest of four children. She graduated from Hartford High School in 1942. She worked at WC Eaton, a fuel oil company in Lebanon, part-time as she raised her two young sons, ensuring that no one ran out of fuel oil during frigid winters. Later, Charlotte became a career Veterans Administration (VA) executive secretary, retiring in 1984 after 27 years of service in White River. She was Secretary to the Chief of Staff and then Secretary to the VA Director.

Charlotte married Arthur ("Art") J. Lahar on June 7, 1947 and they lived in Cape Cod homes on the North Hartland Road in White River Junction their entire married life, near the Veterans Administration (VA) where they both worked. Ironically, Charlotte passed away on the anniversary of Art's death, April 4th, who died in 2005. They had two sons, Eric and Philip.

Charlotte was active in the White River United Methodist Church and loved collaborating with her many church friends to produce delicious church suppers that drew in diners from all over the region. She also joining forces with friends at the church's "Second Hand Rose." She particularly loved the splendid, colorful Christmas Revels annual performance at the church, a joyful theatrical celebration of the winter solstice that included music, dance, folktales and rituals.

More than anything else, Charlotte loved and enjoyed spending time with her husband, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was a proud denizen of the Green Mountain State, a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), an avid reader of suspense novels, a devoted archiver of family photos, and a lover of birds, wild and domesticated animals (including her most recent beloved cat, "Benji"). She enjoyed flower gardening and show music. She and Art relished supporting their sons in youth activities, such as attending Camp Plymouth Boy Scout Camp in Plymouth Vt. when they were in scouting.

Charlotte took charge of entertaining her two grandchildren, Nick and Rebecca, every year when they came to Vermont from Virginia for the summer. She would stimulate her grandchildren's interest in wildlife by taking them to venues like the Raptor Center. She recently was ecstatic to hold her newest great-grandson, Hunter and chat with her other grandchildren, Logan and Sloane Huddle.

Charlotte and her two sisters, Cathleen Rice and Frances Porter, were close friends and exhibited their fine cooking and baking skills at Thanksgiving and other family events. Charlotte was very proud of Cathleen's founding and management of Brookside Nursing Home. Francis was head cook there. Her brother, Adolphus, drowned when he was 11. From this tragedy, Charlotte insisted that her sons become highly competent swimmers from early childhood.

Charlotte and Art loved vacationing in Ogunquit and Wells Beach, Maine, and attending the Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa, Canada, the Scottish Watch at Ontario Place, Toronto and the Eastern States Exposition near Springfield, Ma. Besides Canada, she traveled internationally to Scotland, England and Italy.

Charlotte was interested in history, like John St. Croix's, "Historical Highlights of the Town of Hartford", and the history and genealogy of her family, which had roots in Ireland, Scotland and England. Her mother immigrated with sisters from Belfast, Ireland. Charlotte held offices in the Thomas Chittenden Chapter of the DAR and did volunteer work after her retirement. Charlotte and Art supported the Shriners and she supported Art in his Shriner choral activities.

Ten years ago, Charlotte moved to Virginia to be close to her son, Philip and daughter-in-law, Anne. She lived semi-independently for 6 years in a small Cape Cod-like house in Oakton, Va. For the past 4 years, Charlotte lived and thrived in the Hermitage of Northern Virginia, located in Alexandria, Va. a wonderful continuing care retirement community, owned and operated by Virginia United Methodist Homes, Inc. She was well-known by residents and affectionately called "Miss Charlotte" by most of the staff there. People were constantly commenting that she always had a winning smile, a twinkle in her eye and porcelain fine skin even as a 93-year old. Anne, her daughter-in-law and Susan Rice McGrath, her niece, always ensured she had beautiful new clothes and accessories.

Survivors include a son, Philip and his wife, Anne, of Vienna, Virginia; two grandchildren, Dr. Nicholas (Saba) Lahar of Los Angeles, Ca. and Rebecca (Matthew) Huddle of Clarksville, Maryland. Great grandchildren include Logan, Sloane and Hunter Huddle. Charlotte was predeceased by her husband, Arthur, in 2005, her son, Eric D. Lahar, in 1977, two sisters, Cathleen B. Rice and Mary Frances Porter and a young brother, Adolphus E. Blanchard. Eric was struck by a pickup truck in a still unsolved hit-and-run case near the Log Cabin Restaurant in Norwich.

Charlotte loved her many neighbors along the North Hartland Road and at the Bugbee Senior Center. She leaves many beloved relatives in the Hartford area, Lake Bomoseen and in Brownsville, Vt.

One of Charlotte and Arthur's shared favorite songs was "One More Walk Around the Garden" from the show, Camelina. A link to the show and the lyrics follow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clmpoP5Xb98

That old April yearning

Once more is returning

And I have a longing to wander.

The leaves may be falling,

But April is calling

And the prim roses beckon me yonder.

For one more walk around the garden

One more stroll along the shore.

One more memory I can dream upon

Until I dream no more.

For one more time perhaps the dawn will wait

And one more prayer it's not too late

To gather one more rose

Before I say goodbye and close the garden gate.

That old urge is saying

It's time to go straying

Where no one but April can find me.

To try and recover

The heart of a lover

That I left lying somewhere behind me.

Just one more walk around the garden

One more stroll along the shore.

One more memory I can dream upon

Until I dream no more.

For one more time perhaps the dawn will wait

And one more prayer it's not too late

To gather one more rose

Before I say goodbye and close the garden gate.

One more rose before I close the garden gate.

A Celebration of Life and internment in the Pine Grove Cemetery in Newport Vermont (Art's home town), will take place in the spring at a date and time to be announced later.

Contributions in Charlotte's memory may be made to the White River United Methodist Church or to the:

White River Council on Aging - Bugbee Senior Center

262 North Main St., White River Jct., VT 05001-7027

Tel: (802) 295-9068 • FAX: (802) 295-2073

Notes to the family may be directed to Phil Lahar at 2007 Spring Branch Drive, Vienna, Virginia 22181 and to phillahar@gmail.com.