Melissa "Misty" Talbert, 31, of West Fairlee, VT, passed away in her home on November 10, 2025.

Misty was born on February 28, 1994, in Lebanon, NH, to Ginger Farewell and Anthony Talbert. Shortly after she was born, her older sister Cassandra affectionately nicknamed her "Misty," and the name stuck. Misty's father died in 1998, a loss that deeply affected her. She was raised in Plainfield, NH, by her parents, Ginger and James Lawrence.

She attended Plainfield Elementary and then Lebanon High School. Misty welcomed her first son, James, in October 2012, and her second, Alden, in October 2015. Her boys and her fiancé, Nick, were her heart and soul—the music to her life—and she loved them fiercely.

Misty's life was marked by both love and struggle. Like too many, she became caught in the cycle of addiction at a young age. Even in the hardest times, she never stopped trying to rise above. She earned her GED and worked hard to build a better future. She also reached out to help friends in need, always trying to lift others even when she was fighting her own battles.

Misty was the kind of friend who made everyone feel at ease. You could always be your truest, most honest self around her. If you ever needed a good laugh, you could always count on her to deliver. Music was everything to Misty. She found comfort in songs that spoke to pain, hope, and survival, especially loud, angsty rock that matched her fiery spirit. We hope her boys, James and Alden, will find that same comfort in music, and that it will always remind them of her love. When she wasn't enjoying her favorite music, you could always find Misty with her nose in a book. Her favorite color was orange—a color as bright and bold as she was. She loved being outdoors, four-wheeling, feeling the wind on her face on the back of a motorcycle, and laughing with friends late into the night.

Misty's story is a call for compassion and understanding. Addiction does not define a person, and it can take anyone. We share her story in the hope that it may help others, inspire them to reach out, reminding them that recovery is still possible, and that they are not alone.

She was preceded in death by her father, Anthony Talbert, grandmother Terry Sample, and step-grandparents, Francis and Nancy Lawrence, as well as several close friends who also been lost their battle to addiction over the years.

Misty is survived by her two sons, James Raymond William Talbert and Alden Joseph Michael Larocque, her mother, Ginger Farewell Lawrence, her father, James Lawrence, her fiancé, Nick Herschel, her sisters, Cassandra Talbert and Morgan Perry (Jared) and their daughters, Clara and one due any day; grandparents, Clyde and Sherry Farewell and Bill and Maureen Talbert.

A visitation will be held from 3-5pm on Friday, November 21 at the Knight Funeral Home in White River Junction. In her honor, the family encourages donations to local addiction recovery programs and libraries, or simply a moment spent listening to your favorite song and thinking of her.

Condolences may be expressed in an online guestbook found at www.knightfuneralhomes.com