On the QT | The Official Newsletter of GWA October-November 2016 | Page 22

BRUCE BUTTERFIELD
Bruce Butterfield, 67, a long-time resident
of the “Northeast Kingdom” of Vermont died on
Sept. 5, 2016. Bruce was born June 18, 1949,
in Illinois and grew up in New Jersey. He moved
to Burlington, Vermont, in the late 1960s, graduated from the University of Vermont in 1973
and made the Green Mountain State his home.
Bruce was deeply committed to living simply
and treading lightly on the planet. He was a free
thinker who valued self-sufficiency, independence and integrity.
Long before community gardening became
a trend, Bruce worked closely with Tommy
Thompson and the Burlington-based, non-profit
Gardens for All, later known as National Gardening Association. In that role, he created more
than 1,000 community gardening plots in
Burlington. Thanks to Bruce, Burlington still has
more community gardens per capita than any
other city in the country.
Bruce continued working with Gardens for
All and was eventually named market research
director. In that role, he became a nationally
known and respected name in the gardening
industry. For 35 consecutive years, he produced
the National Gardening Survey, a comprehensive
study of consumer gardening practices, trends
and product sales. This gave Bruce a unique
understanding of who gardeners are, what they
need and want, why they buy the products they
do, where they shop, how gardening trends
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have changed and where they are headed. Many
depended upon his knowledge, insight and
experience. (FYI, the Survey will continue; further
information will be announced.)
At his home in the Northeast Kingdom of
Vermont, Bruce loved planning and managing
his 11 acres. He cut his own firewood and
enjoyed sugaring with friends and neighbors.
He cut and milled the wood used to construct
his home and barn, and filled the surrounding
landscape with edible and ornamental shrubs
and trees.
Bruce’s gruff exterior belied his sharp intelligence, quick wit and passion for knowledge.
Like a man from earlier times, he was honest,
hard working and self-effacing, with a gentle demeanor and kind spirit, and always ready to help
someone in need. He will also be remembered
for his generosity to people and causes.
Bruce would want to acknowledge the friendship of his neighbors: Judy Jacobs; Chris Boyle;
and Clifford, Karen, Eric, Stuart and the LaPoint
family.
Memorial donations may be made to KidsGardening.org to honor Bruce’s commitment to
gardening as a way to improve the planet. An
NGA initiative started in 1982, KidsGardening.org
has recently become an independent non-profit
dedicated to creating opportunities for children
to learn through the garden and is located at 132
Intervale Road, Burlington, Vt. 05401.

—Maree Gaetani and Kathy LaLiberte

ANSTACE ESMONDE-WHITE
Anstace Esmonde-White died Aug. 16, 2016
at age 96. For 14 years, starting in 1986, she and
her husband Larry cohosted public television’s
From a Country Garden, which aired on more
than 80 PBS stations in the United States.
Produced by WPBS of Watertown, New York, it
was filmed at Evergreen Farm, their five-acre,
Kempville, Ontario, Canada property. They also
appeared frequently on Canadian CBC TV and
Radio giving gardening tips.
They made a charming on-screen couple
relaying gardening experience and advice as
they developed their ornamental and vegetable
gardens. Retired, in their 60s and undertaking
the gardening chores themselves lent credibility
to the show, which appealed to garden enthusiasts of all ages. It was a reality gardening show;

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Obituaries

perfection was not necessarily the goal. One or
more of their Labradors might run through or
start to dig up a bed, partly destroying Anstace
and Larry’s careful planting and mulching.
Anstace, in her signature spring green coveralls,
would laughingly call to Larry to come see what
the dogs/children/or other interferences were
up to. From a Country Garden was among the first
TV shows to promote food gardening, and often
ended the show with Anstace calling to Larry
to come and have lunch; try the dish prepared
from one of the plants showcased that week
combined with other edibles and herbs from
the garden. What began as a hobby became
her lifelong mission: To educate people on the
importance of knowing where their food comes
from.
Anstace and Larry were long-time GWA
members. In May of 1990, they opened Evergreen Farm to GWA members during a Regional
Meeting in Ottawa. We enjoyed tours of their
house and gardens and were treated to a proper
tea before we left. They were honored as Fellows
in 1995.
The couple was active in local horticultural
societies. Larry died three years ago at age 95.
Childhood sweethearts in Ireland, married in
Mosul, Iraq, and living in Canada, their love affair
spanned 85 years and several continents.

—Phil Reilly and Cathy Wilkinson Barash