In Memoriam

• Citation: Vol. 49 No. 3
• Publication year: 2023
• Year: 2023

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IN MEMORIAM Vol. 49 No. 3 Pg. 36 Vermont Bar Journal October 2023

Joseph A. DeBonis, Sr.

Joseph A. DeBonis, Sr., aged 80, passed away peacefully on May 26, 2023, at The Pines at Rutland, surrounded by Ann, his wife of 55 years, his children, and grandchildren. The three passions in Joe's life were first and foremost his family, his beloved law practice, and his hometown of Poultney. Joe was a pillar in the town of Poultney, Vermont, where he was born on March 21, 1943. Through his law practice in town, countless civic organizations, and as a life-long member of St. Raphael Church in Poultney, Joe served generations of friends and neighbors in the community he loved.

Joe spent his early years living on the family farm in South Poultney and attended the local elementary school there. He survived polio as a young boy and overcame the lingering impact of the disease to become a successful college graduate, attorney, husband, and businessman. Joe graduated Poultney High School, Class of 1961, the University of Vermont, Class of 1965 and the Maine School of Law, Class of 1968. Joe met Ann while attending law school in Maine. They married at the Sacred Heart Church in Portland, Maine on June 1, 1968, and moved to Rutland, where Joe was employed by the law firm of Ryan, Smith and Carbine.

In 1970, they built a home on the hill overlooking the family farm in South Poultney, and Joe established a law practice in Poultney, serving as the quintessential small-town lawyer. Richard Wright became a long-standing partner as the practice grew and served the...