James Mead Gunn (Gunn)

June 12, 1938 — December 7, 2020

James Mead Gunn

Teaching science was Jim's passion.
Endless knowledge never rationed.

A man of books, vocabulary,
His mind was full, a dictionary

Quick wit and humor this man defined
And seldom found without a line.

He'd put a smile on every face
A dour look he'd soon erase.

We'll miss him so, there is no measure,
His life to us, a cherished treasure.

James Gunn died on December 7, 2020, as the sun was rising over the Green Mountains in Sandgate, Vermont. Jim was born on June 12, 1938, in Grand Rapids Michigan, the son of Margaret and Lauren Gunn. A long-time resident of Vermont, he is remembered for a rich life full of many useful skills and enviable attributes. Jim's passion for teaching science enabled him to educate students at many schools, including the Austine School for the Deaf, Long Trail School, The Tutorial Center in Manchester, and other local high schools. He also owned and renovated The Green River Inn and Farm, where he loved to host guests and provide tours of the farm's Scottish Highland cattle and Shetland sheep. Jim was a farmer who loved and respected the land and his John Deere tractor. He was a skilled builder who restored and rehabbed many local homes. He was a voracious reader who could opine eloquently on any number of obscure and interesting subjects; his friends and family adored his wit and prowess with the English language, which included an unending supply of poems that he loved to write.

Jim passed peacefully with his wife and sons Calin and Ian Gunn and their wives Devon Gunn and Laura Donnelly by his side in the home he built.

Jim is survived by his wife Betsy Rathbun-Gunn, sister Virginia Steel, and sons Calin, Ian, Gavin, Christopher and Damon (Gunn) and will be missed by several nephews, nieces, and cousins.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Vermont Community Foundation to benefit nature research and conservation. A celebration of Jim's life will be held in Sandgate in July 2021.

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James Mead Gunn (Gunn)

June 12, 1938 — December 7, 2020

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