Kenneth Jacobs Sweetser

Kenneth Jacobs Sweetser, 66, of Hyde Park, passed away on July 26, 2024 at the McLure Miller Respite House in Colchester after enduring a battle with glioblastoma brain cancer.

Ken was born in 1958 to Robert and Betty (Jacobs) Sweetser and spent his youth living in Morrisville and Johnson, graduating from Lamoille Union High School in 1977. He had a lifelong passion for all things outdoors, spending many hours in the woods hunting and fishing with his father, uncles, cousins and friends. After high school, Ken went to the Colorado School of Trades to become a master gunsmith. His time in Colorado was particularly special to him as he made many friends and became an advocate for hunting and gun rights. 

After returning to Vermont, Ken married Dawn Murphy on New Years Eve in 1981. In 1983 they welcomed their only child, Abigail, and bought their home in Hyde Park where he lived for the next 40 years of his life, raising his family and several beloved English Setter dogs. He spent many years working at General Electric as a machinist. 

Ken was a jack of all trades, and in his spare time he was always pursuing one of his many passions including hunting, scuba diving, fly-fishing, cross-country skiing, gardening, photography and reading. 

Ken loved getting his hands dirty working on cars and spent many years at Thunder Road every summer working as the Crew Chief on his uncle Larry Sweetser’s purple #22 race car.  He had a tendency of holding on to everything and anything he came across because “he could use that someday.” This always came in handy when you needed a part for an old car, or an obscure tool.

Ken turned his passion for all things outdoors and protecting the environment into his next career, graduating from Johnson State College in 1994 with a degree in Environmental Sciences. He served as the Zoning Administrator in Hyde Park, Elmore, Morrisville and Montpelier. He loved being a public servant and was particularly proud of his work with the Rural Conservation and Development Board as well as the Lamoille County Planning Commission and Vermont League of Cities and Towns. 

Later in life, Ken suffered from chronic migraines that kept him mostly homebound. However, he delighted in visits from his grandchildren, Barley, Ryley and Theodore, always saying “come back anytime!” every time they would leave. His weekly trips to the Lanpher Memorial Library were particularly special to him, and he was very proud of his contributions to the ‘adopt an author’ program. 

Ken is survived by his wife of 44 years, Dawn Sweetser, and his daughter Abigail Bourgeois, her husband Jordan and grandchildren Barley Earle, Ryley Earle, Theodore Bourgeois, Tanner Bourgeois and Tabor Bourgeois. He is also survived by his father Robert Sweetser and sister Maria Churchill, her husband Andy, his niece Sela Churchill, his father-in-law William Murphy, his brother-in-law Craig Murphy, brother-in-law Brian Murphy, his wife Lisa and his niece Heather Murphy and nephew Billy Murphy. Ken was predeceased by his grandson Porter Jackson Earle, his mother, Betty Sweetser and his mother-in-law, Helen Murphy. 

A memorial service will be held at the Johnson United Church at 11:00am on Saturday August 10, 2024.  In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Lanpher Memorial Library in Hyde Park or to the McLure Miller Respite House in Colchester, where he received wonderful care in his final days.

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