Details of servicePer Rhey’s wishes, there will be no service. Go and fish a favorite piece of water, tie your go-to fly, enjoy nature, read a good book, sip your preferred beverage, or share stories of Rhey with others. And remember him. At a future date, a commemorative brick for Rhey will be placed in the walkway of the American Museum of Fly Fishing in Manchester, Vermont. If you would like to honor him with a donation to an organization, consider the following: The Atlantic Salmon Federation, a leading science and advocacy organization dedicated to conserving and restoring wild Atlantic salmon  (https://www.asf.ca/); to Caregiver Support at Age Well, the local area agency on aging that has been of great help to Rhey and Sheila (https://www.agewellvt.org/); UVM Home Health and Hospice, our companions for the last few months (https://www.uvmhomehealth.org/)Rhey Plumley, 76, died peacefully, at Respite House, due to complications of Alzheimer’s. Fly fisher, tyer, teacher, mentor, friend, and all around wonderful human being. He is survived by his siblings Bruce, Alison and Bob, and by his partner, best friend and fishing buddy Sheila Reid.Rhey was born and grew up in various places in upstate New York. After graduating from Ottawa University in Kansas, he began his first career working with people who had developmental disabilities. He worked at Brandon Training School, The Howard Center, and for the State of Vermont. He was proud of his work with and for his clients, one of whom remained a friend till the end.In the mid 1980s, he began his second career in the world of fishing – particularly fly fishing. He started at Knight’s Sporting Goods and moved to the Classic Outfitters where he managed the store for many years. He became a certified fly fishing instructor – one of the very few in Vermont at the time. He immersed himself in fly tying, and then he began sharing his knowledge. It is probably accurate to say that he taught hundreds of people to cast or tie flies. He was a patient and encouraging teacher who always retained his sense of humor. He was generous with his time to Trout Unlimited, Casting for Recovery, and various veterans’ and school groups.Writing was important to Rhey. Although his published output was limited, he loved to let his imagination run wild as he created fiction, or to inform as he wrote about topics pertaining to fishing or fly tying.Although he fished for many species, his passion was fishing for Atlantic Salmon and he treasured his trips to Maine, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland/Labrador chasing Salmo Salar.Always a dreamer, Rhey thought that Vermont should have a fly-fishing fly as a state symbol. He did the research, pitched the idea, gained support from the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and obtained legislative backing. In May 2014, the “Governor Aiken Bucktail Streamer” became an official state symbol and Vermont the first state to have a fly-fishing fly as a symbol. Rhey then wrote about this process and the symbol for The American Fly Fisher, a scholarly publication of the American Museum of Fly Fishing.In retirement, Rhey and Sheila continued to fish and travel until Covid curtailed these adventures, as it did for many. A kidney transplant was successful, but the ensuing, rapidly progressing Alzheimer’s changed everything.A bright spark in the Alzheimer’s journey was music. Rhey loved music and his taste was eclectic. When his speech started to fail, he retained his ability to sing, and remembered lyrics from countless songs, as many people with dementia do. To try to capitalize on this phenomenon, Sheila contacted Karen McFeeters Leary (Aphasia Choir Founder and Director) and with her talent and energy, and support from Age Well, a singing group was started for people with memory loss and their caregivers. Weekly sessions brought great joy to Rhey for over a year until he could no longer attend. A group that started with about 8 participants now sees up to 30 at a time, and continues to flourish.Special thanks to the people who enriched Rhey’s life and gave Sheila respite – especially over the past year: Alison Plumley, Amy Miller, Ann Mason, Jack Price, Jeff Seward, Judy Barrows, Maida Townsend and Ray Michaud. Profound gratitude to the person who gave Rhey the gift of a kidney that kept him in excellent physical health for nearly 4 years. Please consider being an organ donor if you are able.Read the story on VTDigger here: Rhey J. Plumley.