Born: 12/29/1930 Rutland, Vermont Died: 03/05/2026 Peacham, Vermont Details of service: There will be a graveside service at the Peacham Village Cemetery on May 27th at 2:00 p.m. with a reception to follow at Drusilla’s home. Drusilla Powden, a long-time resident of Peac ham, passed away peacefully at her home on Thursday, March 5th. The youngest of five children, Drusilla was raised during the Great Depression by her widowed mother. While life was difficult, she had many fond memories of growing up in Poultney, VT, times with friends from Poultney High School, swimming in the river and lake, attending dances at the Hampton Manor in New York and playing basketball for the Blue Devils. As an adult she continued to spend and enjoy her time in Poultney, visiting her mother and going to the cottage on Lake St. Catherine that her husband Russell and she had purchased decades ago. Drusilla attended the University of Vermont and majored in French and Spanish. Her connections to UVM brought two men into her life (at different times) who loved her greatly and gave her a family. Drusilla’s first husband, Joe Sullivan attended St. Michael’s College and took a class at UVM that Drusilla was enrolled in. After her graduation in 1952, Drusilla moved to New York City where Joe was from, took a job at a bank and utilized her newly acquired foreign language skills. The young woman from a small town loved going out on the town with Joe, attending the theater and being a part of the city life. Joe worked as a supervisor for the Atlantic Stevedores Association. After Drusilla and he were married, they moved from port to port for his work, from Norfolk, VA to Union, NJ to Chicago, IL.  While living in Chicago, they were raising two young boys and had another child on the way when tragedy struck and Joe died in an accident on the job. After Joe’s death, Drusilla moved back east to be close to family and raised three young children while she grappled with the loss of her beloved. Fortunately, three years later, Drusilla attended her 10th reunion at UVM and met classmate Russell Powden, Jr. who eventually became her husband and a father to the children. At the time of their marriage, Russell was the Headmaster at Peacham Academy.   The faculty and students at the Academy were prominent in family life.  Drusilla was an excellent cook and baker; the cookie jar was always full. Her culinary skills were on full display when Drusilla and Russell hosted many gatherings for people connected to the Academy and for their wide circle of friends. Those were fun times, with much laughter and genuine camaraderie. Drusilla attended Lyndon State College and received her Master of Education degree. Soon after receiving her degree, Drusilla taught early elementary age students at Twinfield Union School for twenty years. She loved teaching and spent countless hours preparing materials for the lessons she planned for her students. It was a difficult choice for Drusilla to retire, but she did so to care for Russell in his later years. First and foremost in Drusilla’s life were her children. Drusilla was a spirited individual and at an early age her children learned she was very competitive and would cheat (just a little) to win board or card games they played. She was very active; enjoying walking, skiing and gardening.  As the children grew and moved away, Drusilla was always proud of their accomplishments and happy to see them come “home” with their families. Family gatherings were a time of much teasing, delicious food and gratitude for everyone being together.  Drusilla was predeceased by her husbands; Joseph Fanning Sullivan and Russell Sinclair Powden, Jr and her first-born, Carl David Powden. Her parents, Charles and Gladys Williams Beach, her siblings, Carl Beach, Charles Beach and Howard Beach predeceased her also. Drusilla is survived by her son Carl’s wife, Dorigen Keeney and his son Thomas Cramer from a previous marriage whom he remained close to, her son Mark Powden and his wife, Wendy Lawrence of  Washington D.C., their sons Russell Powden and Joseph Powden, her daughter Meg Alison Powden and her wife, Jean MacDonald of Montpelier, their children Cory MacDonald-Powden and Brooke MacDonald-Powden and her only great grandchild, Logan. Also, she is survived by her sister Beverly Grant of Ohio and several nieces and nephews. For those who wish to do so, donations can be made to the Peacham Library or Peacham Fire Department, two organizations that were very important to Drusilla. She was a Friend of the Library for many years and the first responders of the Fire Department helped Drusilla greatly as she aged. Mark and Meg are very grateful for the wonderful care Drusilla received in her last years from both her in-home caregivers and the staff at Caledonia Home Health and Hospice (often despite her strongly held view that she needed no help). They made it possible for Drusilla to live out her final years at home. An additional note of appreciation is extended to Ralph and Candy Crocker who cared for Drusilla and her home in so many ways over the years. Read the story on VTDigger here: Drusilla Beach Powden. ...read more read less