Obituary: Alison Church

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Alison Bryant Church, a passionate animal-rights activist and longtime resident of Shaftsbury, Vermont, passed away peacefully of natural causes on May 15, 2020, at the age of 56.

Alison was predeceased by her brother, Peter; father, Robert; and mother, Elizabeth King. She is survived by her brother, Jon (wife Meagan and nephew Jeff); uncle, Alan (wife Dawn); and an amazing assortment of friends and animals that she loved dearly and cared for with unbridled enthusiasm.

Alison was born in Greenwich, CT on October 4, 1963 to Robert and Elizabeth Church. She graduated from Greenwich High School in 1981 and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University in 1985.

Alison was a member of the American Red Cross Disaster team in Greenwich, CT and later a firefighter with the Sound Beach Volunteer Fire Department in Old Greenwich, CT.

Professionally Alison designed bridges for the State of Vermont and held several patents. Her passions were adventure and the rescue of endangered, at-risk and abandoned animals all over the world.
One of her favorite sayings was “not all who wander are lost” and she lived that to fullest. She climbed Mt Kilimanjaro and Longs Peak, pursued the Forest Fenn treasure, received her scuba diving certificate and dove in Bermuda and Mexico.

Alison rescued countless dogs and cats that were stranded after hurricane Katrina; she worked tirelessly to raise awareness and donations for the wolves in Yellowstone, the elephants in Africa and the Monarch butterflies.

Alison loved her independence and found a perfect place to call home in Southern Vermont where she sang in local theater groups, wrote short stories and plays, created handmade cards and shared her home with a diverse collection of animals. Alison selflessly put animals and others before herself and signed her emails with the Anna C. Briggs quote “The final lesson of mankind’s evolution may well be that animals are sacred and deserving of our protection.”

Alison will be deeply missed by her family, friends, and countless animals whose lives she saved and all who knew her.

To honor Alison donations can be made to one of her favorite charities, The Mt. Kenya Trust (mountkenyatrust.org), an animal rescue group or foundation of your choice.

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