In search of justice

IN
MEMORIAM
Elizabeth Anne Leopold JD’80,
62, died peacefully in the company
of her family on April 19,
2016. Her death was a result of a
traumatic brain injury following
a fall in her home in Greensboro,
Vt. The beloved daughter of
Barbara S. Leopold and Jonathan
P.A. Leopold, M.D., she was born
November 11, 1954, in Buffalo,
NY. Liz (her family and childhood
friends called her “Anne”) was
a 1972 graduate of Champlain
Valley Union High School and
graduated from the University
of Vermont in 1976. She earned
her JD in 1980 and became a
member of the Vermont Bar. As
a teenager and young woman,
Liz was enthusiastically involved
in her family’s Morgan Horse
program, Enterprise Farm. She
loved animals and maintained a
lifelong passion for animal rights,
including volunteering countless
hours to the Lucy McKenzie
Humane Society in Woodstock,
Vt. Throughout her life, Liz appreciated
all genres of music
and loved attending live musical
events, including the Vermont
Mozart Festival and James Taylor
concerts. Following her graduation
from law school, Liz pursued
a career in law devoted to public
service. She served Vermont
in several capacities, including
deputy state’s attorney in both
Caledonia and Chittenden counties,
assistant attorney general to
the Department of Mental Health,
and later as a traffic court judge.
Throughout Liz’s career she was
a strong advocate for children,
crime victims, and animals. She
possessed a strong sense of
compassion, fairness and justice
for all. Liz struggled with clinical
depression and mental illness
during her adult life. In her later
years she also experienced severe
chronic pain and debilitating
arthritis. The last several months
of her life were filled with a sense
of optimism, hope, and a commitment
to wellness. Liz leaves
her beloved friend of 33 years,
devoted partner and spouse,
Jane Woodruff, and their beloved
Doberman Pinscher, Emma. She
is also survived by her three
brothers. Liz was predeceased by
her parents. She delighted in her
many nieces, nephews, and grand
nephews.
Marianne Kennedy JD’86, 66,
passed away on September 18,
2016, at her home in Shaftsbury,
Vt., surrounded by family,
friends, and her beloved golden
retriever, Maggie. Marianne was
born to William and Elizabeth
Kennedy in the Bronx, New York.
She attended St. Helena’s Catholic
School in the Bronx. She began
her professional career at Albert
Einstein College of Medicine
at Montefiore Medical Center,
assisting doctors on important
research. In the mid-1970s, Marianne
and her first husband, Robert
Cutler, moved from the Upper
West Side of New York City to a
103-acre mountain parcel in Sandgate,
Vt., where they built and engineered
a round house by hand.
She gave birth to her only child,
David, in 1979. Marianne received
her law degree from Vermont Law
School in 1986, an achievement
made more exceptional by raising
her son as a single mother. She
practiced law with the firm of
Joseph O’Dea, opened her own
private practice, and formed the
law firm of Windburn, Kennedy
& Ameden, primarily focusing
on family law. Beginning in
the 1990s, she devoted herself
to non-profits and public agencies,
serving as a consultant, a
health policy analyst, and expert
in restorative justice. She was
Executive Director of the Bennington
County Court Diversion
Program and Executive Director
for the Rutland Women’s Network
and Shelter, and was tapped
to work for the Administration
of Governor James Douglas on
his Long Term Care & Medicaid
Program. Her work there led to
her role in the formation of the
Battenkill Valley Health Center in
Arlington, Vt. She returned to law
again, joining the Rutland, Vt.,
firm Kenlan Schwiebert in 2006.
She taught and lectured at area
colleges, and provided testimony
regularly before the Vermont
State Legislature. She received
the Vermont Bar Association Pro
Bono Award for providing distinguished
legal services to underprivileged
citizens of Vermont. In
1987 she met and married Shane
Sweet of East Arlington, Vt. The
inseparable couple found common
love for dogs, nature, and
home renovations as they moved
often to accommodate their
ambitious careers. Marianne was
known for her gregarious nature,
her Bronx street-smarts, and
her passion for life. She made
a strong impression on nearly
everyone she met. She will be
missed by her many friends who
fondly recall her gift for telling
fantastic stories from her
life: hiding razor blades in her
hair; nailing herself to a roof
overnight when her ladder fell;
outrunning a bear down the road
near her house; and many more.
She is survived by her husband,
Shane Sweet; her dog, Maggie;
her son, David Kennedy Cutler,
and his wife, Mellissa Huber, of
Brooklyn, NY; and her sisterin-law,
Mary Jane Kennedy, of
Rowayton, Conn.
LOQUITUR 50