Rheagene "Bunny" Sweet, 86, a longtime resident of Duxbury and more
recently of Wallace Street, Waterbury, passed away at the Central
Vermont Medical Center in Berlin on Sunday, November 15, 2009. Born in
Piqua, OH, on July 21, 1923, she was the daughter of the late J.
Malcolm and Florence (Postlewaite) Campbell. On March 12, 1944, she
married Louis M. Sweet in Washington, DC. Louis predeceased Bunny on
February 26, 2005.
Bunny graduated from Piqua (Ohio) High School and continued her
education at Cedarville (Ohio) College. Enlisting in the U.S. Navy in
1944, Bunny served in Washington, DC, as a pharmacist assistant, being
honorably discharged in 1945.
Louis and Bunny moved to Waterbury and together, as partners in
marriage and business, were part of Waterbury commerce for nearly four
decades. They owned and operated Sweet's Meat Market for 13 years and
then became co-managers for the original Waterbury location of the W.E.
Aubuchon Hardware Store, from which they retired in 1985 after 26 years
of service.
A longtime proprietor of Sweet Hill Kennels in Duxbury, Bunny was a
well-known and respected dog groomer and breeder specializing in toy
poodles and Pomeranians. She was recognized at dog shows both
regionally and internationally for her prize-winning champion
Pomeranians. A member and officer of the Green Mountain Dog Club for
many years, Bunny was also a registered member for therapy dogs and for
over 25 years volunteered at the Central Vermont Medical Center, and
visited weekly with her dog "Molly."
Bunny was also a member of the Harry N. Cutting American Legion Post 59
and the Wesley United Methodist Church, both of Waterbury. In her
leisure time she enjoyed crocheting, was an avid reader and enjoyed
traveling, especially to Alaska and Hawaii.
Bunny is survived by her children, Judith Burkhart and her husband
Donald of Olalla, WA, Bernard Sweet and his wife Marcia of Duxbury, and
James Sweet and his companion Lynn Tully of Waterbury Center; 8
grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren; a brother, James Campbell and
his wife, Jean, of Elizabethtown, KY; a sister-in-law, Drenna Sweet
Phillips of Hawaii; several nieces and nephews; as well as her
Pomeranian and constant companion, "Dream." A sister, Betty Havemann,
and a brother, Robert Baskerville, predeceased her.
Memorial services will be held from the Wesley United Methodist Church
in Waterbury on Friday, November 20, at 11 a.m. with a reception to
follow in the church dining room. Inurnment will take place in Phillips
Cemetery, Duxbury. The family requests that flowers be omitted; rather
memorial gifts would be appreciated to the Green Mountain Dog Club
Inc., 97 Sunset Road, Barre, VT 05641, or to the Waterbury Ambulance
Service, P.O. Box 95, Waterbury Center, VT 05677. To send online
condolences please visit www.perkinsparker.com. Assisting the family is
the Perkins-Parker Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Waterbury.
