Thirty-two-year post office employee maintained a lifelong curiosity, still smiled at the simple things and was “cool without trying”
Debra H. Dessureault, 65, passed on to her next adventure peacefully in the arms of her loving family in the early morning of May 31, 2025, after a sudden infection resulted in sepis. She was born Debra Ann Highter to Marie (Kaufman) and Robert Highter in Middlebury, Vt., on a cold, 7-degree March 3 day in 1960. The couple’s sixth, Deb grew up alongside her four older brothers and sister (♪Ron, Jer, Ray, Al, Don(na), Deb♪) on the 250 acres of idyllic family farm at the end of East Munger Street, a dead-end dirt road developed by her paternal grandparents. She attended St. Mary’s Catholic School in Middlebury and excelled at school while holding her sweet demeanor even under the strict tutelage of the sisters. In her youth, she loved playing piano, skiing, and biking to town for tennis or to her grandparents’ camps on Lake Dunmore to water-ski. A kind soul, Deb was one to help her grandfather recover his speech after his stroke, talking alone on the rock wall. She had fond memories of driving her father’s El Camino and other cars with her brothers on the “field car” racetrack at the farm. Her father’s sudden passing when she was 14 left a hole in her life, filled with her mother’s strength and the unity of her siblings. Deb’s best friend was her mother, Marie, with whom she found joy in crafts and classes at Frog Hollow and helping with her bed-and-breakfast up until Marie’s passing. She met Rich Dessureault of Addison, Vt., in high school, began dating in 1979, married in summer 1983 at St. Mary’s and honeymooned in the Bahamas. They bought a log cabin on Belden Falls Road in New Haven, Vt., where they built a home and life, moving in 1998 across town to build a new homestead. Deb attended college in Miami and returned to manage Ski Haus in Middlebury/Winooski until the birth of her son, when she transferred into a part-time position at the Vergennes Post Office to have more time for home learning. She transitioned later to a full-time, 55-mile route through farmland and along the shores of Lake Champlain. Deb enjoyed visiting with her customers and maintaining wellness checks on the elderly and received mountains of baked goods and gifts every Christmas. A union member early in her career, she became her office’s adviser for employee rights and…
Thirty-two-year post office employee maintained a lifelong curiosity, still smiled at the simple things and was “cool without trying”
Debra H. Dessureault, 65, passed on to her next adventure peacefully in the arms of her loving family in the early morning of May 31, 2025, after a sudden infection resulted in sepis. She was born Debra Ann Highter to Marie (Kaufman) and Robert Highter in Middlebury, Vt., on a cold, 7-degree March 3 day in 1960. The couple’s sixth, Deb grew up alongside her four older brothers and sister (♪Ron, Jer, Ray, Al, Don(na), Deb♪) on the 250 acres of idyllic family farm at the end of East Munger Street, a dead-end dirt road developed by her paternal grandparents. She attended St. Mary’s Catholic School in Middlebury and excelled at school while holding her sweet demeanor even under the strict tutelage of the sisters. In her youth, she loved playing piano, skiing, and biking to town for tennis or to her grandparents’ camps on Lake Dunmore to water-ski. A kind soul, Deb was one to help her grandfather recover his speech after his stroke, talking alone on the rock wall. She had fond memories of driving her father’s El Camino and other cars with her brothers on the “field car” racetrack at the farm. Her father’s sudden passing when she was 14 left a hole in her life, filled with her mother’s strength and the unity of her siblings. Deb’s best friend was her mother, Marie, with whom she found joy in crafts and classes at Frog Hollow and helping with her bed-and-breakfast up until Marie’s passing. She met Rich Dessureault of Addison, Vt., in high school, began dating in 1979, married in summer 1983 at St. Mary’s and honeymooned in the Bahamas. They bought a log cabin on Belden Falls Road in New Haven, Vt., where they built a home and life, moving in 1998 across town to build a new homestead. Deb attended college in Miami and returned to manage Ski Haus in Middlebury/Winooski until the birth of her son, when she transferred into a part-time position at the Vergennes Post Office to have more time for home learning. She transitioned later to a full-time, 55-mile route through farmland and along the shores of Lake Champlain. Deb enjoyed visiting with her customers and maintaining wellness checks on the elderly and received mountains of baked goods and gifts every Christmas. A union member early in her career, she became her office’s adviser for employee rights and…