Elizabeth Ann Rossi
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Elizabeth "Liz" Ann Rossi, 51, died unexpectedly on Wednesday, October 28, 2020, in the arms of her best friend and companion, Scott Knickerbocker, in Brattleboro, VT.
Born on July 9, 1969 to Dr. Anthony and Lynne Rossi of Easton, PA, Elizabeth graduated in 1987 from Easton Area High School. An accomplished cellist, starting in the third grade, she achieved the honor of attending Pennsylvania State Orchestra in her senior year. She was also a member of The Young People's Philharmonic in Bethlehem, PA for four years. An athlete for most of her life, Elizabeth competed on her high school and college cross country teams. After high school, Elizabeth spent a year in Finland as a Rotary Exchange Student where she resided with three different families in Hyvinkaa, Finland and became fluent in the Finnish language. While there, she learned the tradition of the "Finnish Sauna" and visited Sweden, Lapland, and Russia.
Elizabeth went on to receive her Bachelor's Degree in Classics from Smith College in Northampton, MA in 1992 and spent her junior year at Dartmouth as part of a five college consortium. She then interned as a Latin Teacher and dorm counselor at St. Paul's School in Concord, NH a time she has always cherished and went on to complete her Master of Arts in Teaching: Latin and Classical Humanities at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Elizabeth was a well loved Latin teacher at Brattleboro Union High School for twenty years, taught Virtual High School, and tutored many students during the school year and summers. She was a member of the Guilford Historical Society and participated with The Windham Philharmonic.
Elizabeth spent two summers in Greece working with AGORA on archeological research digs which she found immensely fascinating and a summer in Rome studying to be a guide for high school students learning about Roman history. These experiences fueled her love of vintage fashion, old jewelry, and buttons which she collected with knowledge and passion. A friend and business partner of hers recently told her mother that he "admired her sense of curatorial responsibility, for language and for objects and their order in the world."
Elizabeth's love of Vermont started when she attended summer music camp at Point CounterPoint on Lake Dunmore in Leicester, Vermont for several summers and then went on to serve as a counselor at the Kinhaven Music School in Weston, Vermont. It was inevitable that she would return someday.
In addition to her parents, Lynne and Tony, and her dear friend Scott, she is survived by her siblings, Reggie Gonzalez (Sam), Tania Rossi, and Patrick Rossi, nieces, Jessica and Alexandra Rossi, and Bella and Ivy Felizardo, and her beloved dog Oscar.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Elizabeth's name to the Guilford Historical Society, 236 School Road, Guilford, VT 05301. A scholarship fund will be set up in Elizabeth's name at Brattleboro Union High School, Brattleboro, VT at a future date.