James Hedbor

SOUTH HERO - James David Hedbor, age 69, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at home with his loving family by his side, after a brief and determined battle with cancer.

Jim was born August 16, 1943 in Fort Gordon, Georgia, the son of the late Bengt David and Ingrid Kristine (Hallgren) Hedbor.

Jim was a 1961 graduate of Walpole High School in Walpole, Massachusetts. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force serving as an upper air weather observer from 1961 to 1965.

Jim joined National Life of Vermont in 1978, and continued his association with them through his financial planning practice, Client Centered Financial based in South Burlington. Jim held the designations of Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant, and Certified Financial Planner and in 2001 earned his Masters in Financial Services from the American College. He was a member of the National Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors and the Financial Service Professionals.

Jim was a charter member and past president of the Grand Isle Rotary, a current member of the Colchester/Milton Rotary, and a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow. He was a founding president of the Vermont Entomological Society and co-author of the Vermont checklist for moths and butterflies. He recently donated his lifetime collection of moths and butterflies, more than 4,000 specimens to the University of Floridas McGuire Center for Lepidoptera & Biodiversity located at the Florida Museum of Natural History where he was also a research associate. In the 1980s Jim was a chairman of the Vermont Libertarian Party and twice ran for U.S. Congress on the Libertarian ticket. He considered himself to be a "recovering politician."

Jim and his wife, Eloise, delighted in exploring the world together, traveling in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa and Jim was proud of having driven in 27 countries. His enthusiasm for travel contributed to culinary adventures at home where he successfully duplicated cuisine experienced in their travels. Jim was also a successful vintner, crafting many exceptional wines, including some from his vineyard.

Jim embraced his Swedish heritage, hosting memorable Christmas smorgasbords for family and friends, and practicing traditional Swedish crafts including rosemaling and carving bowls with an axe. He donated two of his bowls for display to the American Swedish Museum in Philadelphia.

He is survived by his wife, Eloise (Roberts) Hedbor of South Hero, whom he married in Burlington on September 9, 1967. He is also survived by his children, Lars Hedbor and his wife Jennifer Mendenhall of Aloha, Oregon, Elisabeth Diesel and her husband Jason of Windham, New Hampshire, Ingrid Bevz and her husband Sergei of Bristol, Connecticut, and Astrid Lague and her husband Christopher of Colchester; his grandchildren, Lara, Annika, Linnea and Fiona Hedbor, Brianna and Sabrina Rayburn, Torsten and Simone Diesel, and Evalina and Philip Lague; his siblings, Joan Hampton and her husband Charles of Marietta, Ohio, John Hedbor and his wife Jody of Gardner, Massachusetts, and Carol Conley and her husband Leo of Sandwich, Massachusetts; his cousin who was like a brother, Bertil Hedbor of Tranas, Sweden; his sister-in-law, Sara Roberts; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Jims life will be held Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 1:00 PM at The Inn at Essex, 70 Essex Way, Essex, Vermont. Interment will be private and held at the convenience of the family in the South Hero Cemetery.

For those who wish, contributions in Jims memory may be made to the Jimmy Fund, C/O Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-4070 or University of Florida Foundation, McGuire Center Support Fund, 2012 West University Ave., Gainesville, FL 32611 or to the Rotary Foundation, 14280 Collections Center Drive, Chicago, IL 60693.