Obituary: Harriet F. Gaffney

January 12, 1930 – February 23, 2026

February 26, 2026

Harriet Gaffney, 1930-2026

Harriet Amy Fisk Gaffney died from metastatic breast cancer on Feb 23, 2026, at Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin, Vermont. She was 96 years old. She was living independently in her home with some assistance until November, when she learned she had breast cancer.

She was born on the Fisk Farm in Barton, Vermont, on January 12, 1930, the daughter of Earl and Amy Fisk. She lived there with her family of two brothers and three sisters until they sold the farm and moved into town. 

She sang in the choir, played softball, and was a cheerleader for the basketball team. She attended Lyndon Teachers College, graduating in 1950. Here, she sang in the choir, and played soccer and softball. Later, she received her Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Vermont in 1976.

She married Roy Nelson Gaffney from Lyndonville, Vermont, in 1952. He died on April 13, 2019, of cancer after 66 and one-half years of marriage. They had three children: JoAnne Gaffney Sweeney of Scarborough, Maine, Daniel Wilson Gaffney of Wentworth, New Hampshire, and David Roy Gaffney of Sanbornville, New Hampshire, who predeceased his parents in 2008 of a pulmonary embolism. She also leaves two grandsons, Benjamin William Sweeney and wife Crystal of Falmouth,

Maine, and Michael Jon Sweeney of Somerset, California; and three great-grandchildren, Emerson, William and Elliot Sweeney of Falmouth, Maine. Her siblings predeceased her: brothers Earl Owen Fisk in 1997 and William Fisk in 2024, and three sisters, Marion in 1992, Helen in 2006, and Florence in 2012. She also leaves many nieces and nephews.

After graduating from Lyndon Institute, Harriet taught school in South Cabot, Vermont, in a one-room schoolhouse for two years. Following their marriage, Roy and Harriet lived briefly in the Northeast Kingdom in St Johnsbury, Vermont, where JoAnne was born. They then moved to Wilmington, Delaware, for five years, where their son David was born. Roy worked at DuPont in Wilmington, and Harriet stayed at home. They returned to Henniker, New Hampshire, where Harriet supported her husband to get his engineering degree while she taught school in Newbury with two children for three years. They later settled in Waterbury, Vermont, and purchased a house on Wissell Mountain, and Daniel was born in 1961. Roy worked for the State of Vermont, and Harriet taught school in Duxbury for nine years and in Waterbury for 14 years, retiring in 1989.

Harriet volunteered at the Senior Center in Waterbury, served as a driver for the Waterbury Swim Team, became a Den Mother for the Cub Scouts, was voted in as Director and Secretary at Blush Hill Country Club and supervised the Junior Golf Team at Blush Hill. In her spare time, she was an avid reader, hooked and braided rugs, made many quilts, gardened, and researched family genealogies. She and Roy were avid golfers and enjoyed many fun times at Blush Hill Country Club with lifelong friends.

Roy and Harriet bought a cottage on Rangeley Lake in Maine in 1984 and spent many wonderful weeks there with friends and family. After their retirement, they vacationed every winter, usually for two months, from 1981 until 2007. They traveled to several places in Florida, Harbor Island in South Carolina, Topsail Island in North Carolina, Sedona, Arizona, and St. Simon's Island in Georgia.

Burial will be private at the convenience of the family at the Welcome O. Brown Cemetery in Barton. Perkins-Parker Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Waterbury is assisting the family. To send online condolences, visit PerkinsParker.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Waterbury Area Senior Center.