Tamsen Ross VanDerLas

Tamsen was born in Fresno, California to Harold Ross Van derLas and Lee Baylor, passed away peacefully in the care of Caledonia Home Health Care and Hospice at Northern Vermont Regional Hospital in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. She is survived by her daughter (shown above in February of this year) Cindy Barbour of North Carolina, niece Sonja Taylor of California, and husband of 20 years, Tom Turner. She was predeceased by a sister, Nancy. She was buried in a private cemetery beneath a towering border tree on the land she loved so much.

Tamsen was featured in the The Montpelier Bridge in the "Uptown on the Street" column with Jim Higgins, which read in part: Montpelier is blessed with an abundance of gregarious and colorful unofficial 'mayors,' but one in particular is getting my vote for "Mayor Among Mayors." She is Tamsen Van der Las, sole proprietor of Acme Hair Salon and Counseling. Reason Number One: Because her wild and whimsical personal hair colors and sizzling retro dresses make me smile... Regular patrons loved the "channeling," but sometimes at their peril. James Haslam, with the Vermont Workers' Center, said recently, "That's why my hair is this short - I go in there for the conversation!"

After surviving a terrible car accident in 2011, she suffered with many disabilities: partially crippled, lost all her teeth, and in the last several years, went blind. This ended her love of drawing, making jewelry, decorating vintage hats, and tending beautiful flowerbeds, which she had worked so hard on for over 40 years. Donations can be made in her name to the Central Vermont Humane Society, from which she obtained many loving animals.