Steve Prouty, champion of Londonderry, Select Board chair, dies at 66

By Bruce Frauman
© 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC

Steve Prouty, chair of the Londonderry Select Board, died at his home on Monday morning, Feb. 6, 2017. He was 66.

Prouty was elected to the board in 2011 and rose to chair last May after Jim Ameden resigned for family reasons. Prouty’s father, Clyde, served 36 years on the Londonderry board before stepping down in 2011.

Prouty, who was vice chair, filled in for Ameden, but wanted the full board to vote before he assumed the chair.

“I kind of fell into this job when Jim retired,” Prouty had said in June. “And I feel that you guys should have a say if you want me to continue this or by all means go with someone else.”

Aside from his role on the Select Board, Prouty served for many years as the town’s health officer and as a Justice of the Peace. Prouty was also the town’s Road Commissioner and filled in on the road crew when needed. He was also a member of the Republican town caucus.

Pastor Margaret Dawedeit, a Londonderry resident and long-time friend of Prouty, said, “He was such a character. There is now a hole that will never be filled.” And while they didn’t always agree, she said Prouty was “the nicest, sweetest guy.”

“He loved Vermont very much, saw the value in it and wanted to preserve it,” Dawedeit said, and described him as determined.  “When he got sick, he just slapped on the oxygen tank and went to work. … He was so critical to the town. Our hearts are broken, my heart is broken.”

Jim Twitchell, long time former Town Clerk and Treasurer, remembered Prouty as a public servant. “We’ve been friends, also with his father and mother,” says Twitchell.  “He’s always been municipal oriented.”

Town Treasurer Tina Labeau recalled enjoying reminiscing with Prouty about growing up in Londonderry, “chatting about folks. He was a wealth of knowledge about the town. This is a great loss for Londonderry.”

Resident George Mora called Prouty, “a pillar of the community.” She added, “He always had the best interests of the town in mind. He was a champion of the original Londonderry.”

In recent years, Prouty cooked hot dogs and hamburgers for the annual Pingree Park Fun Day celebration. One of Prouty’s favorite events was the annual Londonderry Officer and Volunteer dinner.

Prouty worked with, and later ran, his father’s excavating business and worked for the Postal Service for about a decade.

Prouty was twice married and divorced and leaves behind two sons, Chad and Taylor. He is also survived by his parents, Clyde and Clara, and sister Susan Van Alstyne. He was predeceased by his brothers Gary and Doug.

More information, including funeral arrangements, could not be confirmed at publication time.

— Cynthia Prairie contributed to this article