Obituary of Armand Richard Blow

Armand Blow, formerly of South Hero and South Burlington, Vermont passed away in Venice, Florida on February 11, 2024 after a brief illness.  He was 89 years old.

Armand was born in South Hero, VT on January 8, 1935.  He was the youngest of 8 children born to George and Elizabeth (LaPointe) Blow.  On July 5, 1954, he married his high school sweetheart, Kathryn (Kitty) Brunelle.  Soon after, they moved to New York as Armand was involved in the construction of the St. Lawerence Seaway and Niagara Power Projects. After these were completed, they returned to South Hero to help his father on the family farm. He then found employment at Vermont Transit Lines driving the Burlington to Boston run for several years, but his love for farming never left him, and he and Kitty purchased a dairy farm in South Hero that the family ran for several years. On the property, there was a beautiful maple sugar grove, so he built a sugar house, which allowed Armand and his best friend, Jim Potvin, to sit together for hours sharing the love of making maple syrup and enjoying casual conversation. Syrup cans lined the back stairs of the farmhouse where locals would stop by to purchase them. As their children grew older, Armand and Kitty decided to sell the farm and move to South Burlington, where he landed a job with the City of Burlington Parks Department until his retirement in 1997. This gave Armand more time to focus on his favorite sport, NASCAR (his favorite driver was Dale Earnhardt), and they would travel to many different tracks to watch the races.  Armand and Kitty also spent time traveling to Florida in the winters, and eventually made it their permanent residence. The two celebrated their 69th wedding Anniversary in July of 2023, and were a true inspiration to the family as their bond was inseparable.

Armand is survived by his wife Kathryn (Kitty) Brunelle Blow as well as his children, Deborah Morgan, Chris Blow and his fiancé Eileen Yandow, Diane Martin and her husband Brian, Donna Daigle and her husband David, Mark Blow and his wife Michelle, and his “other son” Jimmy Baker. He was predeceased by his parents, George & Elizabeth (LaPointe) Blow, his brothers George, Edwin, Ivan and Paul, his sisters Marion, Marjorie and Katherine, his son in-law Paul Morgan, and his great grandson TJ Duncanson. He leaves 13 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, and 6 great great grandchildren.

A mass will be held at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 1301 Center Road, Venice, FL on Thursday, February 22, at 10:00 AM.  A service will also be held in South Hero, VT in the spring at a date to be determined by the family.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org/donatetoday) or Season of Sharing (www.CFSarasota.org).