Born: 07/19/1969 Burlington, Vermont Died: 09/08/2026 Morrisville, Vermont Details of service: All family and friends are invited to attend a memorial gathering to honor and celebrate Andrew’s life.  Location: Elmore State Park, Route 12, Elmore VT Time: Friday Sept 25, 2026, 3pm-5pm Attendees are encouraged to bring fishing stories and good memories. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Lamoille Area Cancer Network lacnvt.org, which provided practical support Andrew really appreciated during his final illness, or to Lake Champlain International lakechamplain.net, which works to keep the lake “swimmable, fishable, drinkable” Andrew Dexter Morse, 57, a lifelong resident of Vermont, passed away peacefully on September 8, 2026, in Morrisville. Andrew, known as Andy to most people outside the immediate family, was always happiest outdoors or working on projects with one of his buddies — in fact most of Lamoille County seemed to be a buddy.  Born in Burlington on July 19, 1969, Andrew was the son of Dexter Morse and Jill Newton. He grew up in Windham County, first in Saxtons River where his parents taught at Vermont Academy, and later in Jamaica when he joined the Newton family. As a boy he put much of his energy into sports like soccer and skiing. He was a standout soccer player in high school and also played several seasons with his brother Jim on the Townshend team in the Summer Soccer league. It was also during these years in southern Vermont that Andrew developed a deep appreciation of the Vermont environment while hunting, fishing, and exploring. During his teenage years, he worked at the family business, Hamilton Falls Lumber, learning about construction, and also at The Startingate Ski Shop at Stratton Mountain. There he met his friend Gary Longley, who not only taught him ski tuning, but also introduced him to fishing on Lake Champlain and sold him his first boat.  After graduating from Leland and Gray Union High School in 1987 and spending a few ski seasons in Colorado, Andrew moved to northern Vermont, where he spent the rest of his adult life. He worked as a builder, renovating an old house in Worcester VT while starting his own business, Andrew Morse Fine Building. For the past 15 years, he worked for Nick Donza and Donza Construction as a skilled carpenter on many local projects.  Outside of work, he remained an avid outdoorsman who spent his free time hunting, riding snowmobiles and dirt bikes, and pursuing a passion for fishing—a love that began as a small child when he would sneak out of bed on summer evenings to fish in the brook running through the backyard. In a continuation of that passion, Andrew was out fishing on Lake Champlain just a few days before his death, bringing his love for the water full circle.  He is survived by his parents, Jill Newton of Saxtons River VT, and Dexter and Barbara Morse of Holden MA; sister Katherine Morse of Worcester MA; stepsiblings Mike Newton (Suzi) of Georgetown ME, Sally Newton (Michael Donahue) of West Townshend VT, Jim Newton (Paula) of Townshend VT, Pete Newton (Diane) of Windham VT, and Amos Newton (Ilana) of Windham VT. He is also survived by ex-wife Vicentica Benson, Wendy Sue Wescott Kittel Morse, and his beloved stepson, Logan Thomas of Stowe VT; aunts Mary Hepburn of Brunswick ME, Laura Jeppesen (Dan Stepner) of Newton MA, and an extended family full of cousins, nieces and nephews. Read the story on VTDigger here: Andrew Dexter Morse. ...read more read less