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Collage with portrait of Irene Walker and two photos at the Irene Walker Preserve

Middlebury Land Trust

Admired as an established decorator, Irene Walker dedicated her life to bringing beauty and joy into homes and people’s lives. The tagline of Irene’s design firm, “Joie de Vivre”, which translates to “joy of living”, exemplifies Irene’s outlook on life. She settled in Washington Depot and lived adjacent to conserved open space and spent her last years in Steeplechase in Middlebury. Among her final bequests upon passing in 2002 included a generous endowment to Middlebury Land Trust. On October 13, 2021, in a ceremony led by MLT President Scott Peterson, 25.4 acres of open space was preserved and dedicated in her name. Encompassing the forest along Middlebury, Chase and Tucker Hill Roads and a section of Goat Brook, The Irene Walker Preserve will carry on the impressive legacy of a remarkable woman…

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Photo credit: Middlebury Bee-Intelligencer (Irene Walker portrait); Middlebury Land Trust