David John Cadreact

David John Cadreact passed away on July 28, 2023.  David was born at home on August 1, 1943, the youngest child of the late Harold and Rosanna Smith Cadreact.  A kind and humble man, David never lost sight of who he was or where he came from.  His roots were deeply planted in the land of the 100-year-old farm that he owned and operated as his parents did before him.  A true Vermonter who saw the world from a rural perspective, David appreciated the natural world around him and developed a strong sense of values that goes hand in hand with dairy farming, with someone who tilled the soil, and with someone who took great pride in the care and well-being of his cows.  In a way, the farm defined how he viewed the world and lived his life.

Growing up in Milton on the family farm, David attended a one-room schoolhouse until fourth grade, riding his horse to school and sometimes being pulled on a sled by his sister, Claire. At the tender age of five David contracted a serious illness called brucellosis, also known as undulant fever, caused by drinking raw milk. The disease left David with a serious injury to his hip. He was hospitalized for six months. Always fascinated by nature, even as a child of five, he recalled watching the squirrels playing on the UVM green from his hospital window.  The disease left David unable to walk for two years. He recovered due to the loving and devoted care given to him by his mother and many visits by the Public Health Nurse, Miss Connolly.

David graduated from Milton High School in 1963 and Vermont Technical College in 1965. He recalled his years at VTC as some of the happiest years of his life, making lifelong friends and learning the most current information about agriculture. After graduation, David returned to the family farm and continued the  Cadreact tradition of farming. David purchased the farm in 1982 from his parents and happily resided there all of his life, enjoying the beauty and making the farm a vibrant part of the working landscape. In addition to dairy farming, David was also a Vermont sugarmaker. David appreciated his neighbors in West Milton, many of whom were lifelong dairy farmers as well. David married Kate Duffy on June 12, 1971 in St. Ann’s Catholic Church. They enjoyed fifty-two years of marriage, loving each other, working together, and enjoying life. In their later years, David and Kate enjoyed traveling, including  Ireland, Scotland, the American West, and the Canadian Rockies. 

David leaves his loving wife, Kate, his treasured daughter, Rosanna, and his only son and his namesake, David, his sister, Claire Truso, his sisters-in-law, Mary Ann Godin, Theresa Duffy,  Elizabeth Triggs, and Joanne Duffy and many nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Eleanor Cadreact.  He was preceded in death by his siblings, Harold Cadreact, Marjorie Cleveland, Shirley Cadreact, and Phyllis Viets, his nephew Larry Cleveland, and his sister-in-law, Ellen Duffy Manley and his two brothers-in-law, Patrick Duffy and Michael Duffy.  The family would like to express its gratitude for all of the support received from neighbors, friends, and the Milton community during our journey through Alzheimer’s disease.  We especially take note of  the unwavering presence of David’s sister-in-law, Mary Ann Godin and her husband, Reg, and the loving care provided by UVM Home Health and Hospice nurse Sandra.

Visiting hours will be held on Thursday August 3, 2023 between the hours of 5  and 7 p.m. in the Minor Funeral Home and Cremation Center, Milton.  David was a Roman Catholic and a man of faith. His life will be celebrated with a Mass of Christian Burial in  St. Ann’s Catholic Church on Friday, August 4 at eleven o'clock. Burial to follow in St. Ann's Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to UVM Home Health and Hospice or to the Vermont Community Foundation in support of the recent flood victims of Vermont.  May his soul rest in peace.  David gave us joy; we loved him well.