BRANDON/SPRINGFIELD — William J. “Bill” Mitroff, 73, died peacefully on August 8, 2021 at the Jack Bryne Hospice Center in Lebanon, N.H., after a massive brain hemorrhage that occurred on August 1. His nephew Andrew and Andrew’s wife Michele were at his bedside through the last of his days helping communicate family messages. Special thanks to the medical teams at Dartmouth-Hitchcock emergency room and neurology ICU as well as the team at the hospice center for providing excellent care and support to Bill and the family.
Bill was born in Springfield, Vermont on September 17, 1947. He was the son of Albert Paul Mitroff (born in Trenton, N.J.) and Gertrude Hemphill Mitroff (born in North Loup, New Brunswick). He attended the now shuttered East School and Riverside Junior High School in Springfield.
The Adnabrown Hotel, which his father managed, was destroyed by a fire on Jan. 1, 1961, and by September the family had relocated to and purchased the Brandon Inn in Brandon, Vt. Bill graduated from Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon in 1966 and received his BA in Biology from Castleton State College.
Bill worked throughout high school and college at the Inn. By his mid-30s he was the facilities manager in all but title, responsible for the making sure all the systems on the property were maintained and in working order. He spent many hours wallpapering, painting, fixing plumbing fixtures, installing carpet and refinishing furniture.
He traveled with his parents after their retirement in 1985, including a visit to family in Czechoslovakia. After his father had a heart attack and his mother began losing her sight with macular degeneration he became their full-time caregiver and managed their affairs.
He was an avid European sports car fan, history buff and antique gun enthusiast, and loved hiking the Long Trail. He had a passion for Native American history and culture. The way the country has treated and continues to treat Native Americans was a deep sorrow to him.
He was pre-deceased by his parents, Al and Trudy Mitroff, and his older brother John (Jack) Mitroff, and is survived by his sister Ann-Marie Mitroff and her husband Norman Groner of Santa Cruz, California, and their daughter, Annalee. He is also survived by his three nephews and their wives: Scott and Glenda Mitroff of Randolph, Vermont, Andrew and Michele Mitroff of Hanover, Pennsylvania and Jeff and Jennifer Mitroff of Rocksprings, Texas; his niece and her husband, Rebecca (VandenBerg) Lessard and Shaun Lessard, of Merrimack, N.H.; his sister-in-law, Brandy Mitroff; and his grandnieces and grandnephews: Erin, Taylor, Kaitlin, Karley, Steven, Matthew, Justice, Ian, Lance, Noel, Spencer, Dani and Taelyr; and his friends considered to be family: Don Baker, formerly of Brandon, Vt. and now of Salcha, Alaska; and Albert Chamberlain, formerly of Brandon and now of Coventry, R.I. and his wife Donna and their son Travis.
His wish is that his ashes be spread on Mt. Ascutney. A remembrance get-together will be held at a later date at the Brandon Inn (and by Zoom). Please contact his sister, Ann-Marie Mitroff, 503 Buena Vista Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 (ammitroff@cs.com) if you wish attend.
Contributions in his name may be sent to a Native American organization of your choice, The American Indian College Fund, or The National Alaska Native American Indian Nurses Association (NANAINA).
