Adele R. Eichel

Adele R.Eichel, of Mount Tabor, VT passed away on July 16, 2026.

Surrounded by those she loved, a gentle summer rain fell outside. Then, it was as if nature itself paused to say goodbye. The clouds parted, sunlight poured into her home through every open door and a cardinal began to sing. With a peaceful smile, Adele slipped away. It was a moment of quiet grace and extraordinary beauty. A fitting farewell for such an extraordinary woman.

Adele was born in 1938 to William and Ruth Naumann in Holdrege, Nebraska. She moved with her parents at a young age to Englewood, Colorado, where the Rocky Mountains shaped her lifelong love of adventure. She spent her youth skiing, camping, hiking and exploring the outdoors. Her mother taught her to sew, sparking a passion for creativity and design that led her to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, where she graduated in 1960. She went on to traveling the world as part of a design team.

Her love of skiing and the mountains remained at the heart of her life. Returning to that lifelong passion, she became a ski instructor at Hunter Mountain in the Catskills, where she met fellow instructor Charles Eichel. They married in 1963, started a family in 1967 and made Vermont their home in 1974.

In Vermont, Adele created a one-of-a-kind homestead filled with barnyard animals, gardens, laughter and endless creativity such as making the children's cakes, everyday clothes, and endless interesting Halloween costumes. She would also show up to pick the children up from school in horse drawn carriages and sleighs. A gifted artist, she found joy in pottery, painting, drawing, batik, sewing and countless other creative pursuits. She volunteered with the Bromley Ski Patrol for 35 years.

After separating from Charles in the 1980's, Adele embraced a new chapter with the same courage and independence that defined her life. She restored historic homes in Danby and Mount Tabor, earned her nursing degree, and became a registered nurse and a landlord to her restored home. Her adventurous spirit continued to lead her through Vermont’s mountains on horseback and along the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail. It was on those trails that she met her longtime companion, Robert Smith.

Adele lived with boundless curiosity and creativity. She was vivacious, fiercely independent and embraced each day with an adventurous spirit. Tending gardens, caring for animals, creating art, or making some home science project, she found and made beauty in everything.

She is survived by her companion, Robert Smith; her daughter, Dana Eichel; son, James Eichel and his wife Laura; and beloved grandsons, Benjamin and Nathan.

Adele's spirit lives on in blooming gardens, mountain trails, warm sunshine after a summer rain and the joyful song of a cardinal.

A celebration of Adele's life will be held on Saturday October 17, 2026, starting at 1pm, at her home in Mount Tabor. Family and friends are invited to a casual pot luck where we will share food, memories, laughter and stories in honor of an extraordinary woman whose adventurous spirit, artistic soul, vivacious nature and love of creating will be surely missed by all that knew her.

Email Dana Eichel for directions. itsgoodlivin@gmail.com