Valery Worth Yandow, MD

May 5, 1930 – April 15, 2016

Dr. Valery Worth Yandow died peacefully on Friday evening surrounded by her loving family after a long illness at the age of 85. Valery is survived by her 5 children, Tyler, Gwynn, Chris, Karyn and Timothy Yandow and her 7 grandchildren Christina and Ian Flood, Lauren and Alison Yandow, Ayla and Tobias Yandow and Olivia McCandless who all loved her so dearly.

Born the only child to Robert and Edith Worth on May 5th 1930, Valery grew up with a passion for travel and to help those in need wherever she felt called to act. She grew up in Nutley, New Jersey where her father established a successful division of the Homelite Corporation. The three of them travelled extensively especially throughout Europe and also spent a lot of time on a small farm they owned in the rolling hills of north western New Jersey they called Hilly Hollow. This farm became a beloved place of summer fun and adventure for Valery’s children.

Valery was known by many as a tenacious ground breaker. In 1952 she worked with the American Friends Service Committee in Mexico. She was one of two women to graduate from the University of Vermont Medical School in 1956 where she met and married her Husband Harris Alfred Yandow of North Ferrisburg, Vermont. They moved to New York City in 1956 where “Harry” did his residency in the Bronx. Valery’s medical career was put on hold as she focused her love and attention on raising her five children. Remarkably, after an almost 20 year hiatus from medicine, she decided to pick up where she left off and began to study for her medical boards to pursue a career in Psychiatry focusing specifically on Women and Substance abuse treatment. Imagine the challenge of having to catch up on two decades of medicine. After successfully passing her medical boards she completed her residency at the Payne Whitney Clinic at the New York Hospital Cornell Medical Center in New York City and became chief resident of the center in White Plains, New York. After several years of practice there, Valery moved to Brattleboro Vermont where she became the Director of the Substance Abuse Program at the Brattleboro Retreat. She retired from the Retreat in 1999. She remained involved with helping other medical professionals recover from addiction right up to the end of her life.

Valery’s passion for travel took her to diverse cultures and lands far and wide, from Europe to Morocco, Egypt, Africa, China, Russia, Antarctica and Alaska. Many of her trips were collaborations with the People to People Ambassador Program where she presented her work and visited other substance abuse programs around the world. She also had a tremendous appetite for classical music and was a regular every year at the Marlboro Music festival in Marlboro Vermont as well as devouring music at many other local music events. Valery played violin for many years and sang with the local Brattleboro Music Center Blanche Moyse Chorale.

More than anything, Valery had a way of touching people. She developed a presence that was encouraging yet firm, grateful, kind, mindful and compassionate, and with it she held a deep reverence for beauty and the earth. Her presence will be greatly missed by the many who know and love her.

A memorial gathering will happen to celebrate Valery’s life at 2 pm Sunday, May 8th at 14 Regina Vista in West Brattleboro.

Contributions can be made in Valery’s memory to the Brattleboro Retreat sent to the Office of Development or online at www.brattlebororetreat.org/donate designated to the Recovery Project or Patient Clothing Fund or the Marlboro Music School and Festival at 2472 South Road, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301.

Arrangements under the direction of Ker Westerlund Funeral Home, Brattleboro, VT.