Seventh-generation dairy farmer was known for his ingenuity and innovative thinking
Roger Benjamin Wales, lifelong resident of Weybridge, Vt., passed away peacefully on March 21, 2025, at University of Vermont Medical Center. He was born in the family farmhouse on a Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1936. Leslie (Collins) Wales and Leonard Smith Wales welcomed their first-born son, who was the seventh generation of the Wales family on the farm. After attending school in Weybridge and graduating from Middlebury Union High School in 1954, Roger went to the Randolph School of Agriculture, graduating second in his class. From there, he went to the Montana School of Mines, where he worked in the Orphan Girl Mine on weekends. Next he went to Montana State University in Bozeman and was a ski jumper on the MSU team. Roger then joined the Air National Guard, where he worked on jet engines at the base in Texas. Roger moved back to Weybridge to work on the family farm, where he married the late Joyce Hallock of Bristol and had three boys: Scott, Shawn and Steve. They later divorced, and he raised his sons on the farm. He was humble in his skills and knowledge but was confident in his decisions on farm operations. One of his accomplishments was building a free stall barn attached to a milking parlor where the milk was gravity fed to a bulk tank. Roger was also one of the first farmers in Addison County to switch from square bales to big round bales. Known for his ingenuity and innovative thinking, Roger was popular in his community and happy to share advice and problem solving with his friends and neighbors. After selling his dairy cows, he worked for John Baker as a welder at Wildflower Ironworks in Addison. In 1976, Roger met Martha Winant and her son, Asa. They became engaged and married in 1995. In the following years, he would build herds of both Brahman cows and goats, along with helping his wife, Martha, with her catering endeavors. Roger always had Martha’s back, and Martha always had Roger’s back. Together they made the decision to register over 250 acres with the Vermont Land Trust, keeping the farmland intact. Roger was predeceased by his parents, Leonard and Leslie Wales; his younger brother, Erle; and his son Scott, who passed in 2023. Roger is survived by his wife, Martha, plus his sons Shawn and Steve Wales and Asa Winant and his daughter-in-law,…
Seventh-generation dairy farmer was known for his ingenuity and innovative thinking
Roger Benjamin Wales, lifelong resident of Weybridge, Vt., passed away peacefully on March 21, 2025, at University of Vermont Medical Center. He was born in the family farmhouse on a Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1936. Leslie (Collins) Wales and Leonard Smith Wales welcomed their first-born son, who was the seventh generation of the Wales family on the farm. After attending school in Weybridge and graduating from Middlebury Union High School in 1954, Roger went to the Randolph School of Agriculture, graduating second in his class. From there, he went to the Montana School of Mines, where he worked in the Orphan Girl Mine on weekends. Next he went to Montana State University in Bozeman and was a ski jumper on the MSU team. Roger then joined the Air National Guard, where he worked on jet engines at the base in Texas. Roger moved back to Weybridge to work on the family farm, where he married the late Joyce Hallock of Bristol and had three boys: Scott, Shawn and Steve. They later divorced, and he raised his sons on the farm. He was humble in his skills and knowledge but was confident in his decisions on farm operations. One of his accomplishments was building a free stall barn attached to a milking parlor where the milk was gravity fed to a bulk tank. Roger was also one of the first farmers in Addison County to switch from square bales to big round bales. Known for his ingenuity and innovative thinking, Roger was popular in his community and happy to share advice and problem solving with his friends and neighbors. After selling his dairy cows, he worked for John Baker as a welder at Wildflower Ironworks in Addison. In 1976, Roger met Martha Winant and her son, Asa. They became engaged and married in 1995. In the following years, he would build herds of both Brahman cows and goats, along with helping his wife, Martha, with her catering endeavors. Roger always had Martha’s back, and Martha always had Roger’s back. Together they made the decision to register over 250 acres with the Vermont Land Trust, keeping the farmland intact. Roger was predeceased by his parents, Leonard and Leslie Wales; his younger brother, Erle; and his son Scott, who passed in 2023. Roger is survived by his wife, Martha, plus his sons Shawn and Steve Wales and Asa Winant and his daughter-in-law,…
