After 97 amazing years, Herb Messenger of Weybridge, VT, tranquilly passed away in his sleep at Shard Villa. Herb was the consummate gentleman, comfortable in any setting: chairing a school board meeting, managing a dairy, raising heifers with his wife, or cheering his progeny at a football game. His gentle heart, kind soul, and sharp mind will be dearly missed by all of us who were so fortunate to have been a part of his life. Herb was born on March 20, 1921, in Hartford, CT, to Charles and Rose Messenger. He was raised in Bloomfield, CT, graduating from Bloomfield High School in 1939, after which he began working for The Hartford Insurance. In 1942, he joined the Army Air Force and trained in Sioux Falls, SD and Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois as a control tower operator. He proudly served his country in Panama during World War II. After the war, he attended the University Of Connecticut Ratcliffe Hicks School Of Agriculture, graduating in 1948. Herb and his lifelong love, Ruth Bestor, married in 1944, and together started their life, which spanned over seven decades. Their devotion to each other was legendary. In Ruths declining years, Herb visited her every day at Shard Villa (after going to the gym). When Ruths eyesight began to fail, Herb would read to her. They ate their meals together, and Herb would hold her hand when she napped. Ruth predeceased him on July 20, 2015. Together, Herb and Ruth raised four children: Eugene, Steve, Lucy, and Charlie. His son Eugene predeceased him in 2005. After graduating from UConn, Herb began working for Brock Hall Dairies, first as a field supervisor and ultimately as the manager. During this time, in Southbury, CT, Herb was an active member of the school board as well as an active member of the United Church of Christ, which he continued when he moved to Vermont, joining the United Church of Christ in Weybridge. Herb always had a great passion and respect for agriculture and the American farmer. Upon moving to Vermont in 1975, this passion only grew, and with his longtime friend, Dwight Burnham, he started the Independent Dairymans Association. He and Ruth also ran the heifer operation at his son, Charlie, and son-in-law Carls farm for 10 years. Herb is survived by his daughter Lucy DeBisschop and husband Carl of Weybridge, VT; son Charlie and wife Teresa of Weybridge, VT; and son Steve and wife Cindy of New Haven, VT. He is also survived by seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A private family service is planned. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations be made to Shard Villa, 1177 Shard Villa Road, Salisbury, VT 05769. Online condolences may be left at www.sandersonfuneralservice.com.