Daniel Ambrose Neary, Jr., 77, died March 9 in Berlin, VT, from complications caused by Parkinson's Disease. He was born April 17, 1940 in Manhattan, New York City, to the late Alice Marie (Finneran) of Fall River Massachusetts and Daniel Ambrose Neary, Sr. of Queens, New York. His wife and life mate, the former Emily Virginia Chew, predeceased him in 2012. Survivors include twin daughters, Carla Occaso and Jessica Neary, grandson Kirby Occaso, sister Candace Neary and her spouse Annette Lynch, all of Vermont, and nieces Sara and Karen Neller, of Vermont and Spain respectively. He also leaves behind brothers-in-law Robert M. Chew of Virginia and Richard Neller of Pennsylvania. He received a bachelor's degree in English from Yale University, class of '63, and a master's degree in writing from Vermont College (now Vermont College of Fine Arts). Neary's love affair with Vermont began in 1945 when his father bought a summer house in Mount Holly. He spent many boyhood summers there playing baseball with lifelong friends, the late Peter Van Dyke and Rod Clarke, and swimming in Star Lake. He met and married Emily Virginia Chew in Washington D. C. where she worked for Congressional Quarterly. They moved to Vermont, finally settling in East Montpelier. Neary's first job in Vermont was as a reporter for The Rutland Herald. He later served as AP Bureau Chief in Montpelier from 1968 to 1973. He also worked for many years for the Vermont Department of Employment and Training. He spent the remainder of his years writing short stories, film reviews and taking black and white photographs in s style described by critics as "stark" and "austere". Many were hand developed by the late photographer Andrew Kline of East Montpelier. Neary also published two books, "Vanishing Vermont" (co-published with Peter Cooper in 1991) and "Rage in the Hills" (1999). Additionally, he published several articles about how the Vermont Legislature enacted a law requiring dairy farmers to install "bulk tanks," which caused a flood of farm foreclosures due to the expense. In addition to writing and photography, and taking long daily walks, Neary loved his family and went on vacations with his wife and daughters to New York City, Paris, London, Maine, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and all over New England. He had a great sense of humor and a remarkable, contagious laugh. He also loved music, playing banjo in his earlier years and leading song-a-longs in the family living room. Later, his writing friends Jim DeFillippi and Joe Citro nicknamed him "the funster". Neary was also socially conscious, describing himself as an "armchair radical". He truly enjoyed living in Montpelier, where he spent hours reading and volunteering at the Kellogg Hubbard Library, browsing books at Bear Pond Books, eating Sunshine Chapatis and carob chip cookies at the Horn of the Moon Cafe, watching movies at the Savoy Theater and getting maple creemees at Morse Farm Stand. He also loved getting bulk oatmeal, granola and chocolate cake at Hunger Mountain Coop. The family would also like to express deep appreciation for the unwavering and half-century-long neighborliness and friendship of the family of Robert Theo and Janet Lane, especially Mark, Susie, Terri, Tammy, James, John and Ted. Close neighbors Jamie Shanley, Kim Kendall and Ken Libertoff were also of great support during Dad's time of need as were Andy, Carolyn and Sarah Shapiro, and the rest of the Sparrow Farm Road gang. These people were inspiring when it came to creating a selfless community safety net. Also, a special thanks to Richard Green, Joe Blakely, Brandy Leigh Todd for dedicated home care assistance, and Woodridge Rehabilitation and Nursing and Central Vermont Medical Center for their excellent care. Burial will be held at Doty Cemetery and a Memorial Service will be held at a later date in the spring. On-line condolences may be sent to www.guareandsons.com