Mary Mead Anderson

ANDERSON, Mary Mead, of Cromwell, CT, formerly of Great Barrington and Sheffield, MA, died peacefully on September 28, 2015. She was 96. Born in 1919 in Underbill, VT to William Tilden Mead and Aurill MacGibbon Mead, Mrs. Anderson graduated from Burlington High School in 1936. Two years later, she graduated from Green Mountain Junior College in Poultney, VT, where she also met her future husband, Robert B. Anderson. After graduation, she was employed by Strathmore Paper Co. in Springfield, MA. She and Mr. Anderson were married on September 2,1940. The couple settled in Housatonic, MA where Mr. Anderson was employed by Rising Paper Co. After raising their three children, Mrs. Anderson returned to American International College in Springfield, and then worked at Simons Rock College in Great Barrington, MA from 1969-1979. During that time, she and her husband, together with a group of friends that gathered weekly for a Bible study in their historic colonial home, founded "Sheffield Chapel" which is now located on Rte. 7 near the Sheffield/Gt. Barrington line. They enjoyed entertaining their children and grandchildren during their retirement years at Nalcrest in Lake Wales, FL, where they spent ten years. Since 1990, Mrs. Anderson has been a resident of Covenant Village Retirement Community in Cromwell, CT, where her husband died in 2008. She loved to knit, was an avid reader and writer, an excellent cook, pianist and organist. She often served others at Covenant Village by volunteering her time in the nursing home, writing letters for patients, and playing the piano. For many years she was an active church member whose life exemplified self sacrifice and serving others. She loved her family and faithfully prayed for them. She is survived by her three children and their spouses: Robert M. and Rita (Hull) Anderson of Wayland, MA; Peter D. and Sharon (Litchfield) Anderson of Jericho, VT; and MaryJane (Anderson) and Robert Shannon of Orleans, MA; ten grandchildren; and eighteen great-grandchildren. A private graveside service will be held at Center Cemetery in Sheffield, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Benevolent Fund, Covenant Village, 52 Missionary Rd., Cromwell, CT 06416.