Obituary: Ann Sheperdson, 1951-2024 

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• Courtesy
• Ann Sheperdson

Carol Ann Sheperdson passed on March 5, 2024, at the McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester, Vt., from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. Ann was born in Pittsfield, Mass., in 1951 and grew up in Worcester, Mass., with her parents, Virginia June Sheperdson and John Parry Sheperdson, and her brother, William Parry “Bill” Sheperdson.

Ann always loved water. At summer camp in Maine, she excelled as a swimmer and was the coxswain for her rowing crew. Her family spent summers in Lake Placid, N.Y. Throughout her life, she sought out the water and the sunshine — swimming at beaches in Florida and on Cape Cod, boating and water-skiing on Lake Placid and Lake Champlain, playing tennis, and sunbathing and swimming at every available pool.

Ann attended Bancroft School in Worcester, then graduated from Dana Hall School in Wellesley. She studied psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and earned a bachelor’s degree in arts and sciences from Tufts University in Boston. She received a master’s degree in clinical mental health and guidance counseling from Antioch University New England and a certificate of advanced study in education from the University of Vermont. She worked at UVM in the continuing education department and as a lecturer in women’s studies and diversity studies; she also taught classes at Burlington College and worked as a legal clinic coordinator there. She ran for Vermont state representative for the Addison 4-2 district in 1996 and garnered a large percentage of the vote.

Ann married Courtney Price on the shore of Lake Placid in 1988. Although they divorced in 1998, their bond was strong; they reunited a year later and were life partners until her death, dividing their time between Vermont and Florida. Courtney was an exceptional caregiver for Ann during her illness and decline, shepherding her through her final days with love, kindness and fortitude. Throughout their time together and in overseeing her care, it was important to him to honor her fierce spirit and sense of justice.

A dedicated lifelong supporter and champion of women and girls, Ann worked tirelessly to protect the rights, safety and well-being of women and children and to advocate for justice. This commitment drove her professional life, which included establishing one of the first shelters for battered women in Vermont, in Brattleboro, and teaching young children in both remote and urban settings. She worked at a transitional residential program through Lund in Burlington, Vt., counseling and supporting at-risk young mothers, and at the Bristol Family Center in Bristol, Vt. She was an avid reader and collector of books throughout her life and often volunteered at her local library. Although her dream of having her own children never came true, Ann loved kids and devoted much of her time to helping young families thrive. From childhood, she initiated and sustained enduring bonds with women and girls, finding ways to inspire, defend and encourage them. To that end, she and Courtney established the Sarah Emily June Empowerment Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation “to support Vermont women in pioneering and leadership endeavors through women’s studies, actions, and programs.”

Ann was a generous, devoted and reliable friend to many, always remembering birthdays, holidays and anniversaries, and nurtured her friendships through phone calls, lunches and dinners, walks, boat rides, swims at the lake or pool, letters and cards, and gifts. She had an infectious laugh, a mischievous twinkle in her eye and a wonderful sense of humor. And she was a wise and quiet listener. As one friend said, “Annie was such a close pal for me … as we traversed the minefields of life … There was no one like her as a trusted confidant.” And from another: “No matter where she was, Annie always reached out to keep our relationship strong.”

As the end approached, Ann wrote: “Like most people, I have experienced incredible moments and some disappointments. In the end I have been blessed by being loved by Courtney and my friends. If there is one thing I could hope for, it would be that I have made a difference for women and girls who are suffering around the world. And I hope that we all keep trying to make this a more equitable and peaceful world.”

Ann is survived by her life partner, Courtney Price, of South Burlington, Vt.; her stepson, Noah Ashley Price, of Atlanta, Ga.; her niece, Mollie Moore Sheperdson, of London, UK; her cousins, Mary (Sheperdson) Parsons of South Chatham, Mass., and Amy Sheperdson of Carver, Mass.; and her many friends. She was predeceased by her parents and her brother, Bill. Her ashes will be buried in Paxton, Mass., in the Sheperdson family plot, along with those of her beloved dog, Sukay.