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.
This article appears in Apr 10-16, 2024.