Educator, missionary and volunteer “made lifelong friends around the world”
Jeanne Anderson Parsley of Essex, Vt., died peacefully on Wednesday, December 18, 2024. She was born in Elizabeth, N.J., on March 28, 1927, to Harold and Claire (Lycette) Anderson. Her early years were spent on Long Island, before moving to Connecticut and graduating from New Haven High School in 1944. She attended Bates College, where she met Charles John Parsley Jr. They were married in 1948 and moved to Massachusetts and continued their education at Boston University, where Jeanne received a master’s degree in religious education. Upon graduation, Jeanne and Charles moved to Vermont, where Charles served as minister in East Barre and North Bennington, and they began raising their four children. In 1964, they moved to India, where they served as missionaries, working in Ahmednagar, Pune and Kodaikanal. They returned to the US in 1968, living in Oakville, Conn., where Jeanne taught school and earned a second master’s degree in elementary education from Western Connecticut State University. Returning to Vermont in 1971, the family settled in Grafton and later in Bellows Falls, and Jeanne taught language arts at Bellows Falls Middle School for the next 18 years. They moved to Essex in 1998. Jeanne loved to travel, visiting over 50 countries during her life. She was a dedicated volunteer and worked to make the world a better place. After retirement she was a guardian ad litem in Windham County, a member of the Reparative Justice Board in Essex and a teacher of English as a second language at Essex High School. She was an avid reader and lifelong learner. She loved classical music and sang in many church choirs and community choruses. Jeanne was open, caring and supportive and made lifelong friends around the world. She was always available for a chat on the phone, a lunch out or a listening ear over a cup of tea. She loved her family and was never happier than when the whole tribe visited for holidays. Jeanne is survived by her children, MarthaJeanne and her husband, Jerry Barton, of Vienna, Austria; Karen and her husband, Dana Baron, of Shelburne, Vt.; Cynthia and her husband, Thomas Baehr, of Putney, Vt.; and Andrew Parsley of Keene, N.H. She leaves seven grandchildren and their spouses and six great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, Charles John Parsley, in 2007 and her brother Donald Anderson in 2015. A memorial service will be held at the…
Educator, missionary and volunteer “made lifelong friends around the world”
Jeanne Anderson Parsley of Essex, Vt., died peacefully on Wednesday, December 18, 2024. She was born in Elizabeth, N.J., on March 28, 1927, to Harold and Claire (Lycette) Anderson. Her early years were spent on Long Island, before moving to Connecticut and graduating from New Haven High School in 1944. She attended Bates College, where she met Charles John Parsley Jr. They were married in 1948 and moved to Massachusetts and continued their education at Boston University, where Jeanne received a master’s degree in religious education. Upon graduation, Jeanne and Charles moved to Vermont, where Charles served as minister in East Barre and North Bennington, and they began raising their four children. In 1964, they moved to India, where they served as missionaries, working in Ahmednagar, Pune and Kodaikanal. They returned to the US in 1968, living in Oakville, Conn., where Jeanne taught school and earned a second master’s degree in elementary education from Western Connecticut State University. Returning to Vermont in 1971, the family settled in Grafton and later in Bellows Falls, and Jeanne taught language arts at Bellows Falls Middle School for the next 18 years. They moved to Essex in 1998. Jeanne loved to travel, visiting over 50 countries during her life. She was a dedicated volunteer and worked to make the world a better place. After retirement she was a guardian ad litem in Windham County, a member of the Reparative Justice Board in Essex and a teacher of English as a second language at Essex High School. She was an avid reader and lifelong learner. She loved classical music and sang in many church choirs and community choruses. Jeanne was open, caring and supportive and made lifelong friends around the world. She was always available for a chat on the phone, a lunch out or a listening ear over a cup of tea. She loved her family and was never happier than when the whole tribe visited for holidays. Jeanne is survived by her children, MarthaJeanne and her husband, Jerry Barton, of Vienna, Austria; Karen and her husband, Dana Baron, of Shelburne, Vt.; Cynthia and her husband, Thomas Baehr, of Putney, Vt.; and Andrew Parsley of Keene, N.H. She leaves seven grandchildren and their spouses and six great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, Charles John Parsley, in 2007 and her brother Donald Anderson in 2015. A memorial service will be held at the…