![Sheila Anson accepting the 2015 Friend of the Green Award]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1741806562/gunneryorg/gg3ixowyptkl4wvfobjc/DSC_9349A.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1741806562/gunneryorg/gg3ixowyptkl4wvfobjc/DSC_9349A.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1741806562/gunneryorg/gg3ixowyptkl4wvfobjc/DSC_9349A.jpg","width":669}])
The Gunn community is deeply saddened by the news that Sheila Anson, a longtime friend of The Frederick Gunn School, a Gunn descendant, and the recipient of the 2015 Friend of the Green Award, passed away this week.
A loyal and enthusiastic supporter of all things Washington, Anson lived in town for nearly all of her life and served the town in various capacities, most prominently as Town Clerk, a role she held since 1997, and which was previously held by her aunt and great aunts. She was the Vice Chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission, a member of the Steep Rock Board of Trustees, the First Congregational Church of Washington, and the Judea Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She also was a member of the Washington Scholarship Fund Scholarship Award Committee, for which she was acknowledged when The Frederick Gunn School presented its 2022 Friend of the Green Award.
Through the years, Anson volunteered her time to support young people in our community. She served as a resource for Gunn Scholars researching town and school history, advised Shepaug Valley School students on their senior projects, read to students at Washington Primary School, assisted with the hot lunch program, and cheered for town teams at many athletic events.
Her ties to the school run deep. Two of her immediate family members were Gunn alumni: her father, Harold Anson ’45, and brother, Jim Anson ’70. She also was a descendant of John Gunn, Frederick Gunn’s older brother, who raised him after their parents died and set an example for him as a vocal and active abolitionist in Washington.
When the school honored Anson with the Friend of the Green Award in 2015, it was noted that the titles she held did not begin to tell her story “as a cheerleader, keeper of the legacies, volunteer, town hostess, and supportive friend to myriad town institutions, newcomers, and longstanding citizens alike.”
The citation presented to her read in part: “Sheila Anson has served as a source of support and encouragement in a variety of ways to the people of her community, has enriched the lives of countless individuals, and she has contributed to the overall well-being and betterment of the town of Washington.” That sentiment still rings true today. As a friend and neighbor, and for her many contributions to the town and our community, she will be greatly missed.
