SADDLE RIVER, N.J. — Anne Bartlett Perkins Mitchell, born August 11, 1918, died at her residence in Saddle River, N.J. on November 17, 2015.
Anne was born in New Bedford, Mass. to Ralph C. Perkins and Louise Allen Perkins. During her life she lived in Padanaram, Mass, Connecticut, Maryland, Florida and New Jersey. She attended Friends Academy and graduated from Concord Academy where she was May Queen in her senior year. She also attended University of Pennsylvania and secretarial school.
She enjoyed telling her grandchildren and great grandchildren about her sports activities — baseball as shortstop and pitcher; playing field hockey and winning running races. Music, dancing and sailing were also important in her life. She was adept at saying the alphabet backwards — a skill she passed on to her grandchildren and now is being passed on to the great grandchildren. She will be remembered for her love of cats. Even when she didn’t have real ones, she collected an assortment of cat memorabilia.
Anne enjoyed working as an executive secretary in her father’s mill, and also as a manager at the Padanaram Village Bookstore for many years. She took pride in her many volunteer activities as a Candy Striper in the hospital, in the store in the Glass Museum and helping in the New Bedford Whaling Museum. She also loved participating with community theatre and dance groups.
She was married to David H. Mitchell who died in 1977. She is survived by her sons David H. Mitchell III and his wife Ellen, Stephen Perkins Mitchell and his wife Barbara. She has 4 grandchildren Jennifer Mitchell and her husband David Szuchman; Heather Mitchell and her husband Darren Eskow; Sarah Mitchell and her husband Larry James and Adam Mitchell and his wife Kristy Mitchell. She also has 6 great grand children: Charlie, Max, Benny, Miles, Liam and Maddie. Anne is also survived by her sister Elizabeth P. Moseley and her husband Fred; her brothers John A. Perkins and James W. Perkins and his wife Peggy Perkins and numerous nieces and nephews.
A graveside service will be held on Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 10AM at Rural Cemetery, 149 Dartmouth Street, New Bedford, Mass., followed by a memorial service at 11AM at the Congregational Church of South Dartmouth, 17 Middle Street, South Dartmouth, Mass.
In lieu of flowers contributions can be made to Friends Academy, 1088 Tucker Road, North Dartmouth, MA 02747 or the New Bedford Whaling Museum, 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA 02740.