Obituary for Ann Colgan Benson
Mount Desert
Ann Colgan Benson was born on November 16, 1938, and passed away March 1st, 2024, at home in Somesville. She was a 1956 Honor Graduate at Ridgewood New Jersey High School where she met Fred whom she married in 1959. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College and for the next 20 years lived the life of a military spouse moving to several posts where she taught elementary school classes and provided research, editing, and public relations documents for nonprofit organizations. After receiving her Master's Degree in Library Science from Catholic University, she served 12 years as the Deputy Director of the National Geographic Research Library.
After arriving on MDI in 2003, she became active in the Mount Desert Historical Society. Her archivist skills soon became integral to the organization’s collections as she recruited other volunteers and oversaw a thorough evaluation and catalogue of the Society’s holdings. In honor of Ann and her many contributions, MDI Historical Society established the annual Ann Benson Award for Volunteer Service in 2016. She was the first recipient.
Ann loved Met Live opera, the Bangor Symphony, books, gardening, and her grand dog, a black lab named Echo, and her many friends.
She is survived by her husband Fred, her son Rob and his wife, Cristy, grandsons Peter and Jacob, and her sister Cynthia McGrath.
The most common attributes heard from those who knew her were her literary acumen, her gentle soul, and her winning smile.
A memorial service will be held in early summer.
Those who desire may make contributions in Ann’s memory to the Island Housing Trust, P.O. Box 851, Mt. Desert, Me 04660.
Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com
Ann Colgan Benson was born on November 16, 1938, and passed away March 1st, 2024, at home in Somesville. She was a 1956 Honor Graduate at Ridgewood New Jersey High School where she met Fred whom she married in 1959. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College and for the next 20 years lived the life of a military spouse moving to several posts where she taught elementary school classes and provided research, editing, and public relations documents for nonprofit organizations. After receiving her Master's Degree in Library Science from Catholic University, she served 12 years as the Deputy Director of the National Geographic Research Library.
After arriving on MDI in 2003, she became active in the Mount Desert Historical Society. Her archivist skills soon became integral to the organization’s collections as she recruited other volunteers and oversaw a thorough evaluation and catalogue of the Society’s holdings. In honor of Ann and her many contributions, MDI Historical Society established the annual Ann Benson Award for Volunteer Service in 2016. She was the first recipient.
Ann loved Met Live opera, the Bangor Symphony, books, gardening, and her grand dog, a black lab named Echo, and her many friends.
She is survived by her husband Fred, her son Rob and his wife, Cristy, grandsons Peter and Jacob, and her sister Cynthia McGrath.
The most common attributes heard from those who knew her were her literary acumen, her gentle soul, and her winning smile.
A memorial service will be held in early summer.
Those who desire may make contributions in Ann’s memory to the Island Housing Trust, P.O. Box 851, Mt. Desert, Me 04660.
Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com