Anne 'Nancy' (Mirkil) Gardner

93, died peacefully of old age Saturday, April 11, 2020 in Cranston, RI with her daughter Megan at her side.  Anne Morris Mirkil was born June 1, 1926 in Philadelphia, PA, sole daughter of I. Hazleton Mirkil, Jr. and Charlotte Morris Mirkil. She was raised in the Philadelphia area and graduated from the Springside School in Chestnut Hill.  She studied at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, and later studied Early Child Learning and Behavior at the Hartford Seminary Foundation and Adult School.  In addition to Philadelphia she resided in Princeton, NJ, the San Francisco Bay area, Chapel Hill, NC, and Oberlin, OH. It was her beloved New England where she lived the longest. She raised her three children primarily in Simsbury, CT, and Amherst, MA, followed by her residing in Townshend, Vermont. As an early childhood educator, she taught for many years at Knight Hall Nursery School in Hartford and Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton, Connecticut and with the Head Start Program in southern Vermont. She also served for several years as the innkeeper at the Windham Hill Inn. Her joys and passions were many, including chamber and choral music, summers on Martha’s Vineyard, trips to Europe, poetry (especially that of her friends Galway Kinnell and W.S. Merwin), the natural world’s simple and elegant beauty, the covered bridges and dilapidated red barns of New England, Democratic and progressive politics, fine dining, repertory theatre, cross-country skiing, the Boston Celtics, and BB King.  It was furry and feathered animals, primarily dogs, that were first among all things in her life.  A dog was always by her side and would be frequently named first when speaking of her children.

Nancy was predeceased by her much loved brother Hazleton “Terry” Mirkil III in 1969. She is survived by her three children--David Hazleton Gardner of Santa Monica, California; Megan Elizabeth Gardner of Cranston, Rhode Island;  Daniel James Gardner and daughter-in-law Ellen Morrow Sayles of Richmond, Virginia; grandchildren Lucy Sayles Gardner, Henry Marshall Gardner, Abigail Presocia Gerrish, Madeleine Elizabeth Gerrish; and Timothy Dale Gerrish, father of Abigail and Madeleine.  She also leaves and loves her many friends and “adopted” children of all ages and places, both of the two- and four-legged variety.  A memorial service celebrating her life will be held at a place and date to be determined. In lieu of flowers please send donations in her memory to the ASPCA ( https://secure.aspca.org/donate ), Greenpeace USA ( https://engage.us.greepeace.org ) or The Natural Wildlife Federation ( https://support.nwf.org ).