SOUTHINGTON, Conn. – On June 14, 2020, Anne Poland passed away peacefully at her home in Southington, Conn. where she spent the last year of her life in the care of her son John and his wife Debbie. She was made comfortable in her final days by the nursing staff of Hartford Healthcare Independence at Home and Hartford Healthcare Hospice Care, which the family extends its sincere gratitude.

Anne was born during the Great Depression and was a teenager during the war years, growing up in Winthrop, Maine. She enjoyed her career as a professional educator. She started teaching in Shrewsbury, Mass., followed by Rockland, Jackman, North Anson, Anson and Solon, Maine. She spent most of her retirement living in Fayette, Maine.

In 1955, she and her husband Allan and young son Michael moved to the Dominican Republic to teach school at the American Sugar Company.  She was the principal of the Solon Elementary School when it burned in the early 80’s and was an important part of the team that rebuilt it. When it was dedicated, she was proud that United States Senator George Mitchell was in attendance.

Her hobbies were many and included hand crafts. She was a very capable seamstress and won a ribbon in 1988 at The Common Ground Fair for her needlepoint. She was an avid fan of all types of motorsports, attending the Canadian Grand Prix twice. She was very proud when her grandson Scott won a championship in 2006 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in a car his father Mat had built for him.

Anne could easily be described as an animal lover. She had many dogs and cats, including more than a few strays. She was involved in the Guiding Eyes for the Blind and helped train two guide dogs. Anne was deeply involved in her sons’ family’s lives and enjoyed having her grandsons spend time with their grandparents at The Farm on Fayette Ridge.

Anne Frances Elliott was born on Sept. 12, 1930, in her words, “on a dining room table” in Winthrop. She was the daughter of John, a chef and veteran of service with the Merchant Marines in World War II, and Bertha, a beloved lifelong kindergarten teacher in Winthrop. She graduated from Cony High School in 1948 and the Farmington State Teachers College, now University of Maine at Farmington, in 1952 with a Bachelor of Science in Education. She was a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma sorority for teachers.

She was predeceased by her parents; and her husband, Allan Poland. She is survived by her sons, Michael, John and Matthew; her grandchildren, Aaron, John, Christopher, Shaun and Scott; and three great-granddaughters. Anne was an exceptional mother, grandparent, teacher and friend; a free spirit who will be greatly missed by all.

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