SALISBURY — Caroline Lee Pope, 91, died peacefully on March 3, 2007, in Friday Harbor, Wash.
She was formerly a resident of Salisbury, where she was a longtime peace activist, gardener, community volunteer and affordable housing advocate.
She had moved to Friday Harbor in 2005 to be close to her family, living for most of that time in an adult family home where she enjoyed excellent and loving care.
Mrs. Pope was born in England in 1916, began her education there and in France, then moved to Greenwich, Conn., with her family.
Summers were spent sailing with her brothers and sister from a home their parents built in Harwichport, Mass. She attended Cranbrook Institute of Art in Detroit, Mich., where she enjoyed the friendship of some of the icons of modern architectural and furniture design.
During World War II, she drove and delivered trucks in the Detroit area for the Army. In 1943 she married Gus Pope, an archaeologist, and the couple lived in several states before settling in Connecticut in 1956 with their two sons.
Mrs. Pope enjoyed sailing, skiing, rock gardening, vegetable gardening, creating needlepoint rugs and tapestries, and travel, including trips throughout England, France, Spain and Norway with several siblings and her husband, as well as three trips to China.
With Mr. Pope and family members, she skied at Alta, Utah, until well into her 70s, and then she took up snowshoeing.
Many benefited from the bounty of her vegetable garden, and she was renowned for her expert cooking, often producing wonderful meals on the spur of the moment, accompanied by lively conversation that often led to political or other action for the common good.
Mrs. Pope contributed countless volunteer hours to the town in which she lived for almost 50 years.
She served on or helped to found many community organizations, including the Salisbury Association, the Village Improvement Society, the Market Place of Salisbury, the Peace Vigil, the Scoville Library Board, Family Resources, OWL (providing meals) and others. She planted trees, bulbs and flowers about town for the enjoyment of all, and worked hard to preserve the character and diversity of the town of Salisbury.
Together, Mr. and Mrs. Pope made a number of generous gifts for the benefit of the town. Through their efforts, a large portion of Barack Mattif has been preserved and is now owned by The Nature Conservancy. They gave the Salisbury Winter Sports Association free use of the Bittersweet ski hill, and they donated the land for the Salisbury Visiting Nurse Association and the Housatonic Child Care facilities, and a sports field, all on Salmon Kill Road.
Predeceased by her husband and her son, Sam Pope, three brothers and a sister, she will be greatly missed by her loving family: her son, Chris Pope and his wife, Betsy, of Friday Harbor; her daughter-in-law, Anne Pope of Friday Harbor and Portland, Ore.; her grandchildren, Mary Wells Pope and her husband, Bryce Gartrell, Ben Pope, Sarah Pope and her husband, Adam Greene, all of Portland; her grandson, Saxton Pope of New York City; her great-grandsons Sam and Asa Gartrell; a brother and sister-in-law, Jolly and Noelle Lee, and their family in France; and a number of nieces, nephews and their families, as well as many friends, who also remember her with great affection.
A celebration of her life will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 10, at The White Hart Inn in Salisbury.
