Frances S. Anderson

Frances S.SalleeAnderson, 95, a longtime resident of West Hartford died Monday August 16, 2010, after a short illness. She was born in Lowell, MA on March 20, 1915, and was the daughter of the late Jesse Dwight Sallee and Mary Ellen Clapp Sallee. She was the widow of the late Henry C.N. Anderson, a teacher in the West Hartford school system. They married in 1940 in Berlin, CT. She spent her formative years in New Britain and graduated from New Britain High School in 1932. She enjoyed attending high school reunions for over 65 years and was one of the longest surviving members of her class. Except for a brief time in MA, she lived the bulk of her life in CT, moving from East Hampton to West Hartford in 1957. She often shared memories of a year spent as a child in southern New Hampshire where she attended a one-room schoolhouse, and spoke fondly of summers spent with her mother on Long Island, ME when she was a girl. She was an accomplished musician, having studied violin with Jacques Gordon, one time conductor of the Hartford Symphony and former concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony, and she served as the concertmaster of the New Britain Symphony from 1935-1942. For a short time in the 1940's she played in the Wellesley College orchestra. She took great pride in her son Robert's music career as a member of the Minnesota Orchestra and was thrilled to attend his concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York. She was devoted to the teaching of music and for decades she gave violin and piano lessons in her home. Her relationships with her students and their families turned into life-long friendships and she continued to receive many notes, calls and visits from them long after she retired. She was a great believer in equality and education for women and promoted those causes throughout her life. She was a member of the First Church of Christ Congregational in West Hartford and for a time served as treasurer of the Friends of the West Hartford Library. Her passing was peaceful and she was surrounded at her death by her three sons, Henry D. Anderson of Gaithersburg, MD, Robert P. Anderson of Saint Paul, MN and Donald C. Anderson of Sacramento, CA. Besides her children she is survived by her daughters-in-law Gail Wagner, Lucia Pirvu and Anne Ver Steeg, five grandchildren, Peter Anderson of Bartlett, IL, Laura Anderson of Hoboken, NJ, Mara Anderson of Boston, MA, Gabriela Anderson of Saint Paul, MN and Sarah Anderson of Sacramento, CA, and one great granddaughter, Ashley Anderson of Bartlett, IL. The family plans a memorial service at a later date. Donations in her memory may be made to First Church of Christ Congregational, 12 S. Main St., West Hartford, CT 06107, the Hartford Symphony, 99 Pratt St., Suite 500, Hartford, CT 06103 or a charity of your choice

Frances S. Anderson

March 20, 1915 - August 16, 2010