Mary Elizabeth Allen Cadwell died peacefully on the Burditt Farm in Pittsford, Vermont, the evening of May 10, 2018. Born in Proctor, Vermont, to Sinclair and Katharine Allen on October 28, 1922, Mary was the fourth of six children. She attended Proctor High School and later Colby Junior College, Pratt Institute and Cornell University where she received her bachelor’s in architecture in 1947. Mary married John Burditt Cadwell in 1947 and moved to the Burditt Farm where they raised six sons: Ashley, Steven, Michael, Jared, Alden and Jason. Deeply attuned to raising a family, Mary also found time to design buildings such as the Rutland Information Center. A private person, Mary was nevertheless devoted to the local community. She was a lifeguard at Pittsford Recreation Center and taught swimming at Vermont Achievement Center. She was active in the Pittsford Congregational Church, the Pittsford School Board, the Pittsford Library, and the Rutland Arts Council. In later life, Mary enjoyed her many travels with John, visits with generations of her family and attendant dogs, reading and rereading selections from the town library, attending to her garden, and observing the landscape and wildlife of Vermont with which she had a profound and sustaining affinity.
Mary is survived by her sister, Joan Allen Kastner; her sons and their spouses, Louise, Joseph, Jane, Katherine, and Deb; her grandchildren, J. Alden, Christopher, Celia, Gus, Parker, Isaac, Katharine and Eliza; their spouses, Caroline and Leila; and her great-grandchildren, Asher and Delilah.
The Cadwell family is grateful for the kind attentions of Melody Robinson, Julie Lonergan, Kim Moyer, Rob Kallen and Dr. Carrie Wulfman. All helped Mary die with the grace in which she lived. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on July 21, 2018, at Pittsford Congregational Church. Donations can be made in Mary’s name to the Cadwell Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation, which continues John and Mary’s legacy of support of Pittsford and the surrounding community.
