Eileen Sherwin, of Rye, NY, and Fayston, VT, passed away on June 13, 2011, at the age of 89, after a brief illness.
She attended Manhattanville College (NY) until the U.S. entered WWII, when she enrolled to study for a RN at St. Vincent's Hospital, NY. Upon graduation, she joined the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps, serving in the Navy until the spring of 1946 with the rank of lieutenant JG. She went on to receive a BS in nursing from Columbia University Teacher's College (NY), later returning to Columbia for an MS in public health nursing.
In 1948, on a Columbia University Ski Club trip to Mont Tremblant, Canada, she met her future husband, John J. Sherwin. They married in 1950 and were regulars at the recently opened Mad River Glen. At first they lodged at Chester and Hattie Dana’s house near the covered bridge in downtown Waitsfield. They loved The Valley as their home away from home and soon began building a residence on Bragg Hill Road.
Eileen was very fond of The Valley in all seasons. She loved skiing at Mad River Glen with her family and friends (her first skis were her brother’s old 10th Mountain Division skis), hiking, horseback riding, swimming, polo matches, community dinners and attending as many cultural events as possible. She was also a member of the Amateur Ski Club and a longtime parishioner of Our Lady of the Snows in Waitsfield and St. Patrick’s in Moretown. For over 60 years The Valley and all its attributes brought Eileen great joy and happiness.
She is survived by her husband John and three sons, George and Robert of Cos Cob, CT, and Peter of Bath, England; her brother John A. Dyer, of Larchmont, NY; and seven grandchildren. Her fourth son, John E. Sherwin, predeceased her.
A memorial service will be held at Church of the Resurrection, Rye, NY, on Friday, July 29, at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the The Nature Conservancy, 4245 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203-1600.
