Rachel Mae Little

ARLINGTON, Vt. Mrs. Rachel Mae (Ackley) Little, 93, a former resident of Dutch Lane, passed away peacefully Thursday morning, July 10, 2008, at the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington following a brief illness. She was born in Cambridge, N.Y., on April 9,1915, the daughter of the late Charles and Mamie (McCabe) Ackley. She received her education in Cambridge Schools. Rachel was married to Ray N. Little on Oct. 7, 1939, at the Embery United Methodist Church in Cambridge. They moved to Arlington in 1950, where they resided until Mr. Little's death on Dec. 7, 2004, when she went to Pennsylvania to stay with her daughter, Gail. She most recently had resided at Crescent Manor Nursing Home in Bennington. Rachel attended nurses training school and worked as a nurse at the former Putnam Memorial Hospital in Bennington and Mary McClellan Hospital in Cambridge until 1963, when illness prevented her from working. However, through her illness, she always stayed active. She was a charter member of the American Legion Post No. 69 in Arlington, Past Matron of the Order of the Eastern Star, Cambridge Valley Chapter No. 147 and a member of the Federated Church of East Arlington. In her early years, she enjoyed crafts, playing the organ and family camping trips with her family. She also cared for her flowerbeds and liked doing crossword puzzles and reading. Rachel and her husband also loved playing cards with their friends and neighbors. Rachel is survived by a son, Brian Little and his wife, Nyoka, of Arlington; a daughter, Gail Danusiar and her husband, Bill, of Quakertown, Pa.; a brother, Francis Ackley of Cambridge, N.Y.; five grandchildren: Kevin Little of Shaftsbury, Sarah Arel of Colchester, Christopher Danusiar of Wheaton, Ill., Karen Gibson of Doylestown, Pa., Kelly Hornick of Hatboro, Pa.; and 16 great-grandchildren. In addition to her husband and parents, she was predeceased by a brother, Charles Ackley of Cambridge. Funeral services will be held at The Federated Church of East Arlington on Wednesday, July 16, at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Kathleen Clark, pastor, officiating. Burial will follow in the Little family lot in Evergreen Cemetery. There will be a memorial reception in the church's Bailey Hall following the committal services. There are no calling hours. Should friends desire, memorial gifts in memory of Mrs. Little may be made to either the Lupus Foundation of America or Federated Church of East Arlington in care of the Hanson-Walbridge Funeral Home, P.O. Box 528, Arlington, VT 05250. To send personal e-mail condolences to the family of Rachel M. Little, please visit www.sheafuneralhomes.com. Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of the Arlington Chapel of the Hanson-Walbridge Funeral Home, Route 7A, Arlington, Vt.