Flora Fairchild

Died peacefully in Lexington, MA on Thursday, July 3. She was 85 years old. Born in Cleveland, Ohio to Frank and Mary House (Skipper and Mamie to their families) she moved with her parents and siblings (Frank, Tim and Jim) to Concord, MA where she thrived at Concord Academy. From there, the family moved to New Haven, CT and she went on to Vassar College. After graduating from Vassar in 1945, she was recruited by the CIA and spent two and a half exciting years in the covert section, headquartered in Washington, DC. After a graceful exit from the Agency (for talking in her sleep!), she returned to civilian service and met and married Freddy Fairchild in 1953. They lived in Darien, CT where they had a daughter, Christine. After a divorce in 1966, Flora and Christine moved to Mystic, CT where Flora worked for Mystic Seaport as a development officer for many years, a job she cherished. After retiring from The Seaport, she rediscovered her talent as a painter and threw herself into oil painting classes at the Mystic Art Association and participated in numerous exhibitions at the Anguilla Gallery and Noahs in Stonington, at the Cuttyhunk Historical Society and the Mystic Art Association. She moved to Gloucester, MA in 1998 and continued to feed her creative spirit through her membership in the North Shore Arts Association. Her paintings reflected her abiding love of Cuttyhunk Island and the rolling green fields of her beloved England and Ireland. She is survived by her daughter Christine, two step children and numerous other loving family and friends. A memorial service will take place on Cuttyhunk Island in September. Contributions in her name can be sent to Concord Academy, the Cuttyhunk Historical Society or the Cuttyhunk Union Methodist Church.