Heather Lee Colson

With great sadness, we announce the passing of Heather Lee Colson of Nelson, NH following a courageous battle with cancer. She was born to the late Edward Colson and late Dorothy (Foss) Colson on May 5th, 1960 in Groton, MA. She grew up in the small farming community of Hollis, NH and summered on Lake Winnipesauke. In these settings, she found her passion for art, animals, nature, music and sports early in life. After graduation from Hollis Area High School, she obtained a bachelor’s degree in physical education at Keene State College. Immediately after completing her degree, she flew to Portland, OR to begin an adventurous 6-week bicycle ride across the US to Portland, ME making sure to touch both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans on that trip. This trip was without the benefit of google maps, a cell phone or a credit card! Her adventurous spirit took her to other destinations during her lifetime including Belize, Tibet, Galapagos, Canadian Rockies and Colorado. She loved exploring.
She worked in many career fields including gardening, massage therapy, electrical services, trail building, artwork and also focused on making life-sized sculptures. The level of detail in her artwork and sculptures is hard to beat. It shows her deep understanding of human movement, muscle structure and emotion. To relax, she would often build stone walls. Her stone work appears at each of the places she lived including homes in NH (Swanzey, Richmond and Nelson) and at her farm in Amherst, MA. Little art pieces are found throughout her property and delight the casual observer. She also enjoyed singing and playing her guitar.
As an athlete, she excelled not only at cycling but also tennis, skiing, hiking, swimming, windsurfing, snowshoeing, paddling and roller blading. She was most happy when she was surrounded by nature while pursuing sports. She thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and thrill of hiking all the 4,000 footers in NH, the tranquility of swimming in her favorite Nubanusit Lake among the water lilies and snorkeling in Belize. In her final days, her goal was to still enjoy Nordic skiing and biking.
She was amazingly gifted with animals of all kinds. She provided them with remarkable care when they were injured or sick. It was not unusual to find an injured or baby duck in her bathtub, or a bunny in the mudroom. Any animal finding its way to her house was a lucky animal indeed.
Accomplished as a gardener, she enjoyed her large gardens. Recently, she assisted the Monadnock Garden Club in their efforts to plant 100 native species of plants on Mount Monadnock to enhance biodiversity and wildlife habitat.
She is predeceased by her parents, Edward and Dorothy Colson of Hollis, NH and her sister, Robin Colson of Newfane, VT. She is survived by her sister, Kim Colson (spouse Bev Vucson) of Sebago, ME, her dear friends Karen Sielke of Swanzey, NH, Jan Eidelson of Amherst, MA, and Shirley Cargill of Keene NH, her pony, Merlyn, and many other wonderful friends who enchanted her life.
An outdoor memorial gathering will take place this spring in Nelson, NH. Details will follow. In lieu of flowers please send contributions to the Harris Center for Conservation Education, Hancock, NH (https://harriscenter.org).