ANNE L. SEAMANS

1926 - 2015

SEAMANS, Anne L. (Putnam) Died suddenly January 1, at Brooksby Village in Peabody two weeks before her 89th birthday. She was the wife of the late Peter B. Seamans to whom she had been married for 58 years. Born Jan. 13, 1926 in Boston and raised there, she attended the Shady Hill School in Cambridge and graduated from Milton Academy in 1943. Mrs. Seamans then received a two-year bachelor of philosophy degree from the University of Chicago in 1945, before marrying her husband Peter in March 1946. She ultimately earned a bachelor's degree in Comparative Religion from Boston University in 1968. Mrs. Seamans' adult life had its start in Marblehead where she met her future husband sailboat racing when she was 15, she as the skipper and he as the crew member. Five years later they married and settled in Marblehead, where they lived for 60 years and raised their five children. Sailing remained an important part of her life. Mrs. Seamans' interests were many and varied, but her strongest passion was the fiber arts, including knitting, spinning, weaving, needlepoint, and crocheting. Whenever Mrs. Seamans had a free minute, she was working with her hands and her efforts often benefited philanthropic causes. She knitted small teddy bears for the Salem Police Department to be given to children who were the victims of domestic violence cases. She also knitted matching mittens and hats for the Plummer Home for Boys in Salem. Additionally, Mrs. Seamans volunteered for an organization called Unfinished Business by completing knitting and other projects for people who had died before they could complete the projects themselves. She also was a former officer of the Weavers' Guild of Boston. In addition to sailing and the fiber arts, she was an avid gardener, reader and excellent cook, and as a younger woman, provided cooking classes in her home for friends and acquaintances. Mrs. Seamans and her husband loved to travel, which they did together until the time of her husband's death 11 years ago. A lover of crossword puzzles, she did two a day, one from The Boston Globe and the other from The New York Times. Mrs. Seamans supported many causes, particularly those involving the arts or women's rights. She was a strong supporter of HAWC, Planned Parenthood, RAW Art in Lynn, the Peabody Essex Museum, the Huntington Theater, and the Wenham Museum. She leaves five children, Peter of Beverly; Polly Crowninshield of Marblehead; Rebekah Clark of Portland, Oregon; Rachel Schroeder of Salem; and Campbell of Salem; two brothers, Augustus Putnam of Pine Plains, NY; Oliver Putnam of Flint Hill, VA; a sister, Toni Putnam of Court Land Manor, NY; 11 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Mrs. Seamans Funeral Services will be held at the Grace Church, 385 Essex St., Salem on Tuesday January 6, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. As requested there are no visiting hours. Burial will be held privately. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to RAW Art, 37 Central Sq., Lynn, 01901 or HAWC, 27 Congress St., Salem, 01970. Arrangements are under the direction of Murphy Funeral Home, 85 Federal St., Salem. For additional information or online guest book please call 978-744-0497 or visit www.MurphyFuneralHome.com