Carolyn H. Samonds

1941 - 2020

Carolyn Hunter (Pierce) Samonds, of Amherst, MA died Friday, March 6th at Cooley Dickenson Hospital in Northampton, MA. Carolyn died peacefully surrounded by her family.

Carolyn was born September 19th, 1941, in Hanover, NH, the daughter of Margaret (Mapes) and David Reuben Pierce. She graduated from Hanover High School (1959) and the University of New Hampshire (1963) with a major in biology. After graduating, she taught science classes in West Hartford, CT, then moved back to Hanover to work as an electron microscopy technician in Pathology with Professor George Margolis at Dartmouth Medical School. In 1968 she moved to Boston to work at Harvard's School of Public Health, first in electron microscopy, then as supervisor of the primate nursery where she met her future husband Kenneth Samonds, a post-doctoral fellow. While working at Harvard, she studied Art History at Boston University towards a Master's degree. From 1973 to 1977, she was the Head of the Mission Commission of Trinity Church, Copley Square, Boston. In 1977, the young family moved to Amherst.

Carolyn had an avid interest in textiles, particularly lace. She was a lecturer on lace identification and lace making, and she amassed an impressive collection of lace and served as an appraiser of items or collections. In 1987, she served as Guest Curator of the exhibit "Textile Treasures: Lace & Embroidery" at the George Walter Vincent Museum in Springfield. She was a member of the New England Lace Group and a consultant for Lord and Taylor. For many years she was a costumer for the Valley Light Opera and she was Head of Costumes for the musical "George M" at Exit 7 Theater in Ludlow in 2009.

She was a member of both the Northampton and Amherst Historical Societies and the Amherst Women's Club. At Grace Church, Amherst, she served on the vestry and was the chairperson of the St. Nicholas Bazaar for six years. The church's repository for donated items which were distributed to needy refugees, homeless shelters, or home-fire victims was nicknamed "Carolyn's Closet" in her honor. In later years, she worked as a librarian in the Jones Library's Children's Room, the North Amherst Library, and the Munson Library.

In 1993, Carolyn was diagnosed with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, a genetic form of emphysema. She attended several national conventions of the Alpha-1 Association and local education sessions, occasionally as a speaker.

She was the mother of two children; Karen (Samonds) Irwin, a paleontologist and teacher of anatomy at Northern Illinois University; and David Mark Samonds, a federal attorney in Washington DC.

In addition to her parents, Carolyn was preceded in death by her brother, Dexter Pierce, her half-sister Dorothy and her half-brother, David Jr. She is survived by her husband of 49 years, Kenneth Samonds, sister-in-law Judy Pierce, daughter Karen and son-in-law Mitchell Irwin of Sycamore, IL, son David and daughter-in-law Megan Samonds of Fredericksburg, VA. She is also survived by five grandchildren, and several nieces and cousins.

A memorial service at Grace Church is planned for mid-April. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Carolyn's name to the Alpha-1 Foundation, www.alpha1.org

Memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com