Anne C. Adams

Anne C. (Watson) Adams, a long-time Mendon resident, passed away peacefully on March 8, 2025, at the age of 94 in Shrewsbury Nursing and Healthcare. Born on November 29, 1930, in Milford, Anne spent a lifetime enriching the lives of those around her with her passion, intelligence, and love for all creatures great and small. She was the wife of the late Carl R. Adams.
Anne's early years were spent in Milford, until the age of 14, when her parents moved to Mendon. The new, more rural setting, helped nurture her creative spirit and lifelong love for animals. After graduating from high school, she attended the Boston Conservatory of Music as a dual voice and dance major and then later, attended Bates College in Maine as a business major. Anne's intellectual curiosity and pursuit of knowledge were evident in her studies and continued throughout her life.
After college, Anne returned to Mendon, where she met and married her husband, Carl Adams. They became well-known figures in the community, due to their activism and support for children with special needs. For a period of time, she sat on the board of directors for Blue Sky (previously, Alternatives Unlimited), championing community support for increased funding for state programs for children with special needs and helping to organize support groups for parents. She helped found a local support group, called, "Friends of the Handicapped," and led writing campaigns to elected state officials as well as published articles in local newspapers in order to raise awareness and support for people with intellectual disabilities. She also provided respite work for handicapped individuals and at one point, she and Carl provided horseback riding opportunities for people with special needs at their farm.
Anne had a real love of horses and so she, with her husband Carl by her side, created Yankee Tykes Farm, a hobby farm that focused on breeding and showing miniature horses. In addition to her horses, Anne also had a love of gardening. Her entrepreneurial spirit shone through as she cultivated and sold herbs and hosted herbal luncheons at a time when the herbal industry was only just beginning to grow in popularity. She loved sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm for plants and animals and gave her time to anyone who expressed an interest in learning.
Anne was a lifelong member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Milford.
She is survived by her loving family, including her son Everett R. Adams of Mendon; her son Paul Adams and his wife Lee of Sutton; her daughter Lorraine A. Adams and husband Gary Mills of Louisville, KY; and her four grandchildren; Jessica Spencer, Train Jackson, Devan Campbell, and Andrew Campbell.
Funeral services will be held at a later date.
Burial will follow in Swandale Cemetery, Hartford Avenue East, Mendon.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to:
Maple Farm Animal Sanctuary
101 North Avenue
Mendon, MA 01756
https://www.maplefarmsanctuary.org/
maplefarmsanctuarygeneral@gmail.com