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ROCKPORT, MAINE - Carolyn Ann Burge England, 65, died unexpectedly, March 31, 2014, following a brief illness.
She was born on October 28, 1948 in Martinsville, VA, to Walter Stanley and Alice Christenia Hall Burge, Jr. of Rich Acres, VA. Carolyn earned her B.A. in Home Economics at Concord College, West Virginia, and then a Masters in Elementary Education at the University of Virginia. She was teaching in the Martinsville school system; where she also coached basketball, when she met the love of her life, John Walter England, III. They were married in September, 1979 in Stamford, Connecticut, on board the yacht Whitehawk.
John and Carolyn moved to South Bristol, Maine in 1979, beginning a pattern of following John's shipbuilding work, and Carolyn taught in the South Bristol elementary school system. More boat projects prompted additional moves, first to Kill Devil Hills, NC in 1982 and then to Burgess, VA in 1984. These years may have been when Carolyn honed her exceptional organizational skills, and perfected her fruit pies, especially apple and peach, (North meets South) which were legendary. Never a procrastinator, Carolyn kept an ongoing calendar of important dates, events, coupons, lists and deadlines, which will no doubt be of ongoing help and amusement to John.
In 1985, John and Carolyn's beloved daughter Suzanne Brooke England was born, in Kilmamock, Virginia. The family moved back to Maine in 1987. At that time, John made a solemn promise to his southern-born wife, that for every snow after April 1st, she could send in an additional seed or bulb order to her favorite plant nursery. Carolyn's friends can attest to the readiness of those mail orders, at the first snowflake, and the beauty of her flowerbeds. Once Suzanne started school, Carolyn resumed her teaching, working from 1991 onward in Rockland's SAD 5 as a substitute teacher and, more recently, in RSU 13 as an Ed. Tech. Her fellow teachers and many students will greatly miss 'Mrs. England's' patience and devotion to teaching math and reading.
As in any good marriage of 34 years, new pursuits become shared pastimes. Carolyn attended many launchings and was honored to christen the W-46 Zebra, in 2000. For the past three years she accompanied Rockport Marine's contingent to the Antigua Classic Races, where her kitchen skills and southern grace helped immeasurably with provisioning, feeding the crew, and as hostess for company PR events. Under the circumstances, it was only fitting that she also gained an appreciation for rum punch. Other favorite leisure activities included camping trips with John to Moosehead Lake and annual mother/daughter weekends in Washington, DC.
Carolyn is survived by her husband John of Rockport; daughter Suzanne of Washington, DC; her brother Jerry Burge and his wife Debra of Bassett, VA; her paternal aunt Gladys Blankenship of Martinsville, VA; her father-in-law John Walter England, Jr. and his wife Claudine of Burgess, VA; her brothers-in-law William England and wife Sue of Baltimore, MD, and Thomas England and wife Rebecca of Dublin, VA, as well as many nieces and a nephew, all well-loved.
In lieu of flowers and in memory of Carolyn's favorite Siamese cats, Susie and English, donations may be made to the Rockland Animal Hospital, 355 Old County Rd., Rockland, ME 04841.
A celebration of the life of Carolyn England will be held from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., Saturday, April 5th at Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, 110 Limerock Street, Rockland.
To share a memory or story with Carolyn's family, please visit her Book of Memories at www.bchfh.com.