PHOEBE DARE ANDERSON MCCARTHY

LINCOLN, MA - Phoebe Dare Anderson McCarthy of Lincoln, Massachusetts, died unexpectedly on December 13, 2017 in Boston. She was born May 24, 1947 in Troy to Sven Axel and Phoebe Dare Anderson. Her father was a professor of economics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and her mother taught at Emma Willard School before becoming director of the Lansingburgh Resource Center. A graduate of Lansingburgh High School, she was editor of the school newspaper “The Beacon,” studied music theory, and played clarinet and cello, earning a chair as a clarinetist in the New York State Youth Orchestra. She received her A.B. in Music magna cum laude from Vassar College and an A.M. from Harvard University, focusing on the Baroque composer Placidus von Camerloher. She pursued a career in the Massachusetts public schools, as a system-wide teacher of music in Concord and Melrose, where she later taught fourthgrade. She lived in Boston and Lexington before moving to Lincoln. On August 2, 1986, she married Stephen J. McCarthy at Church of Our Redeemer, Lexington. Her son, Stephen, was born on their first anniversary. Her enthusiasm for arts education included coordinating summer programming for schoolchildren at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, serving on the Educators Advisory Council of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and selecting arts enrichment programs for Young Audiences of Massachusetts, of which she was a trustee. An avid horticulturalist, she volunteered for the Arnold Arboretum and served on the board of the New England Wildflower Society. She was a past president of the Lincoln and Junior League Garden Clubs and a keen flower arranger. She took delight in the natural beauty of the Hudson Valley, to which she frequently returned. In the summers, she enjoyed spending time on the water with family and friends in Friendship, Maine. She was often seen knitting and her original creations were greatly admired. Her thoughtfulness, creative spirit and kindness touched many lives. She is survived by her husband, Stephen J. McCarthy, Sr., and her son, the Rev. Stephen J. McCarthy, Jr., both of Lincoln, and her mother, Phoebe D. Anderson of Melrose, N.Y. A funeral service will be held at 11 o’clock on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6 th , at St. Anne’s in-the- Fields Episcopal Church, Lincoln. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall or the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.