Caroline Snowdon died peacefully on January 22nd at Belmont Manor Nursing Center in Belmont, MA with her daughters at her side.
Caroline was born in Lyndhurst, New Jersey in 1926, the third child of Joan (Jeanne) Leemans Rumbold and Sidney George Rumbold. She attended schools in Lyndhurst and later studied at New Jersey Teacher’s College and Hunter College, NYC. In 1986 Caroline achieved her dream of obtaining her BA at Simmons College, graduating summa cum laude.
In 1950 Caroline married Walter Story Snowdon, a WWII veteran and Foreign Service officer. Caroline and Walter traveled the globe together (1950-1975). Caroline made beautiful homes for her family and beloved dogs in Lebanon, Greece, Syria, Thailand and Washington, DC. Caroline began a career in real estate in Washington and she continued to work as a realtor on Cape Cod when she and Walter retired to Eastham in 1980. Caroline remained on the Cape in Brewster after Walter passed away in 1993 and she continued her independent life until Alzheimer’s Disease demanded she move off the Cape to be near her daughters.
Caroline was an elegant, energetic, curious and creative woman. She loved houses, gardening, cooking, walking her dogs in Wiley Park and Kent’s Point, hosting and attending parties, traveling, classical music and opera, fine art, her children and grandchildren. She enjoyed planning renovations to her own and others’ houses. Caroline had an inquiring mind and prided herself on reading the New York Times daily. She was a fervent writer of letters to friends and to the editor and a supporter of liberal causes. On the Cape she tried her hand at freelance journalism and published many articles on Cape Cod history in the Cape Codder. Caroline relished traveling and exploring wherever she was living. Her daughters remember several near-death experiences with Mom driving in the Middle East.
Caroline was a longtime supporter of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, WGBH and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. On the Cape she supported the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival was a member of the local chapter of the Shakespeare Oxford Society.
Caroline was predeceased by her brothers Sidney and Russell Rumbold. She leaves her niece, Cornelia Rumbold Tierney, London, England; daughters Laura (Alex Parra) , Carlisle, MA; Joan (Phillip Crafts) Leverett, MA; and five grandchildren who have inherited her love of travel, music, dogs, argument and fresh oysters. They are: Ben, Hannah and Will Parra; Tito and Sophie Crafts.
Burial at Lower Road Cemetery in Brewster will be private. A memorial celebration of Caroline’s life will be held on the Cape at a later date. The family is grateful to the staff of Maplewood at Brewster and Belmont Manor Nursing Center for their skilled and compassionate care of Caroline. In lieu of flowers, gifts in Caroline’s memory can be made to the Animal Rescue League – Brewster Shelter.
To offer condolences, please visit https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/orleans-ma/joan-snowdon-9010155 and select “Add a Memory.”
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