Anne Long Wheeler Rowthorn

Anne Long Wheeler Rowthorn of Salem, CT sadly left us on July 28, 2023, at age 84. She was predeceased by her mother, Elisabeth Shrigley Bundy, her father, Howard Wheeler, and her brother, John Wheeler. She is survived by her husband, the Rt. Rev. Jeffery W. Rowthorn; her brother, Arthur Jackson Wheeler; her sister-in-law Catherine Wheeler; her children, Virginia Rowthorn (Michael Apel), Christian Rowthorn (Hiroe Rowthorn), and Perry Rowthorn (Hayley Zinn Rowthorn); and her beloved grandchildren, Anna, Jackson, Nathaniel, Beckett, Jules, Kieran, and Hannah.

Anne was born on May 19, 1939, in Boston, MA and grew up in Marblehead, MA. She developed her long-lasting love of the natural world and honed her skills as a swimmer, skier, and horseback rider at St. Mary’s in the Mountains (now White Mountain School) in New Hampshire. She graduated with a degree in teaching from Wheelock College in Boston. Her time as a teacher at the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota was a turning point in her life and launched her lifelong appreciation of Lakota spirituality. She remained close friends with many of her students and was honored by having a traditional quilt wrapped around her by members of the Niobrara Convocation in 2018. Anne received her MA from Columbia University and her PhD in Recreational Therapy from NYU.

Anne married the love of her life, Jeffery, in 1963 in Salem, Massachusetts having met him when they were both counselors at a summer camp in San Francisco. Anne and Jeffery lived in England, New York City, Hamden CT, Paris, and Salem CT. They had adventures in all these places and made hundreds of friends over the years. Everyone will remember Anne’s warmth of spirit, sense of adventure, enthusiasm for everyone and everything, unflagging energy, and infectious smile. She hiked the trails of Salem and swam in her “Secret Pond” into the last weeks of her life.

Anne’s love of the outdoors, her deep Christian faith, and admiration of indigenous spiritual practices were linked in her vocation as a writer specializing in ecology and eco-spirituality. During her travels and research, she collected ecological literature from the great cultures and religions of the world that she compiled in her books God’s Good Earth (co-written with Jeffery); Earth and All the Stars; Song of the Universe; Feast of the Universe. She also authored The Wisdom of John Muir: 100+ Selections from the letters, Journals, and Essays of the Great Naturalist (Wilderness Press). Her book, Your Daily Life Is Your Temple was designated a best spirituality book of the year in 2006 by Spirituality & Practice. Her latest book written with Jeffery, Liturgies of Lament, will be published posthumously.

Charitable contributions in her honor can be made to the Sierra Club Foundation.

A funeral in her honor will be held at St. Ann’s Episcopal Church in Old Lyme, CT, on August 9th at 11 am.