Adele Moore Anderson, a long-time volunteer at the Wellfleet Council on Aging, died peacefully, Thursday December 10th, on her 102nd birthday.
A beloved member of the Seashore Point community in Provincetown, Adele was born December 10, 1913 in Boston, MA to Louise and Harold Russell Moore. The Moore family homestead was in Riverton, CT although Adele’s family lived in Newton Highland, MA. Adele went through the Newton school system and later graduated from Elsie K. Chamberlain School of Retail in Boston. She worked in sales at many stores in Boston, including FAO Swartz and RH White.
While living in Needham, Adele and her husband Rufus P. Anderson summered in their Wellfleet home on Gull Pond beginning in 1950. After Rufus died in 1975, Adele moved there permanently. Her volunteering began in the AIM thrift Shop, the Association for the Improvement of Medical Care on the Outer Cape, where she volunteered for 10 years. She then took her energy to the Wellfleet Senior Center/Council on Aging as the receptionist at the front desk, a position she loved. She continued as a vibrant member of that organization until 2007. Adele greeted everyone who walked through the doors with color, humor, and class. Jacqui Wildes, director of the Council on Aging at the time, said Adele brought “incredible style” to the center. Adele set an example for older people. “She always looked great, and even if she had little aches and pains, you didn’t know about it from her.” Her efforts did not go unnoticed. In recognition of her service, the town made her the Grand Marshall of the Fourth of July parade in 2004. In 2007 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, House of Representatives, recognized her for 22 years of service to the seniors of Wellfleet. Her official citation was signed by Speaker of the House, Salvadore DiMasi, and presented at a formal ceremony in the senior center and on September 18, 2007.
At the age of 101, Adele was honored with the Boston Post Cane as the oldest registered voter in Provincetown, MA. April 29, 2014 was designated Adele Moore Anderson Day. Her advice for a long life was, “having a good time.” “I’m very sassy,” she said with a mischievous grin. At least, “that’s what they tell me here.” Adele was presented with a commemorative compass pin inscribed, “Leading the way.”
Adele was predeceased by her husband, Rufus P. Anderson, and a son, Harry Benjamin Burley III, from her first marriage. She leaves behind her daughter Susan M. Anderson of Centennial, Colorado and another son, R. Preston and daughter-in-law, Diane Anderson of Meredith, NH, and her daughter-in-law Eunice Burley of Chatham, MA, as well as many grandchildren and great grandchildren.
A celebration of Adele's life will be held in the spring.