Harriet Hall (Rodes) Meigs Carter, age 87, of Mystic, CT, Worcester and Princeton MA, died peacefully and comfortably, surrounded by her children on Monday, November 21st after a brief illness at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London. She was just shy of her 88th birthday. Her beloved husband, William Hoyt Carter, predeceased her in 1999.
Harriet was born on December 4, 1928, in St Louis MO, the daughter of Boyle O. Rodes and Harriet Hall (Moore) Rodes Bakewell. Her father was the first mayor of Ladue, MO and her mother a renowned landscape architect. Harriet grew up in Ladue and St Louis MO, summering in Woods Hole, MA where she enjoyed all the summer activities sailing at Quissett Yacht Club. She was an avid reader. She also loved attending Camp Ketchuwa on Lake Michigan first as a camper, then as a counselor where she led a writing club for campers.
She attended Mary Institute Country Day School and John Burroughs School in St. Louis MO. She excelled as an athlete, participating in field hockey and basketball. She was involved in theater and played the violin in two orchestras. Harriet went on to Bryn Mawr in PA where she also played field hockey. She received her Bachelors of Arts Degree from Clark University in 1970 and her Masters Degree in Education in 1973 from Worcester State College in Worcester, MA.
Harriet was a middle school English teacher in the Worcester Public School system for 37 years, retiring in 2004. For well over 20 years, she worked with her students to have their compositions entered into local and regional writing contests. Many of her students won these awards each year. She was also known to have her own children read an hour every day in the summer and write compositions once a week. She taught them the love of reading wherever they were, whether it was outside in a favorite spot or out on a boat. She loved spending time with her children from skiing in the winter, walking in the woods to be with nature, swimming in the ocean to a rousing game of Ping-Pong in the basement. In addition, while her children were young, she led a Girl Scout troop for thirteen years.
After teaching many years in middle school, Harriet was a part time English professor at Quinsigamond Community College. Harriet also worked as a book reviewer for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette for over seven years, and one summer she taught ESL on Crete Island in Greece, a wonderful way to combine her love of reading, teaching and travel.
As an adult, she summered in Woods Hole and Quissett, MA, Ferrisburg, VT right on Lake Champlain and the Von Trapp Lodge in Stowe VT with her husband, Bill and children. Harriet was an avid traveler, visiting over 25 countries as well as researching and reading about the countries visited. She was a Master Gardener with her husband Bill, on their Fourteen-acre, passive solar home in Princeton, MA, featuring a large man made pond with stream, forestry area, vegetable gardens, perennial gardens with their landscape designs, bird houses and beautiful potted plants.
She is survived by her children, Joe V. Meigs and his wife Susan of Denver, CO, Rebecca W. Meigs of Cranston, RI, Stephen R. Meigs and his wife Leigh of Durango, CO, Sarah P. Meigs (and Cooper) of Medway & Falmouth, MA, and Thomas M. Meigs & Julia DeSimone of Portland, CT, 5 grandchildren (Madeleine Meigs, Alexander Meigs-Rives, Jack Meigs, Sarah Meigs and Matthew Meigs), many nieces and nephews as well as many cousins. She is also survived by her siblings Margaret White and her husband Peter White of VA, and Thomas M. Rodes of Cambridge, MA. In addition to her husband and parents, she is predeceased by her brother Boyle O. Rodes.
A celebration of her life will be held on Friday, December 2nd at 2pm at StoneRidge, 186 Jerry Browne Road, Mystic, CT. Burial in the family plot in Greenfield, MA will be private for the family.
Donations in her memory can be made to: The William H Carter Jr. prize in English at Clark University, 950 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01610.
To share a message of condolence or remembrance with her family, please click the link below.