Charlotte Anne Hodgkinson Sterling
1932-2014

The daughter of Harold Daniel Hodgkinson of Wallingford, Connecticut and Laura White Cabot Hodgkinson of Windsor and Woodstock, Vermont, Charlotte Anne was born in Marblehead , Massachusetts where they made their home. She attended Tower School in Marblehead, Winsor School in Boston and Smith College.
She was a 1949 Boston Debutante whose coming out party is still remembered as one of the great events of the era. She was married, briefly, to S. Stoddard Knowles, Gilbert A Gordon, Dr. Bertram B. Selverstone, the father of her daughter, and later to Jan. K. Sterling, a Boston architect to whom she was married for almost 20 years until his death in 1987.
Charlotte's father worked his way up from stock boy to General Manager of Filene's in Boston. Along the way he met and married her Vermont bred mother who also worked at the store. They were married at Saint James Episcopal Church in Woodstock in 1929 and Charlotte was born three years later.
When she was eleven years old her father asked her if she wanted a horse or a sailboat. Charlotte asked for a horse but was given a sailboat, a Brutal Beast christened Wamsutta, which she happily sailed growing up in Marblehead. However, she finally got her horse, her beloved Noonie, the Morgan mare Trija Ms Pepperstar, when she was in her 50's. She contributed the blood of this lovely mare to the founding of High Brook Morgan Horses in a joint venture with her daughter.
As a young woman she worked for CARE and sat on the board of Trinity Neighborhood House (East Boston Social Centers) and Trinity House Camp in Atkinson, New Hampshire with her dear friend Mary Caroline Orr. She believed in supporting community services and donated her time to the local food shelf, Glad Rags and others. During her long illness she continued to attend the Hand In Hand community suppers in Woodstock often saying that one of her great regrets was not being able to continue to volunteer there.
She truly enjoyed a career as a tax specialist for many years in Massachusetts later settling here in Woodstock and Reading, on a farm that has been in her family for over 170 years. She chose to settle here to be part of her daughter's life and business, The Vermont Horse Country Store, formerly High Brook Horse & Harness in South Woodstock.
In Marblehead, Charlotte and Jan were known for their wonderful New Year's Eve parties and summer get togethers at their home "On The Rocks" on Marblehead Neck. After Jan's death she brought her amazing talent for hospitality with her to Vermont entertaining customers and friends with incredible rum cakes and eggnog during the holidays and a corn chowder supper for Green Mountain Horse Association's 100 Mile Ride which has become a beloved tradition. She also enjoyed serving as a hospitality coordinator for GMHA for several seasons taking great pride in seeing that everyone was "well fed and watered".
For many years Charlotte ran a mobile unit for her daughter's store at Morgan horse shows all over New England with her great friends Mary Krueger and Susan Scott-Smith (now Nicols) and others. Her talent for hospitality extended to her days on the road where her tiny trailer was always well stocked with food and drink to share with all.
Charlotte's Christmas feasts at her High Brook Farm included friends and family, travelers and strangers of all traditions invited to share the holiday festivities. Her door was always open, her guest rooms always available, her pantry always stocked and everyone was always welcome.
An only child, Charlotte was very fond of her extended family and leaves behind many cousins including Ellen Campbell of Johnson City, Tennessee, whose mother, Elizabeth White was also from Windsor, Vermont, Warren Lyman of Marblehead, Massachusetts, Laura (Lyman) Perrine and her husband Frank of Fair Haven, Massachusetts and Peru, Vermont as well as Elizabeth Lyman of Oregon, Carol Fones of California and Cabot Lyman of Maine all of whom are the children of her mother's sister, Charlotte Cabot Lyman, who was from Woodstock. Her local cousins include Dwight Cabot Camp of Woodstock, Philip Cabot Camp of Barnard and Paul R. Cabot and his wife Paula Sue of Plainfield, New Hampshire.
For the past few years Charlotte has been blessed to be surrounded by many loving caregivers who genuinely enjoyed her company and friendship including David Schwartzman, Julie Hasson VonTurcke who remained with her until the end.
She is survived by her daughter, Laura Hodgkinson (Gordon) Spittle and her much loved son in law, Matthew L. Spittle of Reading and South Woodstock, Vermont, her niece and nephew, Kasia and Kris Sliwa of Marblehead, Massachusetts, and her second daughter by choice, Cheryl S. Glavey of New Ipswich, New Hampshire.
Contributions may be made to St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Marblehead Massachusetts, the church Charlotte grew up in, in celebration of their 300 years of worship in their original building. Also to Hand In Hand Community Suppers in Woodstock, Vermont where she always felt welcome and to the Alzheimer's Foundation.
Arrangements are by Cabot Funeral Home. Services will be held on Saturday, December 6th at 11:00 AM at St. James Episcopal Church in Woodstock with burial at Spear Cemetery in Reading, Vermont immediately following.