Lee Sumner Cushman, 73, of Darien died on Tuesday, March 13, from pancreatic cancer.
"She was skiing with her grandkids three weekends ago, snorkling with friends in FL a month ago, touring in Italy with the Smith Choir six months ago and Heliskiing only five years ago," her daughter, Jessica Cushman wrote to Patch. "She was a huge life force and we will all miss her terribly."
She was born in Boston, MA on June 24, 1938 daughter of the late Thurston Bradford Sumner and Jessica White Pirie.
Raised in , with her three late brothers, Richard Bradford Sumner, William White Sumner and Thurston Bradford Sumner Jr., she went to Smith College and was a member of the class of 1960. She was married to Robert Edgar Cushman for 37 years.
She and Bob raised their three children, Bert, Brad and Jessica while traveling the world, spending years in Geneva, Switzerland, Brussels, Belgium, San Francisco, CA, Hong Kong and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil before returning to Darien, CT.
"After all the wonderful places in the world we'd been, they still wanted to return to Darien to be with the many friends they missed so while we were abroad," Jessica Cushman wrote.
Along the way, Lee made numerous friends with whom she shared ski weekends, camping trips and adventurous tours in the many countries they visited. She had many passions and talents and there was no challenge she wasn’t willing to take on.
"She rebuilt an 1870's barn beam by beam, that was just featured in the Wall Street Journal a month or so ago. That was her final architectural design masterpiece [...]," Jessica Cushman wrote.
Always surrounded by her beloved golden retrievers she split her time between Block Island, Vermont and Darien. She shared this time with her close friend and companion, Peter Wood with whom she sailed, traveled and worked on numerous projects.
She was always there providing support to her friends and family who will miss her love, enthusiasm and adventurous spirit. Lee is survived by her three children Robert Sumner, Bradford White and Jessica Ranney, her seven grandchildren Camille Hoyle, Sumner James Hoyle, Claire Marie, Alexis Rae, Jack Bradford, Blake Thomas, Tessa Elizabeth Sumner Shulz and numerous cousins, nephews and nieces, all of whom will miss her dearly.
A funeral service celebrating Lee’s life will be held on Saturday, March 17, 2012 at 1 p.m. in the , 135 Broad St., Milford. Friends may call Friday at the funeral home from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 6 to 8 p.m. Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Lee’s name may be made to the Block Island Conservancy online, or you can mail your donation to P.O. Box 84 Block Island, RI 02807. To leave condolences or for directions, please visit the Smith & Sefcik Funeral Home website.
An email announcement sent to friends said, "We look forward to celebrating Lee's amazing life with you this weekend."
