Anne Scofield Nuss

Anne Scofield Nuss passed away on October 7, 2024 from heart failure.

She was a loving wife, stepmother, and grandmother, a devoted friend, a skilled therapist, and an artist. 

She had been struggling since May 2021 from the after-effects of vascular dementia, always maintaining her caring and kind nature until the end of her life. 

For almost 50 years Anne was a psychotherapist for youth, families, couples, and adults.  She worked for Framingham Youth Guidance Center, Harvard Pilgrim, Harvard Vanguard, and eventually had a private practice.  She was always looking to improve and participated in groups studying therapy methods like AEDP and EMDR.

Anne and her husband David Nuss were also longtime participants in the Advaita Meditation Center, where she served as President of the Board and member of the Senior Council for eight years, studying, planning for, and running retreats.

She was also a world traveler having visited in her 20s, with friends, Greece, Croatia, and Crete, and, with David, New Zealand, South Africa, China, Russia, and Mexico to name a few.

Anne was born on January 14, 1948 in Washington D.C. to Anna Fay Leonard and Leavitt Scofield and soon had a brother John Scofield.  Due to her father's work, the four of them moved to Dayton, Ohio and Houston, Texas for the elementary school days and to Wilton, Connecticut for junior and senior high school.

After spending two years at Vassar, Anne left for adventure in Boston during the late 60s and early 70s. She eventually earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard Extension and a Masters degree in Education from Northeastern University.

During the 70s, Anne lived for several years in a group house in Somerville with friends, some of whom had taken up meditation.  Anne was a very spiritual person, and joined the Philosophy Foundation, later called the Advaita Meditation Center.  Over the years she drew her strength and calm through her devotion to the teachings and the practices introduced at the center.

Anne met David in 1985, and they were married in 1988, a partnership that lasted 36 memorable years. In 1988 she was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), but thanks to the expertise of the doctors at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the latest medications for CLL, the disease was managed and never became a burden to her quality of life.

She introduced David and his sons to the Appalachian Mountain Club and hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  Her stepsons called her “Mountain  Anne” even after they could pass her on the trail as they got older.  There were also some fun family ski vacations to Vermont, road trips to Louisville, and weeklong camping trips around Seattle, Vancouver, and the surrounding national parks, as well as one to the Gaspe peninsula in Quebec.

She also devoted her time doing day care of her grandchildren before they started school, nurturing and supporting them as they progressed from infants to preschoolers.

Anne leaves behind her husband, David, step sons Charles and Chris, and their respective spouses Isabelle and Mo; along with two grandchildren, Victoria and Charlie.  She also leaves behind her brother John Scofield, his wife Susan, and niece Jean.

Anne will be missed dearly but her caring and devotion will live on as an inspiration to us all.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Anne's name to the Southern Poverty Law Center or the Equal Justice Initiative.

The memorial service will be held at 11am on Saturday November 2 at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 55 Coolidge Avenue, Lexington, MA.

Below is a link for those wanting to attend Anne's memorial service by Zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82426753399?pwd=baBmb0Vkfx2rTaXzI723BIA3xRN3mt.1

Meeting ID: 824 2675 3399
Passcode: 300360