The LOVING LEE Memorial Account
Donation protected
This money will go toward the funding of Lee's daughter Anja's nursing school education.
OBITUARY FOR LEE HENIGAN ALDEN:
Lee Henigan Alden died of Covid on Sunday, February 6, 2022. She was born on October 25, 1957, in Sycamore, Illinois, to her wonderful, loving parents, Marion and Tom (Dunner) Henigan. She was preceded in death by both parents and her brother Jay Henigan. She is survived by her daughter Anja Alden, brother Nardy Henigan, and sister Zan Henigan Lombardo.
Lee attended Sycamore High School and graduated with the class of 1977. Her family hosted an AFS exchange student from Australia, Robyn Williams, whom Lee considered a lifetime sister, and who inspired her to resolve to make friends in every country of the world. Lee served as an AFS exchange student for a year in Tauranga, New Zealand, living with several families, some of whom she stayed in touch with for most of her life. After high school graduation, Lee briefly attended Illinois State University and then worked at a drive-through donut kiosk and as a singer/songwriter/guitar player, telephone operator, waitress, and meter maid to amass enough money to travel extensively throughout Europe, hiking, riding the trains and expanding her circle of friends. She also attended a semester abroad at Salzburg College in Austria where she made many friends from Japan and the United States.
Upon her return from Europe, Lee attended the School for International Training in Vermont. Her internship was spent at The World Friendship Center in Hiroshima, Japan, and she toured the United States as an ambassador for peace with atomic bomb survivors. She graduated SIT with a degree in World Issues. She met another SIT graduate, Peg Brigham, and they moved to Seattle, Washington, and were married in the Quaker meeting house with 175 friends and family in attendance. Lee attended the John Bastir College of Natural Medicine where she studied colon therapy. Returning to Vermont with Peg, Lee worked as a sales representative for a natural foods distributor. Peg and Lee moved to Amsterdam on Peg’s teaching assignment for SIT. There Lee experienced early onset menopause and depression. It was there, too, in the Netherlands where they met and became friends with Anton Oomen, who eventually fathered their child, Anja. Anton and his family continue to play an active role in Anja’s family life.
Lee and Peg returned to Vermont where they established their home in the village of Putney. Lee worked at SIT in admissions and later went back to school to earn a Master’s degree in web design. She worked at Landmark College in educational technology. When her marriage to Peg ended, their relationship remained amicable and Lee relocated to “The Plaza”, a half a block away. Lee became a full-time caregiver to her beloved landlady, Hildamarie Hendricks who continues to thrive at age 95. Lee traveled around the country, driving her convertible sports car that she called “the Batmobile.” Lee spent a transformative period in Thailand with another dear AFS friend, Puangkaew Prasirtpun, affectionately known as Jaew. She returned to New Zealand and Australia more than once to visit her friends and AFS families there, sometimes bringing Anja with her.
Lee suffered a heart attack in 2011 from which she never fully recovered. She tried a myriad of traditional and experimental medical procedures and medications, extending her life by more than ten years. During all this, Lee stayed in contact with friends and family and was known for hours-long phone calls and unending texts.
Lee’s search for spiritual meaning ranged far and wide. She began by attending services, Sunday School and youth fellowship at Sycamore United Methodist Church. She then studied Siddha yoga, following Gurumayi, chanting, meditating and practicing in an ashram. She was a Quaker and social activist for a major part of her life. Lee studied with Byron Katie at the School of The Work, and became an effective practitioner. In her last years, Lee became devoted to Catholicism, taking catechism, studying the Bible, being baptized, walking a virtual El Camino de Santiago during the pandemic, traveling to the Holy Land on a pilgrimage of devout prayer, reading extensively, joining the church, accepting the Eucharist, and attending Mass regularly. In her last days and hours in the hospital, she continued to sing and pray and give thanks. Her daughter Anja and sister Zan were by her bedside, holding her hands when she finally passed peacefully. She asked us to send out her love to all of her family and friends.
Lee’s circles of care were wide. We invite you to join in whichever observance works for you. There is no expectation for anyone to attend all (or any) events, even immediate family. We are also cognizant of the complications that Covid creates for participation in any group gathering. The plans are as follows:
• Catholic mass at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Brattleboro, Vermont, at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 10, 2022.
Two Celebrations of Life and Love for Lee Henigan Alden
First Celebration
Sunday, March 6th, 2022, 2:00-4:00 p.m. EST
Green Mt. Orchards, 130 West Hill Road, Putney, Vermont
We will gather together to share our grief and to celebrate Lee. Those who would like to join us by Zoom can do so by clicking the link below. This event will be a Quaker-style memorial in which we gather seated in silence and those moved at the moment to speak can do so. Everyone is welcome to attend. Please bring a flower to share if you can.
We ask that those coming to the in-person event please test negative for COVID before arriving and plan to wear a mask throughout the entire event. We chose a place that is large and airy in order to make the event as safe as possible. Come warmly dressed so that you will be comfortable.
We will surround ourselves and our memories of Lee with beauty, music, photos, laughter, tears, and the community that Lee built wherever she went.
Time: Mar 6, 2022 02:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting: Memorial Quaker service for Lee Henigan Alden
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83145566057?pwd=bGpzM1Zjdm9tRlNtN0hRZUNIdTNtdz09
Meeting ID: [phone redacted] 6057
Passcode: 518311
Second Celebration
Thursday, March 10th, 2022, 1:00-3:00 p.m. CST
Sycamore Park Community Center, Room C, Airport Road, Sycamore, Illinois
We invite everyone to an Open House in remembrance of Lee.
Lee’s brother Nardy, her sister Zan, her daughter Anja, and other members of her family and friends will be present to welcome you and trade memories.
There will be no formal ceremony but a musical soundtrack of her life as well as a slideshow of Lee in all her incarnations will run continuously throughout the event. Stories, tears, and laughter will be shared. Light refreshment will be served.
We ask that those coming to the in-person event please test negative for COVID before arriving and plan to wear a mask throughout the entire event.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lee Henigan Alden died of Covid on Sunday, February 6, 2022. She was born on October 25, 1957, in Sycamore, Illinois, to her wonderful, loving parents, Marion and Tom (Dunner) Henigan. She was preceded in death by both parents and her brother Jay Henigan. She is survived by her daughter Anja Alden, brother Nardy Henigan, and sister Zan Henigan Lombardo.
Lee attended Sycamore High School and graduated with the class of 1977. Her family hosted an AFS exchange student from Australia, Robyn Williams, whom Lee considered a lifetime sister, and who inspired her to resolve to make friends in every country of the world. Lee served as an AFS exchange student for a year in Tauranga, New Zealand, living with several families, some of whom she stayed in touch with for most of her life. After high school graduation, Lee briefly attended Illinois State University and then worked at a drive-through donut kiosk and as a singer/songwriter/guitar player, telephone operator, waitress, and meter maid to amass enough money to travel extensively throughout Europe, hiking, riding the trains and expanding her circle of friends. She also attended a semester abroad at Salzburg College in Austria where she made many friends from Japan and the United States.
Upon her return from Europe, Lee attended the School for International Training in Vermont. Her internship was spent at The World Friendship Center in Hiroshima, Japan, and she toured the United States as an ambassador for peace with atomic bomb survivors. She graduated SIT with a degree in World Issues. She met another SIT graduate, Peg Brigham, and they moved to Seattle, Washington, and were married in the Quaker meeting house with 175 friends and family in attendance. Lee attended the John Bastir College of Natural Medicine where she studied colon therapy. Returning to Vermont with Peg, Lee worked as a sales representative for a natural foods distributor. Peg and Lee moved to Amsterdam on Peg’s teaching assignment for SIT. There Lee experienced early onset menopause and depression. It was there, too, in the Netherlands where they met and became friends with Anton Oomen, who eventually fathered their child, Anja. Anton and his family continue to play an active role in Anja’s family life.
Lee and Peg returned to Vermont where they established their home in the village of Putney. Lee worked at SIT in admissions and later went back to school to earn a Master’s degree in web design. She worked at Landmark College in educational technology. When her marriage to Peg ended, their relationship remained amicable and Lee relocated to “The Plaza”, a half a block away. Lee became a full-time caregiver to her beloved landlady, Hildamarie Hendricks who continues to thrive at age 95. Lee traveled around the country, driving her convertible sports car that she called “the Batmobile.” Lee spent a transformative period in Thailand with another dear AFS friend, Puangkaew Prasirtpun, affectionately known as Jaew. She returned to New Zealand and Australia more than once to visit her friends and AFS families there, sometimes bringing Anja with her.
Lee suffered a heart attack in 2011 from which she never fully recovered. She tried a myriad of traditional and experimental medical procedures and medications, extending her life by more than ten years. During all this, Lee stayed in contact with friends and family and was known for hours-long phone calls and unending texts.
Lee’s search for spiritual meaning ranged far and wide. She began by attending services, Sunday School and youth fellowship at Sycamore United Methodist Church. She then studied Siddha yoga, following Gurumayi, chanting, meditating and practicing in an ashram. She was a Quaker and social activist for a major part of her life. Lee studied with Byron Katie at the School of The Work, and became an effective practitioner. In her last years, Lee became devoted to Catholicism, taking catechism, studying the Bible, being baptized, walking a virtual El Camino de Santiago during the pandemic, traveling to the Holy Land on a pilgrimage of devout prayer, reading extensively, joining the church, accepting the Eucharist, and attending Mass regularly. In her last days and hours in the hospital, she continued to sing and pray and give thanks. Her daughter Anja and sister Zan were by her bedside, holding her hands when she finally passed peacefully. She asked us to send out her love to all of her family and friends.
Lee’s circles of care were wide. We invite you to join in whichever observance works for you. There is no expectation for anyone to attend all (or any) events, even immediate family. We are also cognizant of the complications that Covid creates for participation in any group gathering. The plans are as follows:
• Catholic mass at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Brattleboro, Vermont, at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 10, 2022.
Two Celebrations of Life and Love for Lee Henigan Alden
First Celebration
Sunday, March 6th, 2022, 2:00-4:00 p.m. EST
Green Mt. Orchards, 130 West Hill Road, Putney, Vermont
We will gather together to share our grief and to celebrate Lee. Those who would like to join us by Zoom can do so by clicking the link below. This event will be a Quaker-style memorial in which we gather seated in silence and those moved at the moment to speak can do so. Everyone is welcome to attend. Please bring a flower to share if you can.
We ask that those coming to the in-person event please test negative for COVID before arriving and plan to wear a mask throughout the entire event. We chose a place that is large and airy in order to make the event as safe as possible. Come warmly dressed so that you will be comfortable.
We will surround ourselves and our memories of Lee with beauty, music, photos, laughter, tears, and the community that Lee built wherever she went.
Time: Mar 6, 2022 02:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting: Memorial Quaker service for Lee Henigan Alden
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83145566057?pwd=bGpzM1Zjdm9tRlNtN0hRZUNIdTNtdz09
Meeting ID: [phone redacted] 6057
Passcode: 518311
Second Celebration
Thursday, March 10th, 2022, 1:00-3:00 p.m. CST
Sycamore Park Community Center, Room C, Airport Road, Sycamore, Illinois
We invite everyone to an Open House in remembrance of Lee.
Lee’s brother Nardy, her sister Zan, her daughter Anja, and other members of her family and friends will be present to welcome you and trade memories.
There will be no formal ceremony but a musical soundtrack of her life as well as a slideshow of Lee in all her incarnations will run continuously throughout the event. Stories, tears, and laughter will be shared. Light refreshment will be served.
We ask that those coming to the in-person event please test negative for COVID before arriving and plan to wear a mask throughout the entire event.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(Lee's sister Zan asked me to set this up and also provided the text and photo. Thank you for your donations in memory of Lee. ~ Wendy/Weenie)
Organizer and beneficiary
Wendy Forbes
Organizer
Chelsea, VT
Anja Alden
Beneficiary