On May 4, 2015 Ann Poland rode into the sunrise to find new trails and adventures, joining her beloved horse Star and the others with whom she shared her life for 91 years. She spent her final months at Green Acres, the home of all her summers, and as spring slowly emerged her spirit left us to re-connect with those she loved.
She divided her time between Massachusetts and Maine, spending winters at home in Canton, MA, and summers helping her husband Lloyd and managing the horses at Green Acres Inn, a seasonal hotel owned by the family for a century in Canton/Hartford, ME. She never met a card game, be it cribbage, poker, or Michigan rummy that she didn’t enjoy and she held her place proudly for evenings in front of the fireplace in the lodge. A game with a friend always made her day.
She began life in Rochester, MA, the daughter of Ralph and Winifred (Veazie) Rounseville, where she was raised with her three brothers, Ralph Jr. (Mike), Lincoln (Linc), and Alden (Denny), on the family homestead whose barn was her haven. She embraced the work horse teams that brought logs for the Rounseville family sawmill and rented Sonny Hartley’s pony for the few cents he then paid back to her brother Linc to feed their shared goats. In the 1940’s she went on to complete her degree at Boston University and share a Boston apartment with family and friends, making ties she kept forever. A lifelong cowgirl at heart, she liked to be called ‘Annie’ after her heroine Annie Oakley. Her French Huguenot and Pilgrim ancestry was important to her.
Her love for all the animals was legendary, from barn kitties and rescued dogs to adopted whales, but horses were her passion and she was most proud to be called a horsewoman. Her favorite days were spent riding the trails and educating others on the lifelong joys of horsemanship. She taught many a generation proper care and kind riding, leaving a lasting legacy of enriched lives. Ann was a woman who valued her independence, gave loyalty to her friends, and made the world a better place for horses and other animals. Everyone will tell you, “There was only one Annie!”
A graveside tribute will be held at the Rounseville stone at the Rochester Center Cemetery on Saturday, October 3rd, 2015 at 1:30 p.m. with light refreshments and Ann stories following at the Rochester Senior Center, 71 Dexter Lane. In lieu of flowers, her special charities were the Neponset Valley Humane Society (PO Box 544, Norwood, MA 02062) and the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals (P.O. Box 10 South Windham, ME 04082-0010).