Anne Donnelly––teacher, volunteer, worker, friend to all––died last Wednesday, October 4.
Active until her last days, Ms. Donnelly was a longtime professor at SUNY Cobleskill, retiring in 2005, and for years volunteered at the Landis Arboretum in Esperance, among other projects.
She lived in Lawyersville with her husband, Pat. Ms. Donnelly was 81.
She taught at Cobleskill High School first, then taught biology for 28 years at the college, and it was there that Ms. Donnelly touched the most people.
She received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.
“Anne cared about other people,” said Anne Myers, who was at the college with Ms. Donnelly for more than 20 years.
“She wasn’t an easy teacher, but she really cared about her students.”
Ms. Donnelly often brought in a ‘critter of the day’ at the college, recalled Nancy Konta, a close friend for more than 40 years.
“It might be a plant, something alive, something she found on the road,” Ms. Konta said.
“She reached so many students, and the kids just loved her.”
One who best knew her love for teaching was her husband.
“Anne was a teacher since the day she left college, and she’ll continue teaching in her death,” said Mr. Donnelly, noting that Ms. Donnelly donated her body to Albany Medical Center.
On a lighter note, Ms. Donnelly was the first to teach sex education in Schoharie County, with the class at Cobleskill Junior–Senior High, said her son, Padriac.
“Kids would see her on the street and yell, ‘Hey, Mrs. Donnelly, you taught me sex ed in seventh grade,’ ” the elder Mr. Donnelly said, laughing.
Ms. Donnelly’s teaching wasn’t limited to classrooms. When Ms. Konta and Ms. Donnelly would take a ride, “She’d point to different things and talk about them,” Ms. Konta said.
“Anne was always so curious. Sometimes when I’d take a walk, I’d pick something up and think, ‘Anne can tell me about this.’ ”
Fred Breglia, executive director at the Arboretum, knew Ms. Donnelly both as a teacher and later, a collaborator at the Arboretum for about 20 years.
“I had her for biology at SUNY Cobleskill, and she was one of my favorite teachers,” Mr. Breglia said.
“When she came to the Arboretum and I talked to her about trees, she said, ‘The teacher can become the student.’ ”
Ms. Donnelly was a friend as well. When Jeanne Gostling bought a neighboring farm in Lawyersville, Ms. Donnelly came to the door with goodies and invited the Gostlings to the annual Lawyersville picnic.
“She was there for everybody,” Ms. Gostling said.
“When we were making repairs on our house, a pipe broke and water was everywhere. Anne showed up with barn boots, a bucket and mop.”
Friends spoke of Ms. Donnelly’s generosity, ready to give, share and help.
“She was expansive, always inviting everybody into her world,” Ms. Gostling said. “She was one in a million.”
Mr. Breglia agreed.
“She gave money and time to the Arboretum,” he said, “but her time was most valuable.
“Anne had a big, kind heart that could light up a room. Legends never die, and she’ll live on.”

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Ms. Donnelly was born and raised in Dannemora and received her degree from SUNY Oneonta.
She met her future husband at Scotch Valley, where he was on ski patrol.
“She was the biggest force in my life,” Mr. Donnelly said. “The whole world is a lesser place.”
There will be a memorial service for Ms. Donnelly at the Arboretum on Sunday, October 22, noon to 4pm.