Obituary: Anne Donnis Howland, 1958-2024
AnneDonnis Howland, 66, of White River Junction, Vt., passed peacefullyat Tufts Medical Center in Boston, following a courageous strugglewith congestive heart failure. She was born on January 6, 1958, inHatfield, Mass., and grew up in Chester, Vt. Anne was predeceased byher parents, Edward J. and Helen W. Donnis. She is survived by GlennC. Howland, her loving husband of 43 years; her beloved daughters,Alison J. Howland and her husband, Mehdi Boubiya, of Philadelphia,Pa., and Mariah D. Howland of Barre, Vt.; her siblings, MaryDonnis-Romanson of Ashburnham, Mass., Robert Donnis of Bristol, Vt.,Edward Donnis of Bennington, Vt., Catherine Donnis of Berlin, Vt.,Margo Donnis of Portland, Maine, and Rosemary Levy of Brewster,Mass.; and many beloved nieces, nephews and their families.
Anneattended the University of Nice, France, and earned a BA degree inlanguages from the University of Vermont and an associate's degreein computer science from Champlain College. She had been a programmeranalyst at National Life for many years. She was an accomplishedpianist and loved to teach piano. A longtime resident of Middlesex,Vt., she loved peony flowers and raised them for 33 years. She oftenvolunteered her time and taught a generation of kids at St. Michael'sSchool in Montpelier how to play chess.
Annewas a fierce advocate for mental health and mental health parity. In1996, she testified before the Vermont Joint House-Senate Committeein support of Vermont's comprehensive Mental Health Parity bill,which was subsequently passed into law and became the modelthroughout the nation for legislation to ensure parity in health carecoverage for conditions arising from mental illness or substanceaddiction.
