Carol Ann Derfner

Aug 8, 1944 -

Jan 20, 2020

Carol Ann Derfner, 75, of Kinderhook, N.Y., passed away on Jan. 20, 2020, peacefully at home.

Carol served as Executive Director of the Anchorage Arts Council in the 1970s-1980s, and in 1982 became Special Assistant to Alaska Governor William Sheffield. In 1986, she moved to New York City from where she supervised fundraising campaigns for The Paul Taylor Dance Company and The Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, among other organizations.

Recently, Carol led a retired life of writing, gardening and volunteering. She garnered the 2010 Hudson Valley Writers Guild award for Short Fiction and was published in the anthology, "The Times They Are a-Changin': Women Remember the '60s & '70s."

Carol is survived by her daughter, Tessa (with her spouse, Angela Mendez); brothers, Randy (Denise), Bob (Janice) and Norman (Suzie); sisters, Gail (Jim) and Alison (Jay); and nieces and nephews, Jennifer, Chad, Cindy, Brandon, Sarah, Cheyanne, Bethany, Bobby Jr., Brady, Kirby, Grant and Julia. She is preceded in death by her parents, Mildred and Robert Parmley; and brother, Danny.

Memorial donations may be made to: Northeast Boston Terrier Rescue Inc., www.nebostonrescue.com; or the Millay Society at Steepletop, www.millay.org. A celebration will be held in August in Kinderhook. Visit carolderfner.forevermissed.com for condolences and memorial updates.