Adrienne Farr Sabatier, devoted mother, loyal friend, lover of art and music, and avid traveler, passed away on Feb. 12, 2023 after courageously dealing with Alzheimer’s disease for several years. She was 89.
Those who knew her were always touched by her kindness and generosity of spirit, her love of life and independence, and the way she cared about and for others. Unfailingly polite but always engaged, she truly enjoyed being with family members and friends, and was willing to do anything for them, especially her children and their spouses and grandchildren, whom she adored.
She was also an animal lover, with a particular affinity for dogs that was almost always reciprocated.
In the last two decades of her life, Adrienne shuttled between Sugarbush, Vermont, and Naples, Florida, revealing several of her passions. In Vermont during the summer, she enjoyed the outdoors, whether hiking in the woods or the mountains or enjoying the area’s country lifestyle. In Florida, she pursued her fascination with art by serving as a docent at the Baker Museum for many years, bringing insight on the museum’s collections to its many visitors, and her strong faith and love of music made her a regular at St. Peter’s Catholic Church and a member of the church’s choir.
Adrienne was also a proud member of the Big Cypress Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Naples and a staunch supporter and member of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants for all of her adult life.
Born in Jersey City on Jan. 9, 1934, Adrienne graduated from the Academy of St. Elizabeth in New Jersey and then Pembroke College in Brown University in 1955, an institution that she proudly supported throughout her life.
She was married to Jean Louis Sabatier in 1958 and was selfless in raising her four children as the family moved from Fairfield, Connecticut, to southern France in 1968, then back to Fairfield and Darien, Connecticut for over a decade, where she had many friends and was active in the community. It was during those years that she loved and supported her children unconditionally and was often busier than some New York cabbies ferrying them to their different activities.
It was then on to Rochester, New York, and Mexico City. Her life took a major turn when her marriage of more than 30 years came to an end, and she moved to Boston into an apartment with a view of the harbor, reflecting an attraction to the water that remained a fixture throughout her life. She also had a loving relationship with Bill Starr there until his death in October 2001.
Adrienne had a lifelong passion for seeing other parts of the world, including living in Spain after graduating from Pembroke, that did not diminish with age, and took trips to Morocco, Bali, Kenya, Cambodia, and Myanmar, into her 80s that embodied her curiosity about other cultures.
Her inner strength and grace were particularly poignant in her later years as she coped with memory loss, battling as long as she could to maintain her independence. She was comforted during that time by her close friends Richard Hazen, Susan Smits and Bob and Nancy McLeod.
Adrienne is survived by her brother Johnny Wrieden, her four children and their spouses – Luke and his wife Jessie, Elizabeth and her husband Collin, Jamie and his wife Heather, and Andrew and his wife Lillian – and seven grandchildren Jordan, Bailee, Rogan, Maya, Faith, Gabrielle, and Brooke. She will be very much missed by all.
Adrienne’s funeral service will be held at 10:00am, Friday, April 14, 2023, at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church at 5130 Rattlesnake Hammock Road in Naples, Florida and her burial service will be held at 10:30am, Saturday, April 15, 2023, at Kensico Cemetery at 273 Lakeview Avenue in Valhalla, New York.
In lieu of flowers, the family has kindly requested that all donations go to Cure Alzheimer’s Fund.