Ann Tolman

Ann R. Tolman, age 93, passed away peacefully in her home on May 12, 2020.  She was surrounded by friends, family and most importantly the love of many.

Ann was born in Waterbury, CT, on July 18, 1926, daughter of the late Frank M. and Martha (Dayton) Reinhold, and was raised in Watertown, CT.

Ann attended the University of Connecticut where she obtained her bachelor’s degree. She went on to become a registered dietician. While interning at the Statler Hotel in Washington D.C. (now the Capital Hilton), she met her future husband, Frederick “Ted” Tolman, who was also working at the hotel as a chef. On April 26, 1952 Ann married Ted and in 1955 they gave birth to their daughter, Elizabeth G. Tolman.

During their daughter’s early years, they lived in Hartford, CT where Ann was a Registered Dietician for the Hartford Public Schools. Later the family moved to Wethersfield, CT. Ann and Ted started “Tele-Vittles” preparing and staging food for First National Stores commercials at several area TV stations. Ann would go on to serve in a prominent position at the state. For over 20 years Ann served as the Director of Child Nutrition Programs for the Connecticut State Department of Education. Ann retired in 1988 after a long career spent advocating for the school lunch program and ensuring underserved families had access to nutritious meals for their children.

In 1989, Ann and Ted followed through on their retirement dream and opened Branch Brook Bed and Breakfast in Lyndon, VT, after extensively renovating the property over a three-year period. Over the years they hosted countless guests, many of whom became close friends and even neighbors. Branch Brook would become more than just a business, as they hosted many weddings, showers, fundraisers, and family holiday gatherings throughout the years. Ann held the community close and the people they encountered closer. Although a transplant to the Northeast Kingdom, she had a deep connection to the Lyndon and Lyndonville community. Ann was a regular donor and member of many organizations, including The Upright Steeple Society, Lyndon Bible Church, Lyndon Chamber of Commerce, the Mattatuck Museum’s Reinhold Collection, South Congregational Church of Hartford, Daughters of American Revolution and Mayflower Descendants of Connecticut. In 2016 the Lyndonville Rotary Club honored Ann with the “Service Above Self Award,” Rotary International’s highest honor for an individual Rotarian with an emphasis on personal volunteer efforts and active involvement in helping others. For over 20 years Ann dedicated her time to the Lyndonville Rotary Club, where many remember her for her involvement in organizing the annual Penny Auction.

Ann was surrounded by family, friends, and lots of love right up until her final breath, while at home. This was a reflection of how Ann spent most of her life, surrounded by the people she loved and who loved her in return. Although we mourn the loss of such a great woman, we celebrate Ann rejoining her beloved husband and true love, Ted, who left us on February 28, 1998.

Ann is survived by her daughter Elizabeth G. Tolman of Cambridge, MA, her grandchildren Sara E. Morgan, Cheyenne S. Harvey and Jahmai B. Harvey, her adopted son Edward J. Anderson, his wife Stephanie and son Braden of Lyndonville, as well as many cousins, friends and neighbors. Ann was predeceased by her beloved husband, Frederick E. “Ted” Tolman, her parents and her brother Frank M. Reinhold, Jr.

A private graveside service will be held for the family and a memorial service will be scheduled at a later time for friends and neighbors.

Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at www.guibordfh.com. Donations can be made in Ann Tolman’s name to H.O.P.E., P.O. Box 403, Lyndon Center, Vermont 05850 or online at www.hopevermont.com