Adelaide Gifford

Adelaide Short Gifford, age 94, died peacefully on July 17, 2022 at Mountain Vista Memory Care in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. She was born on May 31, 1928 in Short Hills, New Jersey, the daughter of Harold Hall and Lesley LaBeaume Short. She was a 1951 graduate of Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts. On May 8, 1954 she married Garret Ackerson Gifford. They lived in New Canaan, Connecticut where they raised three children. She was a mother first and foremost, but was also a librarian at the New Canaan Country School where her husband was also on the faculty for over two decades. She was known to friends and family as Muffy and Neeny to her grandchildren. Muffy was a voracious reader and enjoyed sharing her knowledge of books with others. She also loved to knit and needlepoint. Her knitted sweaters and hats were and still are infamous for their unique proportions and styles. She enjoyed sports of any kind whether participating herself or watching her children and grandchildren. She loved tennis and golf in the summer and paddle tennis, skating and skiing in the winter. She was happiest on Nantucket Island where she would spend every July playing tennis, fishing for bluefish and picnicking at the South Shore. She and Garry would often return to the island in early October to scallop, fish for striped bass and enjoy time with old friends and family. After retiring from the Country School, she and Garry spent a year volunteer-teaching at the Wilson School in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. They then moved to Weaverville, North Carolina where she continued to play golf, hike the Blue Ridge Mountains, take continuing education classes at UNC-Asheville and volunteer as a docent at the Biltmore Estate. In the early 2000s they moved to Colorado to be close to their two sons and grandchildren. With a soul and spirit that defied her actual age, she continued golf into her 80s and was a frequent spectator at various sports and school events her grandchildren were involved in. Until the end, she loved being with family and her beloved husband.

She is survived by her husband, Garret A Gifford, her children, Garret A. Gifford, Jr. (Kim); Lesley Gifford Gibson (Craig); Donald S Gifford (Julie); her grandchildren, Virginia (Ginny) and Natalie Gibson, Charles, John (Jack) and Olivia (Hope) Gifford, Karl and Eva Gifford. She is predeceased by her brother Harold Short.

A celebration of Muffy’s life will be planned for this fall in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Donations can be made to the charity of your choice in her name. Condolences can be sent to G.A. Gifford, 11800 W 49th Ave. Room 206, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033.