In Memoriam – Shauneen Kroll
NORTHAMPTON, MA Shauneen Sullivan Kroll, 88, passed away peacefully at her home in Northampton, MA on December 9th, 2023 with family at her side. Shauneen was born to the late John LB Sullivan and Mary Pollard Sullivan in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 11, 1935.
Shauneen grew up in Philadelphia attending German Town Friends until moving to Northampton and attended Northampton Public Schools, graduating from Northampton High School in 1953. While at NHS, she was very active in extracurriculars, playing the trumpet in the marching band, participating in basketball and field hockey as well as partaking in the Drama Society. She then attended Smith College, living in Tyler House, where she met and stayed in touch with life-long friends. While there, she continued to play the trumpet, was on the crew team and in the chorus where she met her best friend of 65 years, Evelyn Glickman. She graduated in 1957 with a degree in early childhood education, her love, passion, and career for 40 years.
In 1957, having graduated from Smith, she married her neighbor, Mikkel C Kroll. They continued their life as a married couple in Northampton, where they raised their four children; Lisa, Mikkel(Chris), Sabra and Jensen. In addition to her four children, the Kroll house was a haven for people who would become extended family. Holiday dinners became a time to share the table with those who would otherwise have been alone. Shauneen and Mikkel worked with the Edwards Church Youth Group and were advisors and supporters of former inmates of the Walpole Prison helping people to get back on their feet. Shauneen gave from her heart, consistently supporting and serving many local charities, especially those stemming from her deep faith and affiliation with Edwards Church.
For forty years, she was a passionate early childhood educator at Fort Hill of the Smith College Campus School while also serving on the board of People’s Institute in Northampton. She touched the lives of hundreds of children and their families. Her teaching style was described as a form of magic. She not only educated children, but also parents and other teachers. She believed teaching and learning happened everywhere, not just within the four walls of an institution. She found the good in every single child, and believed the best teachers were those that knew how to laugh. Her teaching career left an impact on all those she crossed paths with, and gave her some of her greatest, life-long friends.
After her retirement, she made time for her second greatest passion – traveling both near and far. She spent 70 summers at her beloved home in Popponesset, Cape Cod; filled with children, grandchildren, friends, and just about anyone else that walked by to say hello. She knew everything could be cured by the sand and salt water – and always made her way into the ocean no matter how cold, shouting to everyone “It’s not that bad!”.
She was blessed with friends and family that wanted to travel with her. She spent countless trips with her Smith friends both nationally and internationally, across the country and on a spiritual trip to Israel with her dear friend Evie, went up and down the California coast between her two sons and traveled to Germany, England, Ireland, Turkey and France with family. Her last major international trip brought her to Italy, Czechoslovakia and Austria. She always kept a journal and took many photos to share with everyone when she returned.
Shauneen saw the good in everyone and every day, but she knew everything in her life was made sweeter by her family. She attended every soccer, lacrosse and football game, crosscountry, track and swim meet, musicals, concerts, and graduations that she possibly could. She was her grandchildren’s biggest fan and made friends in every audience she sat in along the way. Her door was always open- usually with a warm oven and jars full of cookies. She was everything a grandmother should be and more, with open ears and heart.
She spent her last years enjoying quilting, book clubs, and just having tea with good friends. She loved to walk, have lunch or breakfast and attend Wednesday morning movies with her dear friend Noreen. She loved her Saturday morning breakfasts at Florence Diner. She loved to wave hello to her neighborhood at 6 am when they all went to retrieve their newspapers. Her wrap around porch was a gathering space for all.
Shauneen was predeceased by her husband Mikkel, her brother Pollard , her sister in laws Neola and Becky and her daughter Lisa. She is survived by her remaining three children; Mikkel Kroll and wife Sonia from Garden Grove, CA, Sabra Aquadro and her husband Rick of Northampton, MA, and Jensen Kroll of Florence, MA as well as daughter in law Laura Kroll of Hatfield, MA, her seven grandchildren; Courtney Goldsmith and husband Paul, Anthony Aquadro, Natalie Aquadro, Erika Kroll, Christian Kroll, Sofia Kroll and Jensen (JJ) Kroll, as well as her sister Sabra Anderson and Husband Dennis and brother Kingsley Sullivan and Zeynep Somer, many nieces, nephews and loved ones.
The funeral arrangements will be handled by Czelusniak funeral home and take place on Sunday, 12/17 at 2 pm at the Edwards Church of Northampton; 297 Main Street, Northampton, MA . There will be a private burial at the convenience of the family. Donations may be made to the Northampton Survival Center, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Edwards Church or St Jude’s.
Please go to czelusniakfuneralhome. com for online condolences and tribute book.
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