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One of three remaining Shakers has died

The Shaker store houses a variety of goods produced at the Shaker Village for the thousands of tourists and visitors to purchase.
Esta Pratt-Kielley / Maine Public
The Shaker store houses a variety of goods produced at the Shaker Village for the thousands of tourists and visitors to purchase.

One of the world's last remaining Shakers has died.

Sister June Carpenter died early Tuesday morning, according to a statement from the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village Community.

She was born in Boston in 1938 and first visited the Shakers 50 years later in 1988, where she heard they were seeking a library volunteer. She joined the community in 1989.

Sister June served as cataloger of the Shaker Library where she organized and cataloged generations of Shaker records and history. She also cared for the flower gardens, the barn cats, and was an avid football fan and known as the "queen of trivia" within the community.

"Sister June will be remembered for her steadfast faith, her kindness toward all living things, and her dedication to the Shaker way of life," the statement reads. "She will be deeply missed by her Shaker family, friends, and the many people whose lives she touched."

The Sabbathday Lake Shakers community in New Gloucester dates back to 1783 and, is the last remaining such community in the world.

There are now only two remaining Shakers: Brother Arnold Hadd, and the newest Shaker, and Sister April Baxter, who joined in the past couple of years.

In accordance with Sister June's wishes, no funeral services will be held, and in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Shaker Library.

Molly got her start in journalism covering national news at PBS NewsHour Weekend, and climate and environmental news at Grist. She received her MA from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism with a concentration in science reporting.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

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