Christine Frances Fernald Sleeper Obituary (1916 - 2016)

Born Sep 20, 1916, Christine Frances Fernald Sleeper was faculty at Herndon High School in Herndon, VA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Christine Frances Fernald Sleeper.

School Role	Faculty
Date of Birth	Sep 20, 1916
Date of Passing	Feb 15, 2016
About	Longtime Herndon Latin Teacher to be Remembered Sunday Karen Goff September 18, 2015 at 11:00am There will be a celebration of life Sunday for longtime Herndon High Latin teacher Christine Sleeper, who died earlier this year in New Hampsire at age 98. Sleeper would have turned 99 on on Sunday (Sept. 20). The celebration will be held at Herndon High School, 700 Bennett Street, at 1 p.m. Sleeper taught at Herndon High from 1970 to 2000. A native of New Hampshire, Sleeper was a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and Radcliffe College. According to an obituary, she also earned her pilot license at age 25 in 1941. Sleeper was an air traffic controller at Boston’s Logan Airport in 1944 and volunteered for the Red Cross and served in Europe during the end of World War II. She married Col. Raymond S. Sleeper of Laconia, NH, in 1946 and raised six children while moving every few years to a new Air Force base. Sleeper taught at several places before settling in Herndon. “Christine never stopped learning while she travelled the world-she took her Latin students and herself, alone, to dozens of countries across the entire planet,” said the death notice written by her family. “Her children, her students, and her teaching colleagues remember Christine as creative, energetic, willing to help anyone learn, and always prepared to Carpe Diem!” Sleeper had this to say about teaching, according to a book her family organized on her long life: “Mine has been a lifelong love affair with Latin. It is a vibrant, multifaceted subject. When you teach Latin, you teach about life — about philosophy, mythology, language and derivatives. You learn about ancient times and ancient thought. If you know how things were before, you know what’s good about today. If you’ve had Latin, you’re a better writer; a better speaker, and a better person.” Sleeper was a founder of the National Latin Exam in 1976. She also was Virginia’s Distinguished Foreign Language Teacher of the Year in 1980. https://www.restonnow.com/2015/09/18/longtime-herndon-latin-teacher-to-be-remembered-sunday/
Events	https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/washingtonpost/name/christine-sleeper-obituary?id=6056777 SLEEPER CHRISTINE FRANCES FERNALD SLEEPER Christine Frances Fernald Sleeper passed away quietly while surrounded by family on February 15, 2015 at Kirkwood Corners in Lee, NH at the age of 98. It's fair to say, she died of old age. Christine was born on September 20, 1916 in Nottingham, NH. She attended Robinson Female Seminary in Exeter, NH; the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH; and Radcliffe College in Cambridge, MA. She earned her pilot wings at age 25 in 1941; she was an air traffic controller at Logan Airport in Boston, MA in 1944; and she volunteered for the Red Cross and served in Europe during the end of World War II. She married Col. Raymond S. Sleeper of Laconia, NH, in 1946 and raised six children while moving every 3 to 5 years to a new Air Force base. Over the course of her Latin, French, and Greek teaching career, Christine taught at Pinkerton Academy, Derry, NH; Lexington High School, Lexington, MA; Surrattsville High School in Clinton, MD; Wright State University in Dayton, OH, Northern Virginia Community College in Fairfax County, VA, and Herndon High School in Herndon, VA. Christine never stopped learning while she travelled the world-she took her Latin students and herself, alone, to dozens of countries across the entire planet. Her children, her students, and her teaching colleagues remember Christine as creative, energetic, willing to help anyone learn, and always prepared to Carpe Diem! Christine is survived by her brother Walter Bartlett Fernald and his wife Natalie W. Holt of Greenland, NH; her brother Richard Thompson Fernald and his wife Mary Alice Beairsto of Tucson, AZ; her children: Anthony R. Sleeper and his wife Jeanne Leopold of Hudson, FL; Jonathan A. Sleeper and his wife Melissa Cable of Vero Beach, FL; Jane E. Sleeper of East Fallowfield, PA; Raymond S. Sleeper, Jr. and his wife Tamsin Thurlow of Nottingham, NH; and Harry A. Sleeper of Bedford, MA; her grandchildren: Tina Raum Sleeper and her husband Jeff Green of Mechanicsville, MD; and Kimberly DeStacy Sleeper and her husband Michael Verbanic of Charlotte, NC; Melissa Diane Sleeper and her husband Richard Allen Weatherly of Newport, WA; Faith Alice Sleeper of Washington, DC; her great grandchildren: Brandon Raum, Jacob Green, Alexcis Green; Cassandra DeStacy, Jesse DeStacy; Ashley Nichole Sleeper and her husband Gerald Cramer, Brittany Jo Sleeper, and Michael K. Hofmann Sleeper; and her great great grandchildren: Jackson Alexander Cramer and Kinsley Brielle Cramer. Christine was pre-deceased by her husband, Col. Raymond S. Sleeper; her youngest son, Grant Rollins Sleeper; her parents Frank Hare Fernald and Almena Frances Wadleigh; her brother Frank Wadleigh Fernald and his wife Jessamine Piccott; her brother Author Thomas Fernald and his wife Jean Malcom; her brother Alfred Elwell Fernald and his wife Phyllis Howe; her youngest brother Robert Clayton Fernald; and her grandson Michael Anthony Sleeper. A Celebration of Christine's Life will be held September 20, 2015 at Herndon High School, 700 Bennett St., Herndon, VA 20170 at 1 p.m. Everyone invited. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to help Latin teachers pursue educational travel: National Latin Exam, University of Mary Washington, 1301 College Avenue, Fredericksburg, VA 22401. The staff at Herndon and colleagues of Christine's are excited to celebrate Christine's 30 years of teaching at Herndon High School.dozens of countries across the entire planet. Her children, her students, and her teaching colleagues remember Christine as creative, energetic, willing to help anyone learn, and always prepared to Carpe Diem! Christine is survived by her brother Walter Bartlett Fernald and his wife Natalie W. Holt of Greenland, NH; her brother Richard Thompson Fernald and his wife Mary Alice Beairsto of Tucson, AZ; her children: Anthony R. Sleeper and his wife Jeanne Leopold of Hudson, FL; Jonathan A. Sleeper and his wife Melissa Cable of Vero Beach, FL; Jane E. Sleeper of East Fallowfield, PA; Raymond S. Sleeper, Jr. and his wife Tamsin Thurlow of Nottingham, NH; and Harry A. Sleeper of Bedford, MA; her grandchildren: Tina Raum Sleeper and her husband Jeff Green of Mechanicsville, MD; and Kimberly DeStacy Sleeper and her husband Michael Verbanic of Charlotte, NC; Melissa Diane Sleeper and her husband Richard Allen Weatherly of Newport, WA; Faith Alice Sleeper of Washington, DC; her great grandchildren: Brandon Raum, Jacob Green, Alexcis Green; Cassandra DeStacy, Jesse DeStacy; Ashley Nichole Sleeper and her husband Gerald Cramer, Brittany Jo Sleeper, and Michael K. Hofmann Sleeper; and her great great grandchildren: Jackson Alexander Cramer and Kinsley Brielle Cramer. Christine was pre-deceased by her husband, Col. Raymond S. Sleeper; her youngest son, Grant Rollins Sleeper; her parents Frank Hare Fernald and Almena Frances Wadleigh; her brother Frank Wadleigh Fernald and his wife Jessamine Piccott; her brother Author Thomas Fernald and his wife Jean Malcom; her brother Alfred Elwell Fernald and his wife Phyllis Howe; her youngest brother Robert Clayton Fernald; and her grandson Michael Anthony Sleeper. A Celebration of Christine's Life will be held September 20, 2015 at Herndon High School, 700 Bennett St., Herndon, VA 20170 at 1 p.m. Everyone invited. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to help Latin teachers pursue educational travel: National Latin Exam, University of Mary Washington, 1301 College Avenue, Fredericksburg, VA 22401. The staff at Herndon and colleagues of Christine's are excited to celebrate Christine's 30 years of teaching at Herndon High School.