Annalise R. (Anya) Jacobson

Annalise (Anya) Rouleau Jacobson of Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts passed away on March 19, 2025, taken from us far too soon by an unforgiving illness. 

Born July 23, 1986 in Belmont, Massachusetts, Anya was the first born child of William (Bill) and Elizabeth (Beth) Jacobson. She attended grade school at Buckland-Shelburne Elementary and subsequently at P.S. 321 Elementary when her family moved to Brooklyn, New York. There she attended Edward R. Murrow High School, then Mohawk Trail Regional School when her family returned to Massachusetts, graduating in 2004. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Richmond University in London in 2009, majoring in Intercultural Communications with a minor in Graphic Design.

As a child, Anya was very expressive, creative and social. These became her defining characteristics. She enjoyed her early years in Shelburne Falls, cycling around the village, playing softball and swimming in the river. In Brooklyn, she pursued many interests including theater, Taekwondo and rollerblading in the park. She also loved skiing and snowboarding and became an instructor at Mount Snow in Vermont. 

While she did not have children of her own, her youthful enthusiasm and love of gift giving created effortless connection with her nieces and the children of her best friends. She valued her role as godmother. 

She traveled widely, beginning with family trips in her youth and spending a semester in Geneva, Switzerland during high school. This sparked a desire to globetrot, which brought her to London for her undergraduate studies, and culminated in long trips to Europe, Australia and Southeast Asia.

Anya was the ultimate socialite and lover of the arts. She helped organize music and art festivals and was always the life of the party. She possessed an innovative and imaginative spirit, immersing constantly in new ideas and creating visions for things that were always larger than herself. She dreamt big and kept herself busy in this way. She subscribed to the belief that “only the boring get bored” and that held true for her. May her spirit soar and may these gifts live on in all of us.

Anya is the first grandchild of the Rouleau and Jacobson clans. In addition to her parents, she is survived by her sister Sara Lovejoy (Spencer Lovejoy); her nieces Addison and McKinley Lovejoy; her grandmother Nancy Rouleau; her aunts and uncles Wendy Jacobson (Andrew Miller), Louis Rouleau (Tracy Marion), Ann Breen (Peter Breen), Martha Hardiman (Sean Hardiman), Patricia Rouleau (Kenneth Turgeon); and her cousins Bridget Hardiman, Max Miller, Michael Rossman, Jaclyn Miller, Katherine Deoliveira, Luisa Rouleau and Kiernan Rouleau. 

Private services will be held at a later date. Anya's family respectfully requests that in lieu of flowers memorial donations in her name be made to Artists For Humanity. 

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