:Cornelia "Corky" Hadsell Mott died on April 27. She was born
April 23, 1916, in Columbus, Ohio, to Mina Bernard and Harry
Hadsell. Her family moved to Shaker Heights, Ohio, where Corky
grew up. She later majored in English and art at Connecticut
College for Women.
Post graduation, Corky worked as publicity director for the
Cleveland Natural History Museum and in the Army Air Transport
Command as a reporter during World War II. She continued her
career as a writer and reporter by spending nine years at the
Cleveland News, first at the city desk and then as society
editor.
She met her husband, Garret Mott, Jr, while skiing at Mont
Tremblant, Quebec. They married in 1949 and moved to New Canaan,
Conn., and later settled in Wilton, Conn.
It was during this time that Corky had two sons, remodeled two
barns into homes, taught at the Famous Writer's School in
Westport, Conn., and joined her friend Anabel Barrows to form an
antiques business, Barrows and Mott. She co-founded a group that
resuscitated a village center in Wilton known as Cannondale,
restoring and remodeling the buildings to form a vibrant center
while maintaining its architectural history. She also made time
for skiing, sailing and especially tennis. Corky had an
enterprising nature and her energy carried into her myriad of
endeavors. She was a woman ahead of her time.
In 1978 Corky, Garry, and their son Lawrence lived aboard their
sailboat while they cruised the Intracoastal Waterway and
explored the Bahamas. When they returned to land they chose the
Woodstock, Vt., area and yet another restoration project in the
form of an old farmhouse. Corky continued buying and selling
primitives and folk art antiques until 1994 when she and Garry
moved to Wake Robin in Shelburne. There, her keen eye and
knowledge of antiques helped her contribute to the community's
decorating and tag sale committees.
Corky was predeceased by her husband Garry in 2001. She is
survived by her sons, Garret Mott III of Buel's Gore, Vt., and
his partner, Michele Lewis of Essex Junction, Vt., and Lawrence
Harper Mott and his wife, Janii Peterson of Buel's Gore, Vt.
A circle of remembrance will be held at Wake Robin in Shelburne
on May 15 at 2 pm.
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