Abbie Sunde Verner

Abbie Sunde Verner, 79, of Long Lake,  passed away after a brief illness on Wednesday, January 25, 2017, at Glens Falls Hospital with her daughters by her side.
She was born on July 3, 1937, in Brooklyn NY, the daughter of the late Einar Andrew and Miriam (Lathrop) Sunde. She attended St. Mary’s Girls School in Peekskill, NY, and graduated from Smith College, Northampton, MA, with a B.A in history in 1959.
In her early career she worked for Bristol-Meyers in New York City. She was the president and founder of Hamilton County Homemakers, a home health agency, one of the first in New York State. She was the director of Planned Parenthood of Hamilton County, 1973-1978, a teacher at Adirondack Mountain School in Long Lake, 1978 to 1981, and the Long Lake Parks and Recreation Director from 1984 to 1985.
Abbie directed development research offices for Union College 1989-1994 and the Albany Institute of History and Art,1994-1997. She was a senior associate at Prospect Foundation Research 1996-2000.
At the time of her death, Abbie Verner was the archivist for the Town of Long Lake.
Her non-profit organization experiences include the Schenectady Boys Club, Schenectady Museum and Planetarium and the Olympic and Winter Sports Museum.
Abbie was appointed Commissioner of the Schenectady Historic District Commission and served as the first female president of the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks.
She served as the president of the Long Lake Historical Society, and she was a board member of the Long Lake Public Library and the Adirondack Park Institute.
In her youth, Abbie enjoyed spending time with her grandparents at Lake Minnewaska and summers at Timber Trails in Sherman, CT. In the 1970s she got the acting bug and performed with the Mountain Echo Theater Company and later AMS Enterplay in Long Lake.
In addition to her parents, she was also predeceased on May 8, 1989, by her husband, William Kemble Verner, whom she married on April 28, 1962, in Brooklyn.
 Survivors include her daughters Victoria Sandiford (William) and Alexandra Roalsvig (Paul) of Long Lake; her brother John Sunde (Anita) of Vancouver, Washington; and her grandchildren, Henry Sandiford, Leif and Abbie Roalsvig of Long Lake, and Emmett Sandiford of Albany.
Abbie will forever be known for her sense of humor, rousing dinner parties, laughter, and love of the Adirondacks and Long Lake history.
Abbie was especially devoted to her family. For the last seven years, she lived in "Vernerville" in Long Lake, where she and her daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren lived lovingly in neighboring houses. Friends and there were many always knew they could drop by unannounced and find a warm, occasionally chaotic welcome. Food, drink, and laughs for all.
Abbie is reunited with Bill. They have never been apart in spirit, and now they are together forever.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 18, at 11 a.m., St. Henry’s Parish Center in Long Lake. Burial will be at a later date at the Long Lake Cemetery.
Contributions in Abbie’s memory may be directed to Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood, Development Office, 855 Central Ave. Albany, NY 12206, Long Lake Historical Society, PO Box 201, Long Lake, NY, 12847, or Long Lake Central School Scholarship Fund, PO Box 217, Long Lake, NY 12847. Online condolences may be made at www.stuartfortunekeoughfuneralhome.com.