Woodstock, GA - Rigmor Henriksen Shawcross, 96, died peacefully on Tuesday, August 13, in Woodstock, GA. She was born on 24 January 1923 in Kirke Hyllinge, Denmark, to Johannes Henriksen and Karen Bentsen Henriksen and moved to Elizabeth, NJ, at the age of 18 months.

Educated in the public schools of Elizabeth, Rigmor graduated from Battin High School in 1940 and in 1944 earned a B.S. in Elementary Education from Newark State Teachers College (now Kean University), where she met her beloved husband Ernest Charles Shawcross. They married in 1945; raised a family of four children in Westfield, NJ; retired to Shelter Island, NY, in 1986; relocated to Wilder, VT, in 1994; and celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in 2010.

From 1944 to 1945 Rigmor taught Middle School English at the Mountainside School in Mountainside, NJ. She then turned to substitute teaching, working initially for the Westfield Public Schools and later at the Pingry School: her game of "Eraser Tag" was a classroom favorite.

In addition to her love for cats, Rigmor enjoyed duplicate bridge and achieved the rank of Silver Life Master with her partner of 17 years, Louise Thorndike. She was a communicant at St. Anthony's Church in White River Junction, VT, where she served as a lector for many years. Her greatest happiness was the love and devotion of her husband, who died in 2010 at the age of 90. Her greatest pride was having 16 grandchildren and 29--soon to be 30--great-grandchildren.

Rigmor was preceded in death by her sister Elizabeth Walters; her eldest child, Jeffrey; and her husband. She is survived by her son, Steven, of Canton, GA; two daughters, Susan Crane, of Hanover, NH, and Nancy, of Los Angeles, CA; her niece, Lynn Johnson, of San Diego, CA; and her nephew, Jon Walters, of Valley Center, CA.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, August 31st, at 10 a.m. at St. Anthony's Church with burial following in the Mt. Olivet Cemetery, both in White River Junction.

Memorial contributions may be made to Upper Valley Haven--a non-profit, private organization that serves people struggling with poverty--located at 713 Hartford Avenue, White River Junction, Vermont 05001-8037.