THE
Heart OF NDP FOREVER FRIENDS IN THE CLASS OF 1986
By Jennifer Caine ’86 Advancement Communications Specialist
It’s a bit of a watershed moment in life, isn’t it? Losing a friend. That first classmate. Someone whom you may not have seen since that day in May when you left childhood behind for good. That person who, in your mind, stays forever young. For many sisters in the Class of 1986, that moment came in November 2018, when Anne Sybert Evans, the gracious girl who many remember as always smiling, lost her battle with pancreatic cancer. Anne on vacation with her husband Mike and son, Alex.
Anne and Sharon Mowbray Ferris circa 1985
As is the case for many NDP alums, Anne spent her final days as she lived her post-Hampton Lane life, surrounded by her “Forever Friends” from Notre Dame. That’s how this group of women defines itself. “We basically raised each other,” said Sharon Mowbray Ferris. “We knew what made each other tick. We talked about everything, but we never talked about one of us dying. That was unfathomable, unthinkable.” The friends have seen each other through just about every life change there is. From graduations to weddings, to births and adoptions, to burying beloved parents, Sharon, Mary Neil Corcoran Gathagan, Janine Blair Ptak, Trish Huey Jones, Rebecca Mills Blanton, and Anne, all members of the Class of 1986, made a point to make time for one another, no matter the hand life dealt at the time. “We always used to joke that we would live together in the nursing home because we were definitely going to outlive our husbands,” remembers Mary Neil. From birthday celebration trips to girls’ getaways “just because,” time together was always time well spent. Laughter was a given; support was the gift. That is why when the ladies got together in Bermuda in July of 2018 to celebrate their collective 50th birthdays, Anne’s absence just did not seem right. She was going to have to miss the trip. Her father’s continued failing health left her with no choice. She had to stay back in Baltimore to care for him. Yet there was more.
Anne and Alex 24 • Roots & Wings • Spring 2020
