Artist, designer, mother and friend

Hope F. Hudner died at home in Little Compton on January 14, 2016, following a 13-month battle with glioblastoma multiforme, a form of brain cancer.  Hope is survived by her husband of 40 years, Michael, and her daughter, Bay, who were deeply involved as caregivers and comforters during the past year, and were at her side at the time of her peaceful passing.

Hope is also survived by her aunt, Judy Freeman N. Gross; brothers, Ambassador Charles “Chas” W. Freeman, Jr. (Margaret Carpenter) and Robert P. Freeman (Inge Reist); their five children and nine grandchildren (Hope’s grand-nieces and -nephews); siblings-in-law, Mr. Kennedy Hudner (Jennifer), Ms. Cornelia Futterman (Michael), and Ms. Kristina Beitman (Harty), and their five children.

Hope was born on January 11, 1951, in Nassau, The Bahamas, and lived there until age 10, then alternating time in Southern California with years in Providence and Bristol.  Hope is predeceased by her son, Michael Ripley (“Rip”) Hudner, and her parents (father, Charles Wellman Freeman, and mother, Carla Park Freeman, who died when Hope was 20 months old).  Hope was largely raised by her two sets of deceased grandparents, Hovey T. and Marjorie W. Freeman of Providence and Bristol, and Edward and Fentress K. Park of Wollaston, Mass., and Roaring Brook, Mich.

Hope graduated from The Lincoln School, Providence (1969), Smith College (1973), and also acquired an MFA from New York University.  The family lived in New York City from 1974 through 1994, and then resided in Little Compton and Providence.  Hope was an accomplished artist and designer with a portfolio including work in graphic-, interior-, jewelry-, and apparel design.  These efforts led to her 2013 creation of Hope Hudner Designs, focused on elegant silk infinity scarves.

Hope was deeply involved in Rhode Island public service, including, at various times, board and/or development responsibilities at Moses Brown School, Women & Infants Hospital, Rhode Islanders Sponsoring Education (RISE), RISD Museum, Perennial Planters, The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America (Rhode Island), and Providence Preservation Society.  Hope’s social involvements included membership in the Providence Art Club, Colony Club of New York City, Lyford Cay Club, Sakonnet Golf Club, and Sakonnet Point Club.

Hope had great admiration for the natural world and actively cultivated a sense of wonder: she was a faithful student of plants and flowers (as evidenced by the thousands of bulbs planted across Rhode Island, Maine, and New York); she loved sailing with her family and friends (countless excursions on Narragansett Bay and longer trips to Maine, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Ireland number among the most special); and her keen curiosity led her to explore the far corners of the world, from Spain and Taiwan at age 18 to Antarctica at 49, covering every other continent and many countries in between.

Hope had enormous energy, deep intelligence, natural grace, and remarkable warmth. She believed that life presented endless opportunity to learn, remarking on the tenth anniversary of her son’s death that, “Each time it rains in our lives, we are given an opportunity for further growth. I am grateful for the challenges in my life as chances to grow and blossom.” Hope faced her illness with the same fortitude and poise. While she was indeed a lifelong learner, Hope was perhaps most notable as a teacher of these invaluable lessons to the rest of us. Hope felt a profound duty to embrace everyone she encountered with love and kindness, and she shared this love of people and life like water from a fire hose.  All within range were enriched by her presence and generosity of spirit.  Hope inspired people to think lovingly and boldly on behalf of the larger community, themselves, and their friends, prompting many to find more inside themselves to enhance their own lives and those of others.

A college classmate of Bay’s said it beautifully in a recent note to Hope: “You feature prominently as an inspiration for the life I want to live – to pursue my interests, to live fully and with panache, to spend time in nature, and, most of all, to be kind to people.  I know I am just one of the many, many people you affect in this way!”

A celebration of Hope’s life will be held in Little Compton in early June on a date to be announced.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions in Hope’s memory be made to: the Rip Hudner Memorial Fund at Moses Brown School, Providence; Dr. Patrick Wen’s Research in Neuro-Oncology at Dana Faber Cancer Institute, Boston; or a charity of your choice. Above all, the family encourages you to remember Hope by engaging with the world through love and kindness.