Colleen Stiers Little

The beautiful spirit of Colleen Jeanne Stiers Little, our beloved wife, mother, daughter, nana, sister, auntie, and friend left her physical body on Tuesday, May 11 at her home in Williamstown, Mass., surrounded by family and friends. Her life was cut short by metastatic breast cancer. Yet it was a life remarkably full, well-loved and well-lived. Colleen was a force of nature, always giving her all to her family and friends, her work, and her fight against cancer.

Colleen was born in Toms River, New Jersey on Feb. 1, 1974, to Robert and Teresa Stiers. She cherished her roots growing up on the Jersey shore in Bayville, and never lost her love of the beach. She graduated from Central Regional High School in Berkeley Township where she honed her gift for helping others, working as an aide with special education students. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Business Management, graduating summa cum laude from Lesley University in Boston. While her work in the hospitality business and education brought her all over the country, she settled in the Berkshires of Massachusetts after marrying the love of her life, David Little.

In her most relished role, Colleen was mother to Willie Jacobs and stepmom to Connor, Abigail, Alexa, and Emily Little and grandmother to Tesla Jacobs. Colleen was a loving, involved parent and grandparent, always finding time to make sure all the kids participated in multiple sports and activities and pursued educational opportunities.

She leaves behind a large and loving extended family, including her parents, three brothers; Robert (Kathryn), Michael (Claudia) and Dennis (Jillian), her mother-in-law Beverly Little, father-in-law, Jim Little, sister-in-law, Barbara Little, many nieces and nephews adored by Auntie Colleen as well as scores of aunts, uncles, cousins (and adopted friends who became family) who adored her too.

Colleen worked at Williams College in Williamstown as Special Assistant to the Vice President of College Relations and as Director of Principal Giving Strategy, where she facilitated many partnerships with the college's top donors and provided leadership and support for a complex multi-faceted fundraising program. She was also known and admired in the surrounding community as a business owner. Colleen and her husband, David, true partners in life and love for sixteen years, shared a dream of opening a business together. After much research, they co-created and opened Spoon frozen yogurt café on Spring Street in Williamstown in 2020. In under two years of operation in the midst of a pandemic) Spoon has become a staple of the Williams College campus and the local community. With her wide smile, bright eyes and warm laugh, Colleen was a friend to many across campus and in the surrounding area,

Before coming to Williams, Colleen was Chief Operating Officer and Director of Development at Southern Vermont College in Bennington, working in various capacities with senior leadership on a wide range of institutional challenges. Before her career switch to the academic world, Colleen worked in the hospitality industry for 14 years, most recently as Executive Director of the Canyon Ranch Spa in Lenox, Mass. for five years. Other high-level positions and consultancies for various spas include being hired to create a national spa brand, and overseeing the design and development of their flagship property on a remote island off the coast of South Carolina. Colleen traveled the world through her work and helped open spas in many resort areas across the United States.

Colleen and Dave, who renewed their wedding vows at St Barnabas Church in Bayville in 2019, shared a love for travel, motorcycles, golf, and music, and were frequent subscribers to performances at Jacob's Pillow, Tanglewood, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival. They were also members of Taconic Golf Club. Even while raising five children with Dave, Colleen was active in the Girl Scouts and serving on the board of multiple youth programs and community organizations.

A celebration of life for Colleen will be held on Saturday, May 28 beginning with a family receiving line at 10 a.m., followed by the service at 11 am. at Thompson Chapel on the Williams campus in Williamstown, MA. A second service will be held in Bayville, New Jersey on Saturday, June 4 at 11 a.m. at St. Barnabas Catholic Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for consideration of a gift in Colleen's name to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) which is the largest funder of metastatic breast cancer research in the world. www.bcrf.org