Longtime Middlesex resident and accomplished pianist was a fierce advocate for mental health parity Anne Donnis Howland, 66, of White River Junction, Vt., passed peacefully at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, following a courageous struggle with congestive heart failure. She was born on January 6, 1958, in Hatfield, Mass., and grew up in Chester, Vt. Anne was predeceased by her parents, Edward J. and Helen W. Donnis. She is survived by Glenn C. Howland, her loving husband of 43 years; her beloved daughters, Alison J. Howland and her husband, Mehdi Boubiya, of Philadelphia, Pa., and Mariah D. Howland of Barre, Vt.; her siblings, Mary Donnis-Romanson of Ashburnham, Mass., Robert Donnis of Bristol, Vt., Edward Donnis of Bennington, Vt., Catherine Donnis of Berlin, Vt., Margo Donnis of Portland, Maine, and Rosemary Levy of Brewster, Mass.; and many beloved nieces, nephews and their families. Anne attended the University of Nice, France, and earned a BA degree in languages from the University of Vermont and an associate’s degree in computer science from Champlain College. She had been a programmer analyst at National Life for many years. She was an accomplished pianist and loved to teach piano. A longtime resident of Middlesex, Vt., she loved peony flowers and raised them for 33 years. She often volunteered her time and taught a generation of kids at St. Michael’s School in Montpelier how to play chess. Anne was a fierce advocate for mental health and mental health parity. In 1996, she testified before the Vermont Joint House-Senate Committee in support of Vermont’s comprehensive Mental Health Parity bill, which was subsequently passed into law and became the model throughout the nation for legislation to ensure parity in health care coverage for conditions arising from mental illness or substance addiction. Anne will be deeply missed and forever loved. There will be no calling hours. A celebration of Anne’s life will be held at a later date in the spring. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, tax deductible contributions be made in Anne’s name to the Vermont Association for Mental Health and Addiction Recovery, 1 Blanchard Ct., Montpelier, VT 05602, or to the Cardiac Transplant Program, Tufts Medical Center, 800 Washington St. # 231, Boston, MA 02111 (tuftsmedicine.org)…