January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
Fond farewell to a woman who helped enrich Bermuda
Fond farewell to a woman who helped enrich Bermuda
All too often the summary of a life when written down does no justice to the soul and essence of the person. When written in haste, it frequently does not grasp the big and small contributions someone like Ann has made to her family, community and friends. All lives are worthy of comment but since Ann's arrival in Bermuda in 1952, as a new bride and having just graduated from Wellesley College, she soon became a part of this special island and contributed to its enrichment in so many ways.
Those friends who have been with Ann in the Junior Service League, Alliance Francais, the Philharmonic, the Garden Club and her beloved Rose Society will attest that she didn't simply belong and attend, she led. Those same friends will tell you that she led from the heart and believed in what she was doing. The 'Deliverance' is being rebuilt in St. George's now but it would not have been built at all had it not been for the hard work of the Junior Service League while she was president and working with Nancy Valentine.
Ann, in addition to the hands on raising of five children, started Preview magazine with Roxy Kaufmann. They were partners in the best sense of the word. It is not an exaggeration to say that in all their many years of business they never had one serious argument. They were both instrumental in laying the foundation of the Island Press [both Island Press and Preview magazine are part of the MediaHouse group, which also publishes the Bermuda Sun]. Many will remember that in over forty years Ann and Roxy would not be denied in their efforts with Preview magazine and all that it did to promote Bermuda.
Ann was a person who did things. She probably preferred her tennis or garden to Warren's passion for sailing but you would never know this if you saw her crewing with him on an IOD or accompanying him to Antarctica on 'Palawan'. She was the first American woman to sail to that continent... and was directly responsible for saving the life of a crew member who fell overboard. She sailed with her family extensively and even did a trip with some of the grandchildren to Croatia. She spent thousands of miles with Warren on cruises to just about every part of the world. She was also unfailingly warm and welcoming to all of the sailors and many friends who appeared on her doorstep while in tow by Warren or the children, no matter what the hour or level of sobriety. They were part of her huge and extended family.
Those are some of the small things that Ann did.
Understanding and gracious
Overwhelmingly Ann is remembered by all as the most understanding and gracious person they knew. She would do anything for her family, her friends and her community. She simply did not know how to say no to those who needed her help. She was a citizen of Bermuda who lived her life and was kind to everyone, no matter their race or creed, in a unique and open way. In the current era of 'Big Conversations' we could not do better than follow the example that Ann held to all of her life.
Ann was the eldest in her family and was predeceased by her brother Freddy and will be sorely missed by her husband of over fifty years Warren, her sister Elizabeth, her children Beryl, Warren Jr., Ellen, Margot and Melissa, all her treasured grandchildren and her niece and nephews.
She will be missed by her friends and the many causes she championed. She will be missed most by the community she loved but has left the way she came into it, with a smile.[[In-content Ad]]
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