Obituary of Ann N. Werner

Ann Newton Werner of Stamford, CT and a former longtime resident of Pittsburgh, PA died peacefully on September 25, 2010 from complications of Alzheimer's disease. Ann was born in Niagara Falls, NY on February 10, 1930 to Charles and Violetta Gordon Newton. She grew up in Ilion, NY and graduated from Simmons College in Boston with a BS degree in Library Science in 1951. Following her marriage to Fred Eugene Werner in June of that year, she worked at the Public Library in Winchester, MA, and in 1955 she and her husband moved to Pittsburgh, PA. While her children were growing up, she was active in the PTA. She was also involved in the Girl Scouts for many years, serving as Troop Leader, Neighborhood Chairman, District Chairman, member of the Board of Directors, and Council President of the Girl Scouts of Southwestern PA. In addition, Ann trained Girl Scout adults for administrative jobs and served on the Council Nominating Committee. She continued her volunteerism in later years as an adult Literacy Tutor. For several years she served on the Board of Trustees of the Pittsburgh Memorial Society and was its president for two terms. Ann was active with her husband in American Field Service (AFS International) for a number of years in the 1970's and her family hosted an exchange student from Peru in 1973-1974. Ann and her husband Fred, to whom she was devoted, shared many of the same interests and activities. They were subscription-holders for concerts and theater in Pittsburgh, and they audited classes ranging from art history to politics at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. They traveled several times a year, enjoying equally their excursions with Elderhostel to far-flung locales including the Galapagos and New Zealand, and their regular visits to their children, relatives, and friends. When she was a child, Ann's mother and stepfather, George C. Blauvelt purchased a cabin on Piseco Lake in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State, and in the early 1990's, Ann and Fred began to spend three months of each year there, which gave them a base from which to attend summer opera at Glimmerglass near Cooperstown, and to hike and canoe in the area. After much enjoyable field research, they compiled a self-published guide of short hikes and canoe trips in the Adirondacks which they distributed to friends and neighbors as a way to share their love of the area and of the outdoors. Ann was also adept at identifying both birds and plants, and particularly loved the sound and sight of an owl. Although she was far too modest to speak about it, her family and friends can attest to her talents in the kitchen; she was an incredible cook. Ann was predeceased in 2009 by her husband of 57 years and is survived by her three daughters and their spouses: Leslie and Kevin Lloyd of Darien, CT; Karen and Halford House of Chapel Hill, NC; Susan Werner and Thomas Lyon Mills of Providence, RI. She is also survived by three grandchildren: Andrew and Brian Lloyd of New York, NY, and Melissa House, of Chapel Hill, NC; a cousin, Mary Ellen Shore of Austell, GA; and by her AFS International daughter, Ana Maria Reinoso de Ponce of Arequipa, Peru. The family would like to thank the staff at Brighton Gardens/Sunrise Assisted Living in Stamford, CT and Vitas Hospice for the compassionate care they gave Ann. A memorial service will be held at a later date in Pittsburgh, PA, with burial at Higgins Bay Cemetery of Piseco Lake, NY. The family suggests contributions be made to Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania, 30 Isabella Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. Arrangements were handled by the Edward Lawrence Funeral Home, Darien, CT. www.lawrencefuneralhome.com Funeral Home: Edward Lawrence Funeral Home 2119 Post Road Darien, CT USA 06820