Obituary of Anita Ekern

Anita Elizabeth Ekern, 87, died peacefully surrounded by her family December 22, 2022 from leukemia. Anita was born on July 30, 1935 in London, England to Friederike and Godfrey Poynton. Anita was an only child and her family lived throughout her childhood in the West Hampstead area of London, which endured years of bombing during WWII and several times the windows of their flat were blown out. She was an avid tennis player and learned to ski in Austria while visiting her mother's family in Vienna after the war. Anita attended school in London and became a librarian. She met and married an American football player from Missouri, George Patrick Ekern, while he attended the London School of Economics and she was a librarian at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. They were married in London on June 3, 1961 and then moved to Brooklyn, NY where Anita worked in the law libraries of NYU's School of Law and Fordham University's Law School. In 1963, they moved to Darien where they raised their three children – Stephen, Nigel and Adrienne. Anita continued working as a librarian initially volunteering at Hollow Tree Elementary School and then the Darien Public Library and eventually became the Head of Technical Services, a position she held for more than two decades. She also later worked part-time for the Fairfield Public Library in Fairfield, CT. Surprising for a career librarian, Anita was a quiet but avid sports fan, which she inherited from her dad beginning with attending cricket, football, rugby and tennis matches in London. Anita was a constant presence in the stands of her children's and grandchildren's games. She also became a diehard Yankees fan following her move to Brooklyn and was forever checking television listings for broadcasts of the Yankees, Rays, Rams and the Mizzou Tigers. A devoted wife, mother and grandmother, Anita was always there to support her family and proudly hosted them at her home for countless holiday and birthday meals of delicious favorites of hers including Yorkshire pudding and flaming Christmas cakes. Her kindness and devotion will be greatly missed by all that knew her. Anita is survived by her son, Nigel, and his wife Kimberley Ryan Ekern (Rowayton, CT), her daughter, Adrienne (New York City), and her three grandchildren Robert, Tighe and Skye. Anita was predeceased by her husband, George, and her son, Stephen. A funeral service will be held in the Chapel at Noroton Presbyterian Church in Darien at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 28th with a burial to follow at Spring Grove Cemetery in Darien.