Anne Cary Gregory

Anne Cary Gregory passed away peacefully on Friday, December 20, 2019 while in hospice care in Aldie, VA, with her devoted granddaughter by her side. She had fallen at home three weeks prior and had hoped to recover from her injuries. Anne lived an incredible 99 years, and one day shy of what would have been her 73rd wedding anniversary to her beloved Jack, who died in August of 2000.

Anne was born on July 8, 1920 in Richmond, VA and spent her childhood traveling around the country while her father mapped parts of the United States for USGS, never staying in any particular place for very long. This let her experience so much, growing up and making friends in VA, DC, MD, WV, ME, VT, IN and FL, circling back to these many locations and even attending the same schools, numerous times. She earned a Bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland in 1942 and was a Treaty Analyst for the Department of State during WWII, translating numerous documents to and from multiple languages. She spent many years volunteering on numerous committees and serving as church secretary at the historic Petworth United Methodist Church on Grant Circle in Washington, DC. Anne enjoyed serving her community by volunteering as a pollster during local elections and she volunteered regularly at the Asbury Village senior living community gift shop in Gaithersburg, MD, up until she could no longer do so at the age of 95.

Anne was always up for anything, especially if it was chocolate, beer, crabs or baseball (everything all at once was even better). And, before you think that chocolate and beer couldn’t possibly be a thing, we have a photograph of her enjoying both together that suggests otherwise. "Why NOT?" was her lifelong motto.

Anne loved camping, traveling, playing card games and absolutely never met a chocolate covered cherry she didn't like. She was a square dancer for over 40 years and used to make all of her own dresses. She enjoyed watching shows like CSI and Law & Order, while also being quite active on social media through her iPad and Facebook page, allowing her to always stay connected with friends and family. Yahtzee, UNO and Cribbage were some of her favorite games to play, both in person and online. She was a super fan of both the Washington Redskins and the Washington Nationals and enjoyed watching college basketball. We were all super fans of hers too, and she was the center of our world.

In this life, she truly left it all on the field, just like her “STAY IN THE FIGHT” Nationals team did this past October when they won it all, with all the odds against them. We are so happy that she got to see “her boys” bring a championship home to DC. Every year for her birthday, she had a special celebration at Nationals Park with her family, where the ushers would shower her with a huge bag of “Nats swag” and every single dessert you could possibly imagine. They knew her well and she would receive numerous birthday serenades as we wheeled her around the park. She’s the type of person that approached every single day with the “GO 1-0” mentality and she did so, up until her very last day.

Anne was so lively and vivacious and carried herself with so much grace and humility. She was fiercely independent and even as her body continued to wear, her mind was as sharp as ever. Good luck trying to beat her at crosswords, trivia, Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy, just to name a few. The smart money was always on “Nini” as her grandchildren adoringly called her. She was also affectionately known as “Aunt Greg” to many in the family.

Anne spent her final years with her new extended family at Sunrise Assisted Living in Falls Church, VA where she was always right at home and met some truly amazing friends along the way. She collected a massive amount of prizes and sweets from her daily gaming and trivia winnings there, always sharing them with others and generally being the life of the party.

As challenging as her physical limitations were becoming for her in recent years, she loved life, she loved people, and it was always abundantly clear how much everyone loved her. There was never an encounter with someone where they didn’t remark to us how amazing she was, and they were shocked to learn just how old she was when we told them. 99 years is quite impressive, but that was nothing compared to the gift she gave us along the way. She showed us by example, how to live our best life. What a woman. What a life.

She will be missed terribly and although this is a very difficult time, we are really looking forward to sharing the amazing stories of her life and the great times we’ve shared together with her, over much needed laughter that she would no doubt require.

Anne was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Jack Neil Gregory and her brother, John Marshall McKinley. She is survived by her children, Susan Lynn Enderson (Allan) and Kevin Gregory (partner Sara Jane Florence, decd); her sister Mary Lou Woods (Robert); her grandchildren, Katie Clark Wedding (Kevin), Randy Clark, Chris Clark (Jessica) and Michael Gregory; her great-grandchildren, Ryan Gregory Pittenger and Mackenzie Robinson; and her former son-in-law Tom Clark, who absolutely adored her, along with many wonderful friends and extended family.