Anne Madeline Stein

Anne Madaline Stein, 79, of San Rafael, CA passed away peacefully in her sleep March 13, 2015. Known for her acerbic wit, love of food, wine and splendid dinner parties, Anne was a passionate teacher, mother, nana, sister and friend.

Born in Prospect Park, Pennsylvania, on September 5, 1935, her family discouraged her from pursuing higher education, telling her, “College isn’t for the likes of us, Annie.”

Thank goodness, Anne didn’t listen. Always an avid student with an insatiable appetite for learning, she earned a one-year scholarship to Drexel University for fashion design, leaving only when she couldn’t afford to continue. At 20, Anne found herself married and pregnant, like all the “good girls” of the 1950s.

But Anne Stein was never a "good girl" and was better known for breaking the mold. Undaunted, she left her first marriage to raise her two young sons independently, moving to California and putting herself through a BA and Master’s Degree in English. Along the way, she also learned to speak French and began a life-long love affair with France.

She began her 25-year career as a high school English teacher at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles and, after moving to Tiburon in the late 1960’s, continued to share her love of learning and literature with thousands of Bay Area students. She taught mainly at Redwood High, but also in the East Bay. After her retirement from full time teaching, Anne tutored in Marin and San Francisco and worked with colleagues in the North Bay through Educators in Private Practice. Students from her past were so influenced by Anne's teaching that they later brought their own children to her for tutoring and college essay preparation.

Anne was a fiercely committed feminist, campaigning for the ERA and co-founding the group “Women on The Move,” an organization that brought to the Tam District successful female role models such as author Anais Nin and feminist advocate Gloria Steinem to inspire her students to achieve. Through her efforts, WOM also launched the first child-care center on a high school campus.

With her second husband, Anne had a daughter, and finally she earned the freedom to travel and see the worlds she’d read about in books. She lived extensively in the South of France and in Rome, giving her daughter the experiences she’d only dreamed of as a child: great museums, theatre and opera, and the hard-won knowledge that girls can grow up to be anything they like.

Anne was predeceased by her sister Barbara Chukitis and two husbands, William Reagan and Alexis Tellis.

She is survived by her loving sons Bill and Brian Reagan, her daughter Antonia Murphy, her step sons Gregory and Christopher Tellis, and six grandchildren: Patrick and Lindsey, Arianna and Chiara, and Silas and Miranda.

A garden celebration in memory of Anne’s life will be held this spring.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the San Rafael Public Library.