Ann Fredenburgh

Ann Patricia Fredenburgh (née Walsh), 74, proud resident of Park Slope, Brooklyn died suddenly on May 28 in the VillageCare Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Manhattan after courageously battling and beating cancer twice.

Ann was born April 14, 1941, in Jersey City, NJ, to Irish immigrants Elizabeth and Martin Walsh. Ann’s work ethic and passion for education were strong forces in her life. Raised in Jersey City, Ann saved money earned babysitting to attend high school at Holy Family Academy in Bayonne, NJ. She later graduated cum laude with a degree in English at St. Peter’s University in Jersey City by attending night school while working full time at the New Jersey Bell Telephone Company, where she worked for forty years. Diagnosed with nasopharynx cancer at the age of 18, Ann triumphed and went on to live a rich and full life, giving birth to three daughters for whom she worked hard and sacrificed much to make every opportunity available.

Ann was outspoken and passionate with a sweetness, intellect and sparkle in her vibrant blue eyes that made everyone who met her fall instantly in love. She loved to laugh and talk politics. She had deep love and admiration for the many doctors and medical professionals that took her into their care. She loved organic food, peaches, asparagus, babka, sweet potatoes and coffee. She also loved tennis, music, Audrey Hepburn, walking, her daughters and her beloved grandchildren, who became her greatest joy in her later years.

She was selfless, generous and believed in the goodness in all people. After living in Bayonne for most of her adult life, in early 2013 Ann relocated to Park Slope, which quickly became her new home. She was known to walk over thirty blocks a day and became a favorite among residents and shopkeepers. Living in New York provided no shortage of adventures and she would often regale her family with tales of the “angels” she met on the trains who would always ensure she got where she needed to go. All who met her know she was the true angel who has finally found her way home to the Lord.

Ann is survived by daughter Laura Fredenburgh, son-in-law Stephen Walsh and grandson Ethan Walsh of Brighton, MA, daughter Elizabeth Fredenburgh of Brooklyn, NY, daughter Catherine Fredenburgh, daughter-in-law Christine Caulfield and granddaughter Marlo Caulfield of Brooklyn, NY, sister Bernadette Merrigan of Fort Lauderdale, FL, brother Martin Walsh and sister-in-law Melanie Wieland of Alexandria, VA, and sister Joan Cassidy and brother-in-law Jim Cassidy of New York, NY.

Ann’s family would like to thank the many doctors who cared for her during her second battle with cancer: Dr. Richard Wong, Dr. Nancy Lee and Dr. David Pfister at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Dr. Mark Pecker and Dr. Thomas Nicholson of New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center, Dr. Thazin Saw and Dr. Emily Taylor of Mt. Sinai Hospital, Dr. Richard Fisher, Dr. Eric Nelson of Weill Cornell Medical Associates and everyone at the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Somerset, NJ.

A wake will be held on Monday, June 1 from 4 to 8 pm at Joseph G. Duffy Funeral Home in Brooklyn, followed by a service in her honor on Monday, June 2 at 9:45 at the St. Francis Xavier Church in Brooklyn. She will be buried with her parents at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, NJ. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in memory of Ann Fredenburgh. https://giving.mskcc.org