Anne Willand was born Anne Appleton Abbot on Feb 26, 1922 in Salem, Massachusetts to Walter Lyle Abbot and Edith Doane Abbot (nee Brown). She had three younger sisters, Edith, Caroline and Madeline. Anne grew up in Salem, and attended the city’s public schools. She spent summers in Marblehead where she learned to swim and sail, and developed a lifelong fondness for the town and its harbor. She completed her formal education at Stoneleigh Junior College in Rye Beach, NH.
During Anne’s childhood her family worshipped at Grace Episcopal Church in Salem. After college Anne returned to Salem and became the parish secretary at the church where she met a young minister in training, Pitt S. Willand. They married in 1947.
During their life together Anne accompanied Pitt as he accepted a variety of clerical, administrative, and teaching roles across the United States and abroad. As a clergy spouse, Anne was an unfailingly gracious and empathetic presence in the life of the parishes at which her husband served. Anne had a special knack for writing, and sent long descriptive letters full of wry observation and gentle humor back to family and friends from his multiple postings.
In 1951 Anne gave birth to a son, John. She devoted herself to his upbringing until his departure for college, after which she returned to the workforce, first as a registrar at a private school in Portland, Oregon and then in clerical roles in Sandpoint, Idaho.
In 1990 she became a grandmother, a role she relished. After Pitt’s death in 1993 Anne returned to Massachusetts, settling in Marblehead where she was active in St. Michaels Church and as a volunteer in the community. Returning to the North Shore enabled her to share in the life of her son’s family, to the mutual benefit of all. In 2012 she moved to Brooksby Village in Peabody, MA.
She leaves her son, his wife Peggy and their son, Ben, and several nieces and nephews. Her sisters predeceased her. The family wishes to thank the staff at Brooksby Village and Care Dimensions for their care and kindness in the last years of Anne’s life.
A funeral service will be live-streamed from St. Michael's Church on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 11:00 a.m. for viewing online. To view the service please visit the St. Michael's website, www.stmichaels1714.org, and click on the tab indicating St. Michael's YouTube Channel found on the home page. The service also can be reached through St. Michael's Facebook page, Facebook.com/stmichaels1714. In the event that the YouTube Channel is not working, please check St. Michael's Facebook page.
Donations in Anne’s memory may be made to St. Michaels Church, 26 Pleasant Street, Marblehead, MA, 01945; Grace Church in Salem, 385 Essex Street, Salem, MA 01970; or Doctors Without Borders USA, P.O. Box 5030, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5030.
Partager l'avis de décès
v.1.8.18