Anne C. La Spina

Anne Cecelia La Spina (nee Tallman), age 96, of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, passed away on January 6, 2021 in her sleep at her home in New York, NY. Anne was preceded in death by her husband Vincent S. La Spina, her sister Mary Jane Byrnes and her brother William J. Tallman. She is survived by her daughter, Donna Ann La Spina, of New York, NY, and 21 nieces and nephews from the Byrnes, La Spina, Tallman and Zocchia families.

A child of the Great Depression, Anne was forced like many of her time to enter the workforce as a teenager. She took on jobs that ran the gamut from spinning records in a department store (“I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire” was the #1 release at the time) to telephone operator. She eventually joined the war effort, as a “Rosie”, working as a riveter on fighter plane assembly lines in the Brooklyn war plants and later in the records office of the British Ministry of War on Broadway. Marriage came after a long courtship with her beloved husband Vincent (“Jim”) La Spina. Motherhood followed at close to age 42 with the arrival of her pride and joy, daughter, Donna, after which she retired from Irving Trust to become a full time homemaker.

Life took Anne and Jim to the Bronx, then Yonkers, and ultimately to full retirement in West Palm Beach, FL, where they spent close to a decade enjoying their home there, visits with family from up north, exploring new pastimes, and forging new friendships. After Jim’s passing in 2005, Anne returned to New York to be closer to her daughter. Then in her 80s, she began a new chapter of life living in Manhattan. After several rehabilitation stays at the Mary Manning Walsh Home, she became a volunteer in the physical therapy unit, finding new purpose and building lasting friendships with staff there.

Anne was an avid reader of mystery novels, often devouring 3-4 books per week. She enjoyed live theater and musical performances, with Radio City Music Hall one of her favorite destinations. Gregarious and charismatic, she loved nothing more than dressing for a good party and socializing with family, friends and strangers alike. With a unique sense of humor and style all her own, she still applied her own makeup, and never ever hesitated to offer “advice” to others on their appearance. “Powder and paint makes a girl what she ain’t”, was a favorite saying of hers.

Anne’s natural beauty was never compromised by the lifelong pain she endured due to early childhood Leggs Perthes disease and osteo arthritis. Having been one of the first artificial hip replacement patients while only in her 30s, she was a fighter and risk taker throughout her life. Multiple replacement surgeries and hospitalizations followed over the decades and she was frequently referred to as the “Bionic Woman”. Ultimately losing the ability to walk in her later years and confined to a wheelchair, she never stood on the sidelines, forever wanting to be part of the action - and she was.

“Devoted wife, mother, sister, aunt and friend to all, forever in our hearts, we hope that you are at peace and enjoying the party in heaven.”

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Anne's memory to: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Link: Gift Funds: In Memory of Anne C. La Spina - Gift Funds for St. Jude

OR

Mary Manning Walsh Home: By check only, payable to Mary Manning Walsh Home, with memo "Volunteer Association in Memory of Anne La Spina" -- 1339 York Avenue - New York, New York 10021