She was born to Madeleine and Henry Hereford in 1915 in Marazion, Cornwall, England. She grew up in the village of Newton Ferrers near Plymouth, Devon, England. At the beginning of WWII, she enlisted in the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS), where she worked in codes and cypher communications, rising to the rank of Second Officer. While stationed at the British consulate in Washington, DC, she met her future husband, Urquhart Shorter Ansley, a native of Decatur, Georgia. She returned to England where she participated in preparations for the D-Day invasion. Near the end of the war, she served as the Chief Communications Officer aboard HMS MAURETANIA. She and Lieutenant Commander Ansley were married aboard her ship while going through the Panama Canal. After the end of the war, she joined her husband, who was finishing his naval commitment in San Diego, California.
She and Mr. Ansley moved to Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, where Mr. Ansley took a position as CEO of the Red Deer Valley Coal Company. In 1960, the family moved to Coastal Georgia where she lived for the rest of her life.
Mrs. Ansley served on the St. Simons Library board for several years and was an active member of Christ Church, Frederica. She and her husband loved traveling and camping throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Mrs. Ansley was predeceased by her husband of 57 years, Urquhart Shorter Ansley, and her son, David U. Ansley. She is survived by a daughter, Frankie Ansley; son, Henry Ansley (Diane); granddaughter, Fran Ansley-Lick (George); and great-granddaughter Emory Ansley-Lick, all of St. Simons Island; a grandson, Dr. David Ansley, of Winston-Salem, NC; and numerous nieces and nephews in the U.S. and England.
A memorial service will be held at 3:00 PM at Christ Church, Frederica, on Saturday, April 20th. The family will receive visitors in the Parish House after the service.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Christ Church, Frederica, or Hospice of the Golden Isles.
Edo Miller and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. www.edomillerandsons.com.
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