Ann Grimshaw Ghormley

Ann Ghormley passed peacefully from dementia-related causes at age 75 on June 13th, 2026 alongside family in Westfield, IN. She will be remembered for her laugh, sharp wit and reliable honesty. Ann loved her family, was stubbornly loyal and made a mean spinach ball.

Born April 17, 1951, in Hartford, CT, Ann was the third child of Margaret and Edward Grimshaw, growing up primarily in Connecticut and Newport Beach, CA. She attended the University of Arizona, where she joined the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, and graduated with a degree in Sociology in 1973.

After college Ann returned to Southern California, where she worked retail and for a personal computer start up. In early February of 1980, she attended a dinner party with her beloved sorority sister Cathy Taylor that would shape the rest of her life. There, she met Cathy’s brother Bill Ghormley. Six weeks later they were married and she moved to Newton, MA with him. It was there that Ann and Bill built their family, first welcoming Elizabeth “Biz” in 1982 and then David in 1984.

In the Boston area, Ann raised her children and loved her volunteer work, decorating her home, gardening, and reading. Ann built a deep bond with Bill’s extended local family on the east coast, the Bakers, and loved hosting west coast family members. Between their friends in “play group”, the Eliot Church community, and holidays with the Bakers, Ann built a loving and lasting community in Massachusetts.

When Ann and Bill moved to Boston in the early 2000s, she pursued a career in the arts, first working in the Boston Public Library where she helped maintain the archival collection and its treasures as an apprentice to Sinclair Hitchings. From there, Ann moved into the prints and publishing area at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (the MFA). Her enthusiasm was boundless for the Museum. Her devotion and commitment eventually led to her being chosen as the Executive Assistant to the museum Director, Malcolm Rodgers. Ann loved the challenges of the role, took great pride in her work, executed at a high level, and earned the respect of her peers.

Ann started a new joyful chapter in 2012, when she was officially promoted to “Gramma Acki” with the birth of Madelyn “Maddy”, the first child of her son David and beloved daughter-in-law Courtney. Shortly thereafter, Ann retired from the MFA and she and Bill moved closer to their grandkids -- to Indianapolis, IN in 2015. Over the next few years, Gramma Acki was there to welcome two more grandchildren into the world, Reese and Will. Gramma Acki was the best of bad influences on her grandkids, teaching them to not take life too seriously while filling them with love and confidence.

Ann loved music and was often ready to sing harmony alongside the music around her. She loved going to Symphony Hall and the Pops. She took her kids to special symphony concerts and indoctrinated them with Motown, Broadway, Rock ’n’ Roll, Bluegrass, Folk and Classical music throughout their childhoods. Though she and Bill only shared the Beatles albums as overlapping records in their collections when they married, the two always shared a special space in song.

Ann is survived by her daughter Biz, son David and daughter-in-law Courtney, and their children Maddy, Reese and Will Ghormley, her loving partner and end-of-life caregiver, Bill Ghormley, and her siblings Becky Etienne, Penny Rivera, Ched Grimshaw, Will Coholan, and Lesley Stewart, as well as the “Baker Boys”, their families, and an extended web of beloved cousins and friends. She will be missed by all who love her and carried in their memories. Ann will be laid to rest at Second Presbyterian of Indianapolis. May she rest in peace.

A memorial service for Ann will begin at 10:30 AM on Saturday, July 18th at Second Presbyterian Church followed by a reception in the church parlor. Inurnment will be at the Columbarium of Second Presbyterian Church.