Ann King Gunsalus

She was married for almost 60 years to the late James Russell Gunsalus who had a long career with New York Telephone Co and NYNEX. They retired to East Orleans in 1994 from Larchmont, NY.

Ann Louise King was born in Washington, DC on April 15th 1937 to Alberta Jen McGee and William Albert King. Ann grew up in Arlington, VA and was baptized and confirmed at Bream Memorial Presbyterian Church in Charleston, WV. She was an artist from an early age and it was in Charleston that she began working with pen, concentrating on faces of coal miners. She graduated from Mamaroneck High School in Mamaroneck, NY where she was a member of Quill and Scroll, an American Field Service exchange student in Bielefeld, Germany, active in student government and the youth group at Larchmont Avenue Presbyterian Church. Ann graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University where she was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority, wrote for the university newspaper, was Executive Vice President of the women’s government – AWS, and a student representative on the University’s board of Trustees. She also delivered a graduation address.

She worked for the American Field Service in NYC, taught third grade in the New Rochelle, NY Public School System and had her own calligraphy business – Ocelligraphic Art. She contributed items of calligraphy to raise money for the Larchmont Historical Society and conservation groups. She was a member of the Westchester Calligraphers guild and the Society of Scribes in NYC. Ann was on the task force to save the Connecticut River. She and her husband Jim were long time members of the Larchmont Yacht Club, the Larchmont Community Chorus and the Larchmont Avenue Church. While Ann was a member of the Jr. League of Larchmont and the Jr. League of the Sound she especially enjoyed writing articles for the local paper.

On Cape Cod Ann was active in the Nauset Garden Club, FADO, the League Club of Cape Cod, Pi Phis of Cape Cod and writers groups. She taught Sunday school for fifteen years, was a trustee and on the Adult Education Committee at the Federated Church of Orleans.

Ann loved all her dogs, played the piano, tennis and paddle tennis. She was an avid reader and loved to garden. She participated in a project for NASA growing tomatoes from seeds left too long in space. She was a great fan of the Ruth Stout method of gardening, hauling bags of seaweed from Long Island Sound every year for her summer garden. She loved to photograph the sites on her long walks in Larchmont and the Cape. Her photo collages matched with her calligraphy and were intricate pieces of artwork. She loved to write limericks and often incorporated that with her calligraphy. She wrote a small book which was placed in the time capsule of the Federated Church and wrote “A Journey of Three Ideas” over eight years with her Sunday school classes. She wrote many books for her grandchildren.

Throughout Ann’s life, through her many, varied activities and works, she made friends easily. She was a warm, caring person - always available for a conversation, always available to listen. In recent years she resided at Liberty Commons in Chatham where she befriended staff and residents alike who enjoyed her art, her creativity, her sense of humor and her candy bowl at Halloween. Despite her own disabilities, she was known for her optimism, her positive attitude and her graciousness. She was loved by her many, many friends and she was treasured by her family.

Ann leaves three sons, one daughter-in-law, and one sister: Eric James Gunsalus, of Monson, ME, Curtis John Gunsalus and Katharine Sands Gunsalus of Longboat Key, FL, William Paul Gunsalus of Monson, ME and Patricia Mackey, of Bethesda, MD. She is survived by four grandchildren, Connor Gates Gunsalus, Brooke Christina Gunsalus, Christopher King Gunsalus and Lakota Ivory Gunsalus as well as step-grandchildren Lucas Frank Safly and Benjamin Blake Safly.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Wednesday, November 25, 2026 at 10:30am at the Federated Church of Orleans. In lieu of flowers, donations in Ann’s name may be made to The Federated Church of Orleans, P.O. Box 761, East Orleans, MA 02643 or The Broad Reach Healthcare Staff Appreciation Fund.