Anne Firestone Ball, 79, of Greenwich, Conn., died on Friday, April 12, at Bridgeport (Conn.) Hospital of complications following surgery. She was a long-time community volunteer and philanthropist.
Anne Idabelle Firestone was born in Akron, Ohio, on Nov. 10, 1933, to Harvey S. Firestone, Jr., and Elizabeth Parke Firestone. She was a granddaughter of tire industry pioneer Harvey S. Firestone, who founded The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company in Akron in 1900.
She attended elementary school at Our Lady of the Elms in Akron and high school at Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, Conn. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
While on spring break in Miami from Miss Porter’s School, Anne Firestone was introduced by a cousin to her future husband John F. Ball, then a student at Princeton. After a seven-year courtship, they were married in 1957. They had homes in Greenwich and in Northport Point, Mich.
Mrs. Ball was active in Greenwich community affairs for decades, serving as a director and chairman of the board of Family Centers of Greenwich, which provides education and human services for children, adults and families. She also had been a trustee for Miss Porter’s School and a trustee for Atwill Memorial Chapel in Northport Point.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Harvey S. Firestone III and sister Elizabeth Firestone Willis. In addition to her husband, other survivors include sons John F. Ball, Jr., (Linda) of Winnetka, Ill., and David F. Ball (Lucy) of Darien, Conn., and daughter Sheila B. Burkert (Randall) of New York City; eight grandchildren, and sister Martha F. Ford (William Clay) of Grosse Pointe Shores, Mich.
The family will receive friends on Friday, April 19, from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. at Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home, 31 Arch Street, Greenwich, Conn. 06830. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, April 20, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Michael the Archangel Church, 469 North Street, Greenwich, Conn, 06830. There also will be a memorial service this summer at Atwill Memorial Chapel in Michigan.
Memorial contributions may be made to Family Centers of Greenwich, 40 Arch Street, Greenwich, Conn, 06830 or Atwill Memorial Chapel, 105 N. Northcott Drive, Northport, Mich. 49670.
Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home, Greenwich, Conn. (203) 869-1513 www.leopgallaghergreenwich.com
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