Class: 1964
Major: Sociology
Deceased: April 22, 1998
Alumni survivors: Dr. Stanley F. Siefer ’64 W64 (Widow/Widower)
Ann died of ovarian cancer on April 22, 1998. Way too early. Ann and I were friends at Carleton and sang together, she with the Keynotes and I with the Overtones.
We lost contact after her marriage to Doug Benson (Carleton ’63). Thanks to John Dyer-Bennett a math prof, and Larry Hush, my college roommate, Ann and I were reacquainted, fell in love, and married in Phoenix, AZ in 1972. We moved to Denver soon after and remained there.
Ann was an avid gardener, homemaker, and cook. She baked all our bread. We never had store-bought bread! She took up potting and made many pieces that are treasured by her family and friends.
We continued singing together in choirs and community and church theater productions. We were part of a vocal quartet, the Fourgone Conclusion, that was good enough to get gigs and actually get paid. Ann played the flute beautifully and performed with our choir and in a flute quartet.
She was very honest with her feelings and you knew where you stood with Ann. This quality and her warm heart brought her many lifelong friends.
We had a good time. We took many trips together. Probably one of the most fun was to hire a sailboat and a skipper and cook and cruise the British Virgin Islands together. We bought a cabin in the foothills around Denver and had many great weekends there.
Ann was a good artist. We designed and made our own Christmas cards each year.
Our daughter, Lodi Ann, was born June 13, 1976. I wish Ann could have seen what a lovely adult Lodi has become and to see her marriage to Carrie Jane, and to see her grandson, Jackson, born November 28, 2012.
Here are some memories of Ann told by her friends at her memorial service: Pat: “I recall that Ann never liked to introduce herself to groups of people, you know that first meeting when people go around and say their name and tell what they do. Ironically she never thought she had anything to say.
She might have said, “I’m Ann. I’m a wife, a mother, a friend, an artist, a teacher. I’m a lover.” Many of us learned years ago that a lover was a person who made other people feel significant and important. And Ann had lover down.
She loved us enough to tell us how she really felt. Oh, we didn’t always like it but we knew through any issue that she loved us unconditionally. She loved us enough to let us care for her in the end.
I remember one Christmas she enlisted Stan, Lodi and me to deliver Meals on Wheels because they were short of volunteers. But of course it wasn’t just dropping off food for Ann. She had spent weeks potting beautiful planters and growing paper-white bulbs which were in full bloom that Christmas Day.
I remember it as kind of cold and dreary day and the apartments were barren and the people were lonely until she got there. We discovered we were short a meal so we down to the Satire Lounge and got a burrito supreme for one man. It was a memorable Christmas for him and even more for us.
Indeed she was a teacher and she taught by example. I think it would please her if we went away from here and did some Ann-like thing. You know, we could hang our wash out to dry or compost our garbage, or recycle everything, or make some stranger – some lonely stranger – know we love them.”
Josh: “Ann had been a part of my life since 1980 when our quartet, the Fourgone Conclusion, came along. The four of us had a lot of heart and soul, but we always came down to the fact that Ann was our steamboat. She was more than our steamboat, she was really our inspiration.
She was the glue that held us together. She was the person who made the phone calls when we hadn’t talked for a couple of months. And pulled the music out, arranged the gig, and said ‘Be here.’ And we were.”
Tom Garten: “We all got to know Ann primarily through our summer family reunions. Ann was a person who shared of herself, as is obvious listening to all of you and being in her house today. At family reunions, the skits had to be right. We had to practice, practice, practice.
Ann was able to share in a way that many of us can’t. She could share her sympathy and her empathy, was unashamed in that, and that is something we can learn from.
She shared in her tangible gifts. Every Christmas or birthday, something ceramic showed up and there will always be memories of Ann with those very tangible things.
She also shared her music, as you all are so well aware. Her flute, and her singing were parts of our family celebrations of joy and fun and sadness. She shared a lot during her life and we’re going to take a lot from her. And what a magnificent measure of a life.”
Comments
Ann died of ovarian cancer on April 22, 1998. Way too early. Ann and I were friends at Carleton and sang together, she with the Keynotes and I with the Overtones. We lost contact after her marriage to Doug Benson (Carleton ’63). Thanks to John Dyer-Bennett a math prof, and Larry Hush, my college roommate, Ann and I were reacquainted, fell in love, and married in Phoenix, AZ in 1972. We moved to Denver soon after and remained there. Ann was an avid gardener, homemaker, and cook. She baked all our bread. We never had store-bought bread! She took up potting and made many pieces that are treasured by her family and friends. We continued singing together in choirs and community and church theater productions. We were part of a vocal quartet, the Fourgone Conclusion, that was good enough to get gigs and actually get paid. Ann played the flute beautifully and performed with our choir and in a flute quartet. She was very honest with her feelings and you knew where you stood with Ann. This quality and her warm heart brought her many lifelong friends. We had a good time. We took many trips together. Probably one of the most fun was to hire a sailboat and a skipper and cook and cruise the British Virgin Islands together. We bought a cabin in the foothills around Denver and had many great weekends there. Ann was a good artist. We designed and made our own Christmas cards each year. Our daughter, Lodi Ann, was born June 13, 1976. I wish Ann could have seen what a lovely adult Lodi has become and to see her marriage to Carrie Jane, and to see her grandson, Jackson, born November 28, 2012. Here are some memories of Ann told by her friends at her memorial service: Pat: “I recall that Ann never liked to introduce herself to groups of people, you know that first meeting when people go around and say their name and tell what they do. Ironically she never thought she had anything to say. She might have said, “I’m Ann. I’m a wife, a mother, a friend, an artist, a teacher. I’m a lover.” Many of us learned years ago that a lover was a person who made other people feel significant and important. And Ann had lover down. She loved us enough to tell us how she really felt. Oh, we didn’t always like it but we knew through any issue that she loved us unconditionally. She loved us enough to let us care for her in the end. I remember one Christmas she enlisted Stan, Lodi and me to deliver Meals on Wheels because they were short of volunteers. But of course it wasn’t just dropping off food for Ann. She had spent weeks potting beautiful planters and growing paper-white bulbs which were in full bloom that Christmas Day. I remember it as kind of cold and dreary day and the apartments were barren and the people were lonely until she got there. We discovered we were short a meal so we down to the Satire Lounge and got a burrito supreme for one man. It was a memorable Christmas for him and even more for us. Indeed she was a teacher and she taught by example. I think it would please her if we went away from here and did some Ann-like thing. You know, we could hang our wash out to dry or compost our garbage, or recycle everything, or make some stranger – some lonely stranger – know we love them.” Josh: “Ann had been a part of my life since 1980 when our quartet, the Fourgone Conclusion, came along. The four of us had a lot of heart and soul, but we always came down to the fact that Ann was our steamboat. She was more than our steamboat, she was really our inspiration. She was the glue that held us together. She was the person who made the phone calls when we hadn’t talked for a couple of months. And pulled the music out, arranged the gig, and said ‘Be here.’ And we were.” Tom Garten: “We all got to know Ann primarily through our summer family reunions. Ann was a person who shared of herself, as is obvious listening to all of you and being in her house today. At family reunions, the skits had to be right. We had to practice, practice, practice. Ann was able to share in a way that many of us can’t. She could share her sympathy and her empathy, was unashamed in that, and that is something we can learn from. She shared in her tangible gifts. Every Christmas or birthday, something ceramic showed up and there will always be memories of Ann with those very tangible things. She also shared her music, as you all are so well aware. Her flute, and her singing were parts of our family celebrations of joy and fun and sadness. She shared a lot during her life and we’re going to take a lot from her. And what a magnificent measure of a life.”