Obituary of Ann W. Christiansen

Ann Wilkinson Christiansen passed away peacefully at home at the age of 93, on September 16, 2024. Her final moments were comforted by her devoted daughter, Leslie, along with her faithful kitty, Ruthie. Ann is survived by her beloved daughter Leslie (Mark) Rowe, and her treasured granddaughters, Julia and Emma, and is remembered by countless dear friends, teaching colleagues, and former students whose lives she touched with patience, kindness, and encouragement. Ann was preceded in death by her parents Julia (Stohl) Wilkinson and Floyd S. Wilkinson. Ann grew up in Fulton, NY, the much adored only child of small business owners, where she was an active participant in the Presbyterian church youth group, played piano, acted in the school musicals, and was a press reporter for the Fulton High School "Buzz". After graduating high school in 1948, Ann went on to attend Skidmore College (all-women at the time), graduating in 1952 with a degree in mathematics. She began her teaching career in Rochester, NY, at West Irondequoit High School, during which time she earned her Masters degree from Syracuse University. In 1963, she bought her first home in the suburb of Greece, where she worked first at Olympia High School, and later at Greece Athena. Ann was a beloved math teacher and class advisor, known for her positive encouragement, genuine warmth, and tireless patience with students who struggled. In fact, Ann was chosen to be part of a select group of math teachers across the state to work on revising regents exam questions in Albany. Ann continued to grow professionally as a member of Delta Kappa Gamma, an international society for women educators. As an only child, Ann was encouraged to entertain herself and develop interests which would last a lifetime. Ann fostered her love of theater, fashion and architecture by helping out with the high school spring musicals. Well into her eighties, Ann was a season subscriber to Geva Theatre, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and Rochester Arts & Lectures. She was an accomplished seamstress, designing and sewing much of her wardrobe, from her high school prom dress to Pendleton wool skirts with the plaids matched up perfectly. She once designed and submitted a quilt square for a national quilt project honoring women, and her square depicting Rachel Carson and her work, Silent Spring, was selected to be part of the quilt which toured the United States. A lifelong reader, Ann served on the library board in Greece and was an integral part of building a new public library there. Ann loved to travel, embarking on an Art & Music tour to Europe in 1955, taking an ocean liner from Hoboken, NJ to Rotterdam, Netherlands. Ann would later go on to travel across Canada by train, spend a week in Devon, England with friends, and travel to Spain, where her daughter Leslie was spending a semester abroad. She fell in love with the mountains of Switzerland and Austria, and so, like the von Trapp family in The Sound of Music, Ann fell in love with Stowe, Vermont, where she spent a week each summer at the Trapp Family Lodge. In 1968, at the suggestion of a teaching colleague, she began a wonderful tradition of vacationing in Cape Cod, where, fifty years later she still managed to venture down to the beach using walking sticks. In 2002, Ann moved to Honeoye Falls, NY, where she lived across the street from Leslie and her family for the remainder of her life. Always a joyful, upbeat, warm person, Ann soon became active in the First Presbyterian Church, where she met many new friends. Ann was a faithful attendee at countless HFL soccer and basketball games, where she would watch her granddaughters play. Ann loved nature her entire life, and she was especially fond of birds and cats. Her house had many bird-feeders and a bird house that Ann enjoyed watching at the breakfast table every morning. She always had a cat in the house, and her kitty, Ruthie, was her constant companion throughout Ann's final days. Along with Ruthie, Ann will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved her. The family expresses profound gratitude for the outstanding care Ann received from her wonderful in-home care-givers from Home Instead/Professional Assistance for Seniors, which allowed Ann to remain comfortable in her home until the end. Friends may call Friday, October 4, 2024 from 4-7 pm at Merton H. Kays Funeral Home, Inc., 59 Monroe Street, Honeoye Falls. A memorial service honoring Ann's life will take place on Saturday, October 5, at 11 am, at First Presbyterian Church Honeoye Falls, 27 N. Main Street, Honeoye Falls. Memorial contributions may be made to Pet Pride of New York Cat Sanctuary and Adoption Center, or to the Nature Conservancy. To light a candle or to leave a remembrance, please visit www.mertonkaysfuneralhome.com