Ann M. Wicks

Ann M. Wicks, 96, passed away peacefully on November 17, 2023 in the Hilton Head area of South Carolina where she and her husband Ed moved in 2014 to be closer to their daughters.

Anna Marie was born on June 24, 1927 to parents Mary Johanna “Mamie” Hotze and Thomas Martinus in Queens, New York. She was one of two children, growing up in Forest Hills and spending summers at Point Lookout. Ann attended schools in Forest Hills, Hofstra University and studied at the Julliard School of Music in New York City. Her voice coach made it clear that, as a woman, she would have to choose between a career or family. Ed heard Ann sing while she was performing in New York, and their mutual love of opera led to a classical romance. They were married on January 17, 1948, in Forest Hills. Ann sang at their wedding.

New York Opera Singer Heads To The Countryside: In the early 1950’s, Ann and Ed moved to Connecticut where they raised their three daughters – Wendy, Joan and Rebecca (aka Maddisen). While Ann had been discouraged from following a professional career, she continued to sing in local choruses, was the music chairperson at the Long Ridge United Methodist Church, directed the junior choir and performed as a soloist in several venues. A 1961 review of the Messiah performed by the Danbury Community Chorus remarked, “Mrs. Wicks brought a clear, pleasing soprano voice to her several recitatives and soprano aria “Rejoice Greatly,” all delivered with confidence and ease.”

Music Music Music -- It’s A Family Affair: Ann and Ed were Metropolitan Opera subscribers and also traveled to Europe with the Humphrevilles to experience Wagner’s opera “The Ring.” They were active in the Danbury Music Centre, and as their three children grew up, Ann, Ed and family all participated in church and community concerts; Ed on the cello, Ann singing, Wendy singing and playing organ, and Joan and Rebecca playing violin and viola; under the strict guidance of maestro John F. Burnett and chorus director James E. Humphreville. After Ed took up repairing string instruments, including the Gibson Stradivarius that had been stolen and unidentified for years, Ann and Ed were delighted to meet Joshua Bell, its new owner, after his performance at Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts.

Arts & Crafts: Ann was a talented seamstress, sewing the girls’ matching outfits for years. She enjoyed knitting scarves as gifts, and her distinctive handwriting led to her learning calligraphy which she used to create annual calendars for family and friends. Ann also had a keen eye for fashion, enjoying the latest styles, always matching shoes and accessories. Ann and Ed graced their home with art from their travels, by family and by long-time friend and woodcut artist Ted Davies.

Travel: Vermont then the world: Ann, Ed and family took annual vacations in Vermont, staying at Ed’s brother Herb’s cabin. These vacations led to a life-long friendship with the neighboring Brunelle family. From Vermont, Ann and Ed would take their travels first to Greece, where Ann’s sister Trudy Collins and family were living, while brother-in-law Jack worked for the U.S. Foreign Service. The bug soon bit, and Ann and Ed would go on to visit Israel, Egypt, Europe, the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, the Mediterranean and Caribbean. They also sailed on 17 cruises. Ann documented it all in photo albums, while Ed collected and labeled rocks he’d picked up along the way.

Volunteering turns into a career: Ann loved to read and had a book collection that reached into every room of their home. She volunteered at school libraries and in the 1970’s, after working at the Long Ridge Library part-time and then as its director, Ann became a Library Technical Assistant in the Children’s Department in the Danbury Public Library, where she worked for 24 years until her retirement in 1994. Ann always had time for her colleagues and friends, and especially enjoyed walking and window shopping during lunch breaks with Myrtle Cavallo, her co-worker, poet and friend.

Grandmother, Great-grandmother: Ann cherished her extended family. She kept “Ann’s Book of Memories” by her side and would look through the pages over and over again, helping her to remember those people in her life who were most dear to her heart.

It Ain’t Over till it’s Over: Even after retirements and the move to South Carolina, away from their home they had built and lived in for 50 years, Ann and Ed continued to stay connected to family, friends and the world of music. Their friends Jim Pegolotti and Steve Sosin from Danbury had moved to South Carolina a few years earlier, and Jim would perform musical tributes on piano while showing film clips of the Oldies but Goodies. Ann and Ed listened to operas, watched favorite movies, and were able to go see both “The Nutcracker” and “The Messiah” performed live while they were still together. Mom called Ed “The love of my life.” They were married for 70 years.

Ann is survived by her daughters Wendy Gordon, Maddisen Krown, Joan Moreau McKeever and son-in-law Tom McKeever; grandsons Billy Hull, Eddie Hull, their spouses and children; grandsons Nicholas Wicks Moreau and Brandon Wicks Moreau and wife Montana; sister-n-laws Luise and Chris Wicks; and Ann’s many wonderful cousins, nieces and nephews. Ann was pre-deceased by her husband Ed; sister Trudy, brother-n-law Jack and niece Marine Corp Lance Corporal Suzanne Marie Collins; in-laws Bill and Mildred Wicks, Gerard and Sonya Wicks, Don, Herb and Arabel Wicks.

A Celebration-of-Life service for Ann and Ed will be held on July 27, 2024 @ 10 AM at the Long Ridge United Methodist Church, 201 Long Ridge Road, Danbury, CT. A luncheon will follow. Memorial donations may be made to the Danbury Music Centre http://danburymusiccentre.org/ or any charitable or non-profit organization of choice. Please mail condolence cards to Joan Moreau McKeever, daughter, 46 Lexington Drive, Bluffton, SC 29910/ [email protected].