Ann H (Howard) Wilson

     Ann (Howard) Wilson, age 87 of Purinton Road, Buckland, died at home on May 3, 2016 after a long battle with COPD.

Born at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas on April 10, 1929 to Major James G. Howard and Dorothy (Mills) Howard, she grew up in New York, New Jersey, Texas, and Maryland. After graduating from Beall High School in Frostburg, Maryland, in 1946, she studied at Texas State College for Women (now Texas Women’s University) in Denton, Texas, and the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in 1950.

            In 1950 Ann married Bill B. Wilson of Brentwood, Maryland from whom she was divorced in 1973.

Beginning a teaching career that spanned fifty-two years, from 1950 to 2002, she taught second grade in Cheverly, Maryland. Following a furlough to be a stay-at-home mom, she went back to teaching part-time at the Springfield Hebrew Day School in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1954. In 1962 the family moved to Cambridge to enable her husband to study at the Episcopal Theological Seminary. While living in Cambridge, Ann studied at Harvard Graduate School of Education from which she received a Masters Degree in Elementary Education in 1965. As part of the degree program, she taught fourth grade at the Mason Rice School in Newton, MA.

After her husband’s ordination, the family moved to Sheridan, Wyoming and Ann was invited to teach at a one-room school on Lower Prairie Dog Road, eight miles from Sheridan.

When the family moved to Northampton, MA in 1968 Ann accepted a teaching position at Jackson Street School that lasted twenty-five fulfilling years. During her tenure she earned 32 post-graduate credits for courses at the University of Massachusetts, Mt. Holyoke College, and Smith College. Ann also supervised student teachers from UMass and from Smith College. For years, any fourth grader at Jackson Street School who could find a guitar to use could have free basic guitar lessons after school with Ms.Wilson. She tuned guitars before school started in the morning.

During her summers Ann taught at summer schools offered variously by the Northampton School Department, the Smith College-Northampton Collaborative, and the Massachusetts Migrant Education Organization. When she wasn’t teaching during her summers she served on Northampton School Department committees that dealt with curriculum enrichment, arts infusion, report card policies, and skills assessment monitoring.

In 1976 Ann was awarded the Wiegand Memorial Foundation Award for Excellence in teaching, and in 1993 she was nominated by her students for and received The Golden Apple Award which is given by a Springfield television station.

Ann retired in June of 1993 to care for her elderly mother after whose death in 1996 she returned to teaching, part time doing poetry workshops for third and fourth graders in the Deerfield Elementary School. In 2002, due to failing health, she retired from teaching completely, but continued, as her health permitted to be on the board of trustees of the condominium association where she lived. For several years she served as the President of the Board of Trustees. As a “friend of Bill’s” since 1976, Ann continued to be active in the recovery community. She was actively involved in developing the Recover Project from its inception. For a few years she also served as the Treasurer for the Grapevine, a meeting facility for people in recovery.

Ann kept herself well informed about politics and current events and was deeply disturbed about this country’s involvement in Middle Eastern wars, particularly in Iraq, a war she strongly believed to be both illegal and immoral. Her conviction was sufficiently strong that she participated in an act of civil disobedience with the Raging Grannies which resulted in her arrest in 2006. As her dependence on oxygen increased her activism was limited to writing letters, signing petitions and wearing politically expressive T-shirts.

Always passionate about dogs and cats, Ann had at least one cat throughout her life and still misses her cat Charlie who died last year. In recent months Ann has been comforted by many step dogs and cats owned by the people she loves.

Ann moved to Buckland in 2003 where caring neighbors and the continued support of friends made her final years safe and contented. Ann was adamant about dying at the home she loved.

Ann is survived by her brother James Howard of Virginia, her children Brice Wilson and his wife Deborah of Shutesbury, Craig Wilson of Shutesbury, Steven Wilson of Montague, and Nancy Wilson Kilburn of Spring Hill Florida, her grandchildren Sarah Dyer of Spring Hill Florida, Ilana, Juni, and Arun Wilson of Shutesbury, step-granddaughters Becca Howe and Sarah Howe, great-grandsons Alex Dyer and Lliam Dyer of Spring Hill, Florida and great-granddaughter Lyla Gray Richling of Spring Hill Florida.

A celebration of Ann’s life, led by Cara Hochhalter, minister of the Charlemont Federated Church, will be held at the Grapevine located at 93 Chapman Street, Greenfield on Saturday, May 14 at 2:00 PM.  Please bring a dessert to share.

In lieu of flowers please make a donation to The Grapevine Inc. 93 Chapman St. Greenfield MA 01301, or your favorite charity.

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