notforsale

Astoria

Jan. 23, 1939 — April 7, 2016

Ann Marie was born in Portland on Jan. 23, 1939, and passed away surrounded by the love of family and friends on April 7, 2016. Ann was known for her elegance and artistic talents.

She graduated from the University of Oregon and attended the Boston School of Art, where she majored in sculpture and met and married her first husband, Alan Ridley. Together they traveled across country in a 1939 Chevrolet coupe. 

She and Alan divorced, and, later, she married the son of the proprietor of her favorite San Francisco antiques store, Leland “Stack” Hayward. They resided in Fort Bragg, California, and moved to Astoria, Oregon, in 1979 to be closer to Ann’s family and that of her good friend, Sharon. Stack passed away in 2005.

Ann married Charles Stuart in a romantic seaside wedding on July 31, 2014. That love they shared will sing as long as stars shine. They lived in Chinook,  Washington, for a while and then moved to Astoria where they lived at the Columbia House condos.

Ann was predeceased by her mother and best friend, Marion Volz. Ann unfailingly cared for her mother and Stack during their prolonged final illnesses. After this, she indulged her love of diverse cultures by traveling the world with her friend, Nancy Williams. They explored Turkey, China, Bali, Japan and Vietnam, where she developed her deep appreciation of Asian art.

Sculptor Stanley Wanlass engaged Ann to assist him with the bronze at Fort Clatsop, which commemorates the Lewis and Clark journey. Her art was shown many times in various galleries. Ann’s artistic energy was evident in the exquisite indoor and outdoor living environments that she created with attention to Asian arts. Her garden is a spectacular example of her eye for design and beauty as well as her knowledge of plants, which she learned from her mother, a passionate gardener. Additionally, many enjoyed her exquisite matting and framing talents as a longtime employee at The Compleat Photographer.  

Known to her friends as the “cat whisperer,” Ann volunteered at the Clatsop County Animal Shelter, where she was the matchmaker of humans and animals. She also volunteered on the Women’s Resource Center hotline for several years.  

Ann Marie is deeply missed by her husband, Charles Stuart; cousins Kam McCallum Gesher and Gabriella Heinsheimer Gesher, and their son, Lucky Vita Gesher; stepdaughters Nicole Stuart (Mark Duntemann) and Alena Dryden (John Dryden); her stepgrandson Jacob Meeks; and the numerous friends who hold her dear in their hearts. Ann touched the lives of her community, and she was irreplaceable.

Ann’s memorial will be held at a later date. Friends and family will be notified of the arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made in Ann’s name to the charities mentioned above.