Born in Calgary, Ann was the first child of Shelly Talan Geary, a Russian Jew born in exile in Siberia, and Reg Geary, a first-generation Canadian born in London, Ontario. They met in Shanghai while Reg was working there, then married and moved to Calgary, Alberta in 1936. Ann spent the first five years of her life in Calgary, where she spent time with Reg’s brother, Grant, his wife, Frances, and their daughter, Barbara.

In 1943, the Reg, Shelly and Ann moved to Montreal. The following year, Gayle was born. The arrival of a younger sister had a significant impact on Ann, who did not like sharing her room. “She was always taking my things and ruining them!” she wrote, in an essay about her life for her oldest daughter. In her diary, one entry reads, “Today was a good day. Gayle wasn’t here.”

They lived in a spacious apartment across from the Carlyle school, and Ann had fond memories of picking carrots and onions from her parents’ garden and putting on plays in their yard with a group of friends. Describing herself as a “very quiet” student who “never spoke in class,” she was grateful when her parents enrolled her in the Children’s Theatre, where she loved putting on plays. Her favorite character was the ugly sister in Cinderella.

In 1948, her grandmother, Sophia Talan, Aunt Nucia Rodkin, Uncle Sasha, and cousin John Rodkin arrived from Shanghai where they’d endured Japanese occupation during WWII. Sonia was “very tiny and had long fingernails,” Ann wrote in her essay. “She tried to teach me Russian but it’s a very difficult language.”

She was close to her cousin, John, who spent a lot of time at her apartment. “He organized lemonade stands in an area where people passed on their way home from work. The money that we raised went to the Crippled Children’s Hospital in Montreal.” For many summers, her parents rented a cottage on Lake Champlain near Burlington, Vermont. Friends and family joined them often, and she had fond memories of these summer vacations.

Ann was prefect of her class in grade 7 at The Study and thrived at the Town of Mount Royal High School. One of the activities she loved best was the Girl Guides. During high school, she was one of two girls chosen to attend a Girl Guides Adventure Camp at Lake O’Hara in Alberta. She spent a glorious month travelling by train, camping in the Rockies and visiting new cities.

Her father founded the Town of Mount Royal Curling Club and, through his advertising connections, brought the sport to television. Ann became an avid curler and continued to curl until her mid-70s.

While working as a camp counsellor, Ann realized she wanted to be a teacher. She began her degree at McDonald College and, until she passed, remained close to her roommate, Roberta. At a dance in her first year, Ann met the love of her life, Richard Sanders, a Concordia student. They became engaged in her final year, with a wedding date set for July 11, 1959.

Then, a lump on Ann’s neck threatened her future. She had thyroid cancer and was given 18 months to live. Richard stood by her as she underwent treatments. She was healthy enough to marry as scheduled. This was the first of three cancers Ann faced. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in her 70s. Fortunately, it was treated effectively with radiation. Just a few years ago, she had melanoma on her nose and had to have it removed and her nose rebuilt with skin from her thigh. She never complained. She met these medical crises with a quiet dignity that has underlined her life.

Ann gave birth to her first child, Shelly Ann, in 1964. Scott arrived in 1965 and Sue in 1970. They moved to Rolling Meadows, Illinois in 1972, where Ann worked as a teacher’s aide for children with disabilities.

After their mother died, in 1977, Ann and Gayle grew close, emotionally supporting one another through difficult times and celebrating milestones together. Ann especially loved spending time with her one-and-only nephew, Alex Drossler, Gayle’s son.

The family returned to Canada in 1978, to Waterloo, Ontario. Ann welcomed the chance to resume curling, which hadn’t been available in Rolling Meadows at the time. Over the next decade, her children graduated from university, married and started families of their own. Ann and Richard reveled in being ‘Nana’ and ‘Gramps’ to 9 grandchildren. Three years ago, their first of two great-grandchildren were born, out of the country. Sadly, Richard didn’t get to meet them, as he passed in February 2025, two months before they arrived in Canada.

Ann made the most of her time in Trafalgar Lodge, a senior’s home where she lived until she died. She played UNO, enjoyed walks to the lake, Friday night Jazz in the square, and making new friends.

Ann will be greatly missed but never forgotten. Her legacy lives on through her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.