Obituary of Ann W. Spaeth

Ann Wieland Spaeth, 79, surrounded by her loving family, died peacefully on June 30. She was born in Philadelphia, the daughter of the late D. Alexander Wieland and Virgina D. Wieland. She attended Springside School and Colby College in Maine. A lifelong member of St. Paul's Church, Chestnut Hill, she sang in the church choir for over 60 years, and participated with particular dedication in the church's various outreach ministries. Mrs. Spaeth was an outstanding athlete, who was four times selected as a member of the U.S.National Lacrosse team in the 1960s. She was inducted into Springside's Hall of Fame. For a number of years she coached both hockey and lacrosse at Springside, where she enjoyed inspiring many young women to develop both their athletic skills and a strong sense of teamwork and fairness on the playing field. Mrs. Spaeth was an avid tennis player, hiker, and outstanding skier for most of her life. She was also a rower and a member of the University Barge Club. She and her family spent many summers on Squirrel Island, Maine. Mrs. Spaeth served on the boards of many Philadelphia organizations. These included the Board of Planned Parenthood of Southeast Pennsylvania, the Basically Bach Festival (now the Philadelphia Bach Festival), the Women's Committee of the University Museum, and Chair of the Board of Philadelphia Young Audiences. She was the past President of the Springside Alumnae Association and ex officio member of the School's Board of Trustees. A great cook (her lobster Newburg, red cabbage, and jams were legendary), a lover of opera (Der Rosenkavalier and Die Meistersinger her favorites), music (particularly the great choral works), art (a frequent visitor to the great art museums), and traveling (particularly to Scotland – leading to considerable expertise in the field of Single Malt Whisky), her passions were many and intense. She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Karl H. Spaeth, sons Karl H. Spaeth Jr., E. Alexander Spaeth, Christopher P. Spaeth, nine grandchildren, her brother, D. Alexander Wieland Jr., sisters Alice W. Harrison and Barbara W. Lehman, and many nieces and nephews. A memorial service will take place on Friday, October 7th, at 1:00 p.m. at St Paul's Church. Memorial Donations in her name may be made to the Music Program at St. Paul's Church, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, or SpringsideChestnut Hill Academy. Funeral arrangements are by the Lownes Family Funeral Home of Lafayette Hill.