Ann Royal Charlesworth, 96, died in her home at the Falmouth House, Falmouth, Maine on Nov. 25, 2022.

She was born on April 12, 1926, in Oak Park, Illinois and spent her childhood in Springfield, Illinois. As a teenager, she and her family relocated to Winter Park, Florida, to join her mother’s family after the early death of her father, who died from injuries sustained in World War I.

Some of her fondest memories as a child were summers spent at Camp Highlands in Saynor, Wisconsin, where her father was a camp counselor. Following in her father’s footsteps, she became a camp counselor during her college years at Camp Wyonegonic, on Moose Pond in Denmark, Maine.

An alumna of Oberlin College, she majored in physical education. Following her graduation in 1948, she moved to Boston, Massachusetts, and worked for the local YWCA as a swimming director. It was in Boston where her roommate introduced her to her future husband, Richard, with whom she shared 64 years of marriage prior to his death in 2016.

A resident of Weston, Massachusetts for 50 years, Ann worked several positions in addition to raising her four daughters. She was a substitute teacher, an administrator for the Weston School Dept. and director of the Retired Senior Volunteer program (RSVP). Ann was a volunteer for the Weston Garden Club, Council on Aging and Meals on Wheels.

Ann and Richard moved to Falmouth, Maine in 2007 to be near their daughters. She enjoyed summers on Southport Island, where they built a home in 1962. In Southport Ann developed a group of life-long friends. She was active in the Southport YC, racing in the weekly ladies races, playing bridge and volunteering for many of the club events. Prior to her death, Ann had the honor of being the oldest longstanding member of the club.

As a couple, Ann and Dick particularly enjoyed travel to Switzerland and England. They established an antique toy business for several years devoted to miniature gardens and soldiers, actively participating in major shows in this country and in England. Macular degeneration took her central vision over a decade ago, but it never stopped her from living a full life. Ann thrived in the outdoors, taking walks, puttering in her garden, golfing, playing tennis, sailing near her Southport home or visiting with friends. Ann was a regular church attendant at both St. Peters Episcopal Church in Weston and All Saints-by-the-Sea in Southport.

Ann was predeceased by her husband Richard.

She leaves her four children: Susan (John), Mary, Jenny (John), Holly; seven grandchildren: Sarah, Charlie, Jonathan, Liza, Ian, Charlotte, and Libby; three great-grandchildren, with another due in April, and several nieces and nephews. A private burial will take place in Winter Park, Florida.