Ann Gregg

Ann Lorraine Gregg Obituary

Topekan Ann Gregg died peacefully January 21 after a long, full life. She had suffered a stroke the previous week.

Ann is survived by her five children and their spouses: Gail, Tyler (husband of Marianela), Judy Peters, Gordy and Andy (husband of Meg) - and by seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Her beloved husband, Tom, died in 2005.

Ann also will be remembered by hundreds of friends who populated her 91 years of life in Topeka. Born and bred in the capital city, she attended Topeka High - and enjoyed helping organize the reunions that brought her classmates together each year. She was active in countless civic organizations, from the League of Women Voters, to the Capper Foundation to the School Board to her church, First Congregational.

Like Tom, Ann was an active Democrat and a passionate believer in the Golden Rule. She had a strong sense of justice and compassion for people who needed help and support. She became an occasional contributor to the Topeka Capital Journal when she encountered an issue or humanitarian concern she believed needed attention. And she worked tirelessly to try to win a posthumous Medal of Honor for Topekan Harry Colmery, one of the sponsors of the GI Bill that created an educational foothold for so many of her post-war generation.

Ann and Tom embraced their childrens' far-flung lives in Nashville, Long Beach, San Diego, Seattle and New York. They loved visiting their children and their families, often driving across country and stopping in to see friends and other family members along the way. They ventured farther afield, as well - to Turkey, France, England, Scotland, Holland, Hawaii, Alaska. Always friendly and sociable, they had a knack of making friends with locals, who often invited them into their homes. Just this Christmas, Ann received cards from many of these far-flung friends, as well as a long, newsy letter from from the Japanese exchange student who lived with them in the early 1980s.

Ann's five children loved returning to Topeka and introducing their own children to life here. Their children learned to bike ride on Plass Avenue; run lemonade stands; wash a car; make homemade ice cream - and they all adored the summer evening walks to the Dairy Queen, when they could catch fireflies along the way. Ann kept them in her thoughts even when they were far away. Judy's twin sons, for instance, were the envy of every classmate the day they marched into nursery school in their identical NASA snowsuits, found at the mall by a diligent grandma Ann. And packed away in New York are the elaborate costumes she made for Gail's children - such as a huge red cape for a five-year-old Superman; and the blue taffeta Sleeping Beauty gown designed for his little sister.

Indeed, Ann was a skilled and creative seamstress, who could professionally upholster a sofa; whip up curtains; keep her children in smocked dresses, pajamas, coats and trousers. Her own wardrobe was mostly hand-made, with beautiful fabrics she loved finding at bargain prices. She also was a singer, who had entertained local soldiers during the war with her trio of Mary and Amy and who sang in the church choir for decades.

Ann and Tom adored their Washburn University neighborhood and developed fast friendships with their neighbors and their children. It's been a pleasure for her children to hear their many fond recollections of her. These neighbors also may remember another of Ann's many talents - an ear-piercing, two-fingered whistle that she would use to call her five children to supper each night. She was never able to teach us that whistle, so her secret technique has died with her. But her children will smile every time they think of it.