Ann Stookey, floral designer

Posted 11/12/12

Ann Stookey, 60, formerly of Chestnut Hill, an award-winning floral designer, died Nov. 6 in Paris after suffering a brain hemorrhage while vacationing with her husband, Joe Waz.

The couple had …

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Ann Stookey, floral designer

Posted

Ann Stookey, 60, formerly of Chestnut Hill, an award-winning floral designer, died Nov. 6 in Paris after suffering a brain hemorrhage while vacationing with her husband, Joe Waz.

The couple had been living in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles since 2011 when her husband retired as an executive with the Comcast Corp. They had been traveling with friends in Turkey, Greece, Croatia, Italy and France.

While living in Chestnut Hill, Ms. Stookey became an active gardener and floral designer, winning awards at the Philadelphia Flower Show and becoming an accredited judge of floral design. The “green garden” she created at the family’s residence in Chestnut Hill was featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer and magazine and online spreads, and has been recorded in the Smithsonian Institution’s Archive of American Gardens.

An active volunteer, she chaired various charitable events at Germantown Friends School and Settlement Music School in Philadelphia, among other institutions. With her husband, she co-chaired the Parents Leadership Council of Emerson College in 2007-08.

Ms. Stookey also was an accomplished choral singer and was a member of church choirs at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Chestnut Hill, Grace Episcopal Church in Silver Spring, Md., and All Saints Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills, Calif.

She and her husband met in 1979 when both were working for the National Citizens Committee for Broadcasting, an organization chaired by Ralph Nader. During her years in the Washington area, she worked in various capacities at National Public Radio, the Public Broadcasting System, and related institutions.

She was a member of the Wissahickon Garden Club of Philadelphia, a member of the Philadelphia Aviation Country Club, and a former member of the Philadelphia Cricket Club.  She was an avid traveler.

In addition to her husband, Ms. Stookey is survived by a son, Jack Waz, of Los Angeles; her mother, Martha Ann Stookey, of Texas; brothers Steve, of Doylestown, and Robert, of Minturn, Colo.

A celebration of Ms. Stookey's life was held Nov. 10 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Chestnut Hill. Memorial funds in her name will be established to support the arts of music and floral design in Philadelphia and Los Angeles. – WF

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