All Obituaries from Littleton Funeral Home

Ann Van Pelt

June 28, 1930 — December 28, 2025

Wilmington

Ann Van Pelt, born Harriet Van Pelt, née Haines, lived quietly, deliberately, and very much on her own terms. Born at home on June 28, 1930, on South Howard Street in Sabina, Ohio, Ann passed away on December 28, 2025, at the age of 95.

Frank Sinatra was her favorite artist, and “My Way” was her favorite song. This felt especially fitting to those who knew Ann well. She was quietly independent, with a gentle stubborn streak.

As a teenager in Home Economics class, Ann was being taught how to make meatloaf, a dish she had already learned years earlier from her mother. At home she mixed it with her bare hands, but at school the teacher insisted on using a spoon. Ann found this unnecessary. With a friend standing in front of her bowl to block the teacher’s view, she mixed it her way.

Years later, on her senior trip to Washington, D.C., Ann again made her position clear. In those days, women were expected to wear stockings with the seam perfectly straight down the back of the leg. Ann refused. She did not want to spend the day worrying about seams while walking the city, and once again, doing it her way.

Outside of those moments, Ann’s joys were simple and steady. She loved gardening, being outdoors, baking, and playing bridge. She valued her friends and family. True to her selfless nature, Ann was an organ donor and donated her body to science, continuing to give even after her passing.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her siblings, and two of her children. She is survived by a large and loving family who carry forward the legacy of a woman who lived life her way.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Ann Van Pelt, please visit our flower store.

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