Ann Wagner Geils,1928-2022

Ann Wagner Geils, born July 7, 1928, in Summit, New Jersey, passed away at her home in Highland Park, Florida on July 6, 2022, just one day shy of her 94th birthday. She will be remembered by all those who loved her as the matriarch of her family, who loved "her people" fiercely and completely. "Her people" included not only her blood relatives, but also so many others whom she took in as family both physically and emotionally. Her dinner table was the center of family connection, and always welcoming to friends, neighbors, and anyone who needed the support of a family.

Always ready for adventure, Ann and her family camped throughout the US when her children were young. After retirement, she and her husband, Henry, enjoyed traveling the world. Her cottage at Silver Bay on Lake George, NY, was the home of her heart, and the magnet to which her family was drawn each summer. She had a lifelong love of tennis, as a player, a teacher, and a fan.

Ann grew up in Chatham, NJ, and graduated from University of North Carolina, Greensboro in 1950 with a degree in Physical Education. She had a long career as an educator, first as a physical education teacher and coach of girls' basketball and field hockey in New Jersey and, after moving with her husband and three children to Lake Wales in 1972, as a classroom teacher at Hillcrest Elementary and a reading resource teacher at Frostproof Elementary. Her greatest joy in teaching was the time she spent teaching English as a second language at the Lake Wales High School night school, some of her students becoming lifelong friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Henry Geils, in 2009, and is survived by seven beloved nieces and nephews and their families; three children - Beth Geils, Martha Smith (Mark) and Paul Geils (Donna), all living in Lake Wales; and five grandchildren - Katie Smith, J. Hudson Smith (Lurrel), David Larumbe Smith (Stephanie), Ben Geils and Emma Geils.

A memorial service will be held in late July at Silver Bay, NY. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Ann Geils to the Fund for Silver Bay, Silver Bay YMCA, using this link https://silverbay.org/give-now/, or checks can be sent to Silver Bay YMCA, Attn: Development Office, 87 Silver Bay Rd, Silver Bay, NY 12874.