Anne Thorne Weaver

Anne Thorne Weaver

May 17, 1933 – November 23, 2020

Anne Thorne Weaver, 87, of Omaha passed away quietly Monday, November 23, 2020, at Methodist Hospital from complications from COVID-19. Anne was the great granddaughter of Frederick Marion Hubbell, railroader, lawyer, financier and astute businessman.

Anne was born in Des Moines, Iowa on May 17, 1933 to parents Niblack Thorne and Helen Virginia Hubbell. At an early age her parents divorced and she lived with maternal grandparents at Terrace Hill in Des Moines. Her childhood years were also spent with paternal grandparents at their homes in Chicago, Illinois and Santa Barbara, California. Her paternal Grandmother was Narcissa Niblack Thorne, creator of fascinating Thorne (miniature) Rooms many of which are on display at the Chicago Art Institute and the Phoenix Art Museum. Anne loved spending time in her Grandmother’s studio. Anne loved visiting her grandmother’s studio. She also lived in Phoenix, Arizona and in New York for a short time. She always spoke fondly of her time spent at Roosevelt High School in Des Moines where she graduated.

Anne attended Bradford Junior College in Massachusetts. After graduation she married Army Lieutenant Philip Angus Weaver of Des Moines on July 27, 1952, shortly before Philip was to report for wartime duty in Korea. Their wedding reception was one of the last gala family wedding events held at Terrace Hill, the current home of the Governor of the State of Iowa.

In 1956 Anne and family moved to their new home in the Loveland area of Omaha. Anne was an active member of the Des Moines Junior.  In Omaha she joined the Junior League of Omaha. She loved her volunteer work though the League and especially enjoyed volunteering in the Jumble Shop. She became an active member of Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church and anxiously looked forward to chairing the annual Antique Show.

Anne spent every summer at Okoboji, Iowa for the last forty years. She loved playing tennis with friends, boating and swimming. She especially enjoyed the annual Winter Games celebrations. Over the years she contributed her time and talents at Okoboji, serving on the Board of Directors and Social Chairman of the Okoboji Yacht Club, served on the Advisory Board of the Lakes Art Center and was an active supporter of its education, visual and performing arts programs. She was also a member of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Spirit Lake.

Anne was an amazing mother to her two daughters and two sons. She loved spending time with her children and grandchildren. There were always outings to the circus, the Ice Capades, the Harlem Globetrotters, the Center Theater, drive-in theaters, AK-SAR-BEN events, children’s museums, the Rose Theater, county and state fairs, train museums, hockey games and so many others. She loved decorating the house for all holidays and prepared lavish holiday family meals. She loved taking her children and grandchildren on amazing trips and cruises to warm, wonderful and, sometimes, exotic places broadening their knowledge and understanding of the world.

Anne believed in sharing her love of pets and the life lessons to be learned by them hence, her house was a menagerie constantly filled with chameleons and painted turtles courtesy of the circus, finches, canaries, bunnies, hamsters, gerbils, hermit crabs and more dogs and cats than a person could count. Her deep love of animals was demonstrated by her desire to help others and hours of volunteerism serving on the Board of Directors of the Nebraska Humane Society Foundation, organizing fundraisers such as the 2008 Purses 4 Paws event as well as bestowing generous donations to the Omaha Humane Society, The Human Society of Northwest Iowa, The Heartland Pet Connection in Hastings and the Kearney Area Animal Shelter.

A love of the outdoors and an adventurous heart led Anne to enjoy numerous travels all over the world armed only with a Passport, an American Express Card, and the smallest suitcase ever imagined. She enjoyed excursions to Timbuktu, India, Africa, China, Spain, France, the Galapagos Islands, and Alaska. Anne’s diverse interests included swimming, tennis, travel, art, history, reading, bowling, jigsaw puzzles, knitting, cooking and entertaining. She was the most amazing hostess who always enjoyed creating a warm, inviting place where friends could enjoy spending time with one another. Family and friends have long remembered her cocktail parties, brunches, Christmas Day Open Houses, Fish House Punch Parties, Wimbledon Weekends, post MONA Spirit parties, birthday parties and small, intimate dinner parties. She loved time spent with dear friends in her lunch bunch, her Wednesday Happy Hollow ladies dinner group and her Happy Hollow Sunday dinner group. She enjoyed the challenges of her Manipulators Investment Club, the sharing of readings with her Bookbinders group and lovely lunches and sharing art interests with other members of the Art Guild. She loved taking her sweet hot mustard and her mother’s recipe pickles to the Iowa and Nebraska State Fairs and coming home with ribbons. One of her favorite involvements was ownership of the Broadmoor Market and Ferd’s Bakery at Countryside Village. She thought it was a hoot to have the title of Grocer added to her repertoire. Another of her favorite activities was the role of Mrs. Santa Claus at the Western Heritage Museum for ten years.

Anne Weaver was a philanthropist and patroness of the arts. She was a gifted, vibrant, energetic, passionate and generous woman who lived a rich, rewarding life filling her days and nights with wonderful times spent with dear friends, and generous giving of her time and talents to numerous organizations in Omaha and Okoboji, Iowa. Her volunteerism to social and civic organizations spanned some six decades. Her service included President of the Salvation Army Auxiliary, Salvation Army Advisory Board, Board of Directors of Opera Omaha, Governing Board of the Omaha Symphony, Board of Directors of the Omaha Community Playhouse, Board of Directors of the Museum of Nebraska Art in Kearney, Board of Directors of Nebraska Methodist Hospital Foundation, Secretary of the National Patriotic Service Committee of the National Society of Colonial Dames, President of the National Society of Colonial Dames, The Nebraska State Historical Society, Advisory Board of the Lied Center for Performing Arts, Town Hall President, Planned Parenthood President, Volunteer Bureau President, Board of Directors of Family and Child Services, Board of Directors of United Way, Board of Directors of the Western Heritage Museum, Joslyn Art Museum Women’s Association, and Junior Warden of Trinity Cathedral Vestry.

Accolades and awards bestowed on Anne include The Salvation Army Evangeline Booth Award, Opera Omaha’s Silver Rose Award, the F. E. Borchers Community Service Award from the Methodist Hospital Foundation, the 2011 Junior League of Omaha Distinguished Sustainer Award, The YWCA award for community service, The Junior League of Omaha Roll of Honor, The National Society of Colonial Dames roll of Honor, and in 2009, Investiture of the AK-SAR-BEN Court of Honor Honoree for Lifetime Contribution to the Arts.

Anne enjoyed a well-lived life with grace, passion, lightheartedness, steadfastness and great generosity. She was a living example of the goodness we can do for one another. She will be greatly missed by all who were fortunate to know her and could call her friend, colleague, co-worker, companion, neighbor, Mother and Grandmother.

Anne Weaver was preceded in death by her son, James McLaughlin Weaver; her son, Philip Thorne Weaver; and former husband, Philip Angus Weaver. Anne is survived by her daughters, Wendy Weaver Clark (Roger) and Laura Anne Weaver (Sheri De La Motte); grandchildren, Ashley Paulsen (Andreas) and James Clark (Shaila Fox) and two great-grandchildren, Anley Paulsen and Ralston Clark.

Memorial gifts are suggested to The Nebraska Humane Society, The Salvation Army, The Museum of Nebraska Art, St. Alban’s Episcopal Church and Trinity Cathedral in lieu of flowers.