Ann Emerson Spaulding

KENNEBUNK – Ann Emerson Spaulding passed away peacefully at home on Dec. 31, 2024, surrounded by her family. Ann was born in Weymouth, Mass., on June 17, 1931, to Ed and Louise Emerson. Ann graduated from Sanborn Seminary in North Danville, N.H., and Wheelock College in 1953 with a degree in education.

Ann met the love of her life, Charles “Hank” Spaulding during her first year of teaching second grade in Rye, N.H. They were married on June 19, 1954.

Their first child, Rob, was born a year later and the family quickly grew to seven children over the next 10 years. They spent 23 action-packed years raising a family in Lexington and Concord, fortunate to live in a neighborhood full of children where lifelong friendships were formed. Ann was a devoted mother and community member and served the role of a founding parent in the Lexington METCO program, as well as contributing time to Pilgrim Congregational Church.

Ann, Hank, and the children spent summers in Maine, beginning in the early 1970s, eventually moving permanently to Kennebunk, in 1978. Ann and Hank were also big supporters of the KBIA summer youth organization where their kids enjoyed swimming, sailing, and tennis. Ann and Hank also constructed a second home at Sugarloaf, which became a focal point of family gatherings year-round for many years.

Over the 57 years they were married, Ann and Hank most enjoyed the time spent with family, taking vacations, attending countless athletic contests, and always encouraging their children in their many adventurous pursuits.

Ann opened and operated a boutique clothing store, Annie’s Apple, in the heart of Dock Square, Kennebunkport, in 1979. She was a passionate supporter of education and the arts, serving on the boards of Berwick Academy, Wheelock College, KBIA, Portland Symphony Orchestra, and the Spaulding Center for Active Living. She was instrumental in working with Sugarloaf Mountain Arts to host outdoor summer concerts on the mountain in the 1980s. Ann was the driving force behind the Music on Main free public concert featuring the PSO performing in downtown Kennebunk.

Ann also had a fondness for entertaining, having friends for dinner parties, cook-outs, and taking in the beauty of Kennebunk summers, often with friends watching the sun go down at the beach. She had a strong interest in current events and stayed informed until she died. She was a devoted Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins fan. She recalled during her Wheelock College years in Boston how she and her friends enjoyed walking to Fenway Park and watching Ted Williams play.

Ann’s signature achievement, along with Hank, was envisioning and planning the establishment of the Senior Center in Kennebunk in 1990. She tirelessly saw this project through many stages, the last of which was an expansion of the facility in 2024.

Ann adored her eight grandchildren and saw the arrival of her first great-grandchild last summer.

She was predeceased by her husband, Hank, and survived by her seven children: Rob Spaulding and his wife Penny of Kennebunk; Scott Spaulding of Kennebunk; Andy Spaulding of Kennebunk; Sue Spaulding of Lansing, Mich.; Jack Spaulding and his wife Suzanne of Portsmouth, N.H.; Jane Spaulding Breiby and her husband E.J. of Burlington MA; Tom Spaulding of Kennebunk; eight grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and her beloved dog, Oscar.

The funeral service will be held on Friday, January 17, 2025, at 11 a.m., at the Church on the Cape, 3 Langsford Road, in Cape Porpoise.

To share a memory or leave a message of condolence, please visit Ann’s Book of Memories Page at http://www.bibberfuneral.com.

Arrangements are in the care of Bibber Memorial Chapel, 67 Summer Street, Kennebunk, ME 0404

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Spaulding Center for Active Living, 175 Port Road, Kennebunk, ME 04043.