Ann Marie Pope (Sweeney) passed away peacefully on April 18, 2021. She was born in Nashua, NH on July 1, 1940 to the late William and Helen Sweeney. Above all else, Ann treasured her family: her loving husband of 56 years, David F. Pope; her eight children, Susan Fukuda (Shinji), Matthew Pope (Laura), Michael Pope (Denise), David Pope (deceased), Sarah Sullivan (Daniel), Patrick Pope (Amanda), Maria Camacho (George), and Joshua Pope (Jennifer); her sister, Virginia Giles (Wayne); her seventeen grandchildren, Kei Fukuda; Natalia and Elayna Pope; Megan, Alli and Seth Pope; Caitlin and Danny Sullivan; Harrison, Alexander and Bennett Pope; Ryan, Sean and Kevin Camacho; and Connor, Maddie and Nick Pope; devoted caregivers; and beloved nieces and nephews.
Ann graduated from Rivier College in 1962 and pursued a PhD in Economics at Boston College until marrying in 1964. Ann devoted her life to family and found true joy in caring for others. She was a mother to many – her own children as well as countless neighborhood children. She raised her family in her hometown of Nashua, shepherding her kids and many others to school, to the practice field, to the golf course, and to the swimming pool in the family Suburban (aka “The Pope Mobile”). You never knew how many children would hop out of that car when it arrived.
Ann’s seventeen grandchildren represent her true legacy. She was the perfect grandmother, visiting each within a week of birth, holding them and helping the new moms care for their babies. She loved spending time with them at the beach in Wellfleet, MA, at her home on Hutchinson Island in Stuart, FL, at dinners at Benihanas, making Mickey Mouse pancakes, shopping for the perfect gift, and hosting the Christmas holidays each year with all of her children and grandchildren. Ann will be forever missed by her family.
A celebration of Ann’s life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the Turner Syndrome Society of the United States, 11250 West Rd Suite G, Houston, TX 77065 or www.turnersyndrome.org, or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or www.stjude.org.