Anne L. Manvel

Anne Laird Manvel died peacefully at her home on May 2 after a life filled with love and service.

Born in 1940 to parents Hallie and Bert Laird, Anne grew up in Ashtabula, Ohio. She met her husband Ben at Oberlin College, where she completed a BA in History before earning an MA in Librarianship from the University of Denver. Anne and Ben married in 1964 and lived in Ann Arbor for six years before moving to Fort Collins where Ben taught mathematics at CSU.

Anne worked briefly in various library positions but after moving to Fort Collins she focused on family and community. Her leadership of the local League of Women Voters led to eight years serving on the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, including two years as chair.

Her children, Emily Manvel Leite, Sara Manvel Steen, and Evan Manvel, were her pride and joy. Their spouses and seven grandchildren were a wonderful bonus. She loved spending time with her siblings and extended family and enjoyed friends, travel, hiking and camping, birding, tennis, crosswords, and volunteering in many ways, especially at Foothills Unitarian Church. Summer weeks on Nantucket Island and sabbatical years in Cambridge, England, Melbourne, Australia, and Florence, Italy were especially memorable.

After a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in 2009 Anne gradually lost her brilliance, her memory, and her mobility but she retained her beautiful smile and gracious manner to the end. She is survived by her husband Ben, siblings Judy Purvis, John Laird, and Betsy Pohle, her three children and their spouses, and seven grandchildren. They are grateful for Pathways Hospice, which made it possible for her to remain at home.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 25, at 3 PM at Foothills Unitarian Church. Memorial contributions can be sent to Foothills Unitarian Church or the League of Women Voters of Larimer County.