Ann Galasso Detzler

Ann Elizabeth Galasso Detzler, born December 5, 1935, was welcomed into her Savior’s Garden Wednesday morning, October 29, 2025. She was 89 years of age. Ann was preceded in death by her husband Jim and is survived by her children Kathy Jennings (Frank), Mary Fuller (John), Ann Shafer, Jim Detzler (Stephanie), and John Detzler. She is also survived by 14 grandchildren, one great-grandson, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Our Lady of Pompeii Church, 129 Laverack Ave., Lancaster, NY on Tuesday November 4, 2025 at 10am. Please assemble at the church; no prior visitations. Ann was the eldest of four children born to Santina (Belurgi) and Anthony Galasso. Ann was also preceded in death by her brothers Tony Galasso and Marty Galasso, and sister-in-law Jan Galasso, brother-in-law Sonny Weisberg and niece Marsa Galasso. Surviving is sister Loretta Weisberg and sister-in-law Sharon Galasso. Also surviving Ann is Karen Deutschlander, a Neighbor and Friend who poured the full measure of her heart into Ann over the final decades of her life, and for whom the same was poured for her.
Ann was born into a large and loving family in Depew, NY, surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles, and many cousins. A gifted and talented student, she graduated from Lancaster High School in 1952 at the age of 16. She then graduated from the University of Buffalo as a Registered Nurse in 1956. She met her husband on a blind date, and in 1957 they married. Six years and five babies later, their family was complete. In 1966 Ann began a career in public health, first as the Health Ed. Teacher at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in Sloan, and later as Nurse at John F. Kennedy High School in Cheektowaga. During the second half of her professional career, and with her children launching lives of their own, Ann began a second, part-time position serving her beloved Village of Lancaster as Justice of the Peace, a position she held for eighteen years. A lifetime privilege extended to all judges is the role they play as officiant in marriages. Ann was especially honored by this privilege, and conducted many, many marriages over her lifetime. Her final time in this role came just eighteen days before she passed, as she joined together the lives of her niece and Goddaughter, Jessica Galasso Smith to Jim Smith.
These are the basic facts about Ann Detzler, but in fact they say nothing about Ann Detzler. This is a sampling of what you need to know: She was never quite sure which direction was left, and which was right. So she got used to saying, “Oh yeah, the other right.” She struggled quite a bit with clothing trends, colors, fabrics, etc. It is fair to say her fashion sense was “collage” or “multimedia.” She laughed easily and generously about her
idiosyncrasies. She was fun to be around. She was whip-smart, and quietly competitive, whether with others in Scrabble or card games, or with herself at a crossword puzzle. She collected things: turtles, ducks, frogs, pigs in flight, kitschy art and anything made by a grandchild. And she had fourteen of those through her own children, and more than a few others who claimed her as their own. She collected people. Her home was a sanctuary that belonged to anyone needing to belong to someone and to some place. She befriended strangers, once taking in a teenage girl who had travelled with a group selling magazines door-to-door and was miserable. Ann convinced her to quit, and soon after learned she was about to turn eighteen. So, Ann got a cake and gathered neighbors to sing and celebrate, and insisted the girl stay in her home. Ann was a friend for life and had many lifelong friends. Ann could not cook, but her refrigerator was full, somehow. Thank you to so many wonderful friends and neighbors, and Schwann’s. Ann worried little; she saw no upside to it. Besides, she’d often say, God has her in His hip pocket. She was extraordinarily trustworthy. People around her understood they could share honestly and deeply. There is no doubt that many juicy secrets are now forever sealed. She owned nothing that might also own her. “This is how tightly you should hold onto your things,” she’d say, while unfolding her hand, palm up. Ann loved to be outside in her yard or garden, whether pulling weeds or nurturing plants and flowers or fruits and vegetables. But in fact, all of that work was her purest form of joy, the place where she felt most nurtured because it was the place she felt closest to God. And now she walks in His Garden.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Family Justice Center of Erie County. Find them and learn about their mission at https://fjcsafe.org/  Share condolences at wendelandloecherinc.com