Anna Mara Kositsky, a beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin, friend and devoted caregiver, passed away on October 18, 2025 after battling to recover from a severe burn. A caring and generous soul known to many as simply "Nurse Ann," she touched dozens of lives with her kindness, her compassion and her ebullient spirit.
Ann was born was born on March 31, 1951 in Berkeley, California, to Val and Jack Kositsky. Her father was one of the premier earthquake engineers in the Bay Area and her mother was a public school teacher. Ann graduated as an RN from San Francisco State in 1974 and completed her master's degree in nursing at University of California, San Francisco, in 1985.
Ann worked as a nurse practitioner for most of her career, initially caring for premature infants and later with a focus on senior care. She spent more than a decade as a neonatal intensive care nurse, and she is the co-author with Helen Harrison of The Premature Baby Book: A Parents Guide to Coping and Caring in the First Years. The book is the result of seven years of intense research into medical literature as well as interviews with neonatologists, intensive care nurses, social workers, therapists and hundreds of parents of premature infants.
Teaching was one of Ann's greatest joys. While her children were still young, she taught well-child and baby-care classes at Kaiser Permanente. Homeschooling was in its infancy when Ann began teaching her two sons, Aaron and Joshua, at home. She played a leadership role in the local homeschooling community, founding a support group for parents, leading field trips and publishing a newsletter. Ann also organized frequent activity sessions and "science days" for the children in which they might make ice cream from scratch, examine organisms under the microscope or even dissect a cow's eye.
Ann was highly creative. She was skilled at crafts and especially knitting. She knitted hundreds of hats and scarves with her stash of yarn over the years, and gave them away to friends, family and those in need. She also loved to sew costumes, especially historical and reenactment costumes.
Ann loved to cook and experiment with different kinds of ethnic foods. Every year at Passover she'd research and make a variety of charosets from all over the world, treating the guests at her seder to a host of new flavors and combinations. She loved sharing, giving of herself, her time, her home and her resources to anyone who needed help or support.
In the last few years, Ann found community in the Nomad life. She traveled to parts of the southwest with her nomad friends, soaking in the serenity of nature, while embracing a happy new sense of belonging. She became known in the nomad community for nursing wounds, both physical and mental. Her healing hands were always busy — tending, bandaging, listening and offering beanies to cold travelers, helping all who needed comfort.
Ann is survived by her sons, Aaron (Grace) and Joshua (Holly); her granddaughter Sierra; her nieces Sasha and Maya; her partner Corbett O'Toole, her many, many friends and dozens of cousins in the Bay Area and around the country.
A memorial service for Ann is scheduled for Jan 10 from 1pm - 4ish at the Arlington Community Church at 52 Arlington Ave, Kensington, CA 94707.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ann's memory to the charity of your choice.
Ann was born was born on March 31, 1951 in Berkeley, California, to Val and Jack Kositsky. Her father was one of the premier earthquake engineers in the Bay Area and her mother was a public school teacher. Ann graduated as an RN from San Francisco State in 1974 and completed her master's degree in nursing at University of California, San Francisco, in 1985.
Ann worked as a nurse practitioner for most of her career, initially caring for premature infants and later with a focus on senior care. She spent more than a decade as a neonatal intensive care nurse, and she is the co-author with Helen Harrison of The Premature Baby Book: A Parents Guide to Coping and Caring in the First Years. The book is the result of seven years of intense research into medical literature as well as interviews with neonatologists, intensive care nurses, social workers, therapists and hundreds of parents of premature infants.
Teaching was one of Ann's greatest joys. While her children were still young, she taught well-child and baby-care classes at Kaiser Permanente. Homeschooling was in its infancy when Ann began teaching her two sons, Aaron and Joshua, at home. She played a leadership role in the local homeschooling community, founding a support group for parents, leading field trips and publishing a newsletter. Ann also organized frequent activity sessions and "science days" for the children in which they might make ice cream from scratch, examine organisms under the microscope or even dissect a cow's eye.
Ann was highly creative. She was skilled at crafts and especially knitting. She knitted hundreds of hats and scarves with her stash of yarn over the years, and gave them away to friends, family and those in need. She also loved to sew costumes, especially historical and reenactment costumes.
Ann loved to cook and experiment with different kinds of ethnic foods. Every year at Passover she'd research and make a variety of charosets from all over the world, treating the guests at her seder to a host of new flavors and combinations. She loved sharing, giving of herself, her time, her home and her resources to anyone who needed help or support.
In the last few years, Ann found community in the Nomad life. She traveled to parts of the southwest with her nomad friends, soaking in the serenity of nature, while embracing a happy new sense of belonging. She became known in the nomad community for nursing wounds, both physical and mental. Her healing hands were always busy — tending, bandaging, listening and offering beanies to cold travelers, helping all who needed comfort.
Ann is survived by her sons, Aaron (Grace) and Joshua (Holly); her granddaughter Sierra; her nieces Sasha and Maya; her partner Corbett O'Toole, her many, many friends and dozens of cousins in the Bay Area and around the country.
A memorial service for Ann is scheduled for Jan 10 from 1pm - 4ish at the Arlington Community Church at 52 Arlington Ave, Kensington, CA 94707.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ann's memory to the charity of your choice.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Ann M Kositsky, please visit our flower store.
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