Ann Mary Ball Frost

Ann Mary Ball Frost, PhD, of Annapolis, Maryland, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. She moved to Annapolis with her young family in 1973, and spent over 50 years building a life deeply rooted in the community. Ann was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 23, 1939, and raised in Memphis by her parents, Mary Louise Weizenegger and Albert Lafayette Ball. A brilliant student, Ann was voted "Most Intelligent" at Central High School in 1956 before continuing her academic journey at Vanderbilt University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude in chemistry in 1960 having won that year's Chemistry Prize. Bypassing a Master's, she was awarded her PhD in the field of biochemistry in 1965. Ann moved with her husband, Dr. John W. Frost, Jr., and their three young children to Portsmouth, Virginia, where she was instrumental in establishing a kidney dialysis unit at a newly established hospital. It was during her time in Virginia that Ann discovered the joys of sailing and exploring the Chesapeake Bay aboard their Columbia 34. This love ultimately led the family to settle in Annapolis, where she would make her home. Ann devoted her energies to numerous causes over the years. She was involved with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Chesapeake Classrooms program and volunteered as one of the Anne Arundel Medical Center Auxiliary's "Pink Ladies." Her love of gardening inspired her to serve as a Garden Docent at the William Paca House in Annapolis and participate in the Master Gardener Program of The University of Tennessee Extension in Memphis. Ann was also an active member of the Junior League in both Annapolis and Memphis. Whether speaking in a classroom, mentoring in a laboratory or tutoring at her dining table, Ann had a passion for teaching. She served as a professor at the United States Naval Academy from 1985 until 1990, a role she cherished and that was for her as much about pastoral care as academics. She went on to teach at Morgan State University in Baltimore and at Key School in Annapolis. Even after retiring, Ann's love of teaching continued as she tutored students in math and science for many years, helping them succeed, well into her 80s. Ann is survived by her children, Leslie Frost Stouffer, Laura Frost Northwood, and John Wilson Frost III; her grandchildren, Amelia, Erika, Abigail, Lauren, and Christopher; her sister, Susan Ball Haskell, and her nephew Seth and niece Devon. Ann will be remembered as a brilliant and devoted teacher, a loving mother and grandmother and a woman with southern grace, who laughed easily and was deeply kind. The family will receive friends at the St Margaret's Episcopal Church, 1601 Pleasant Plains Road, Annapolis, Maryland 21409 on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 from 10 to 11 am. Ann's funeral will be conducted by the Reverend Peter W. Mayer at 11 am. There will be a reception to follow. In honor of her love of learning and many years living on "the Bay," the family asks that any memorials on Ann's behalf be made to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF.org). An online guest book is available at www.johnmtaylorfuneralhome.com