Margaret Phillips "Ann" Sobhani

Margaret ""Ann"" Phillips Sobhani

Margaret Sobhani, 84, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, November 26, 2019 at the Brookside Care Center. Known to her local friends and family as "Ann", she resided for the past 17 years in Kenosha, but always considered herself a New Yorker where she lived from the late 1950's until shortly after the September 11th terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001.

Ann was born in Meadville, Pennsylvania, spent her early years in Buffalo and Chicago, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Northwestern University with a degree in French Literature. She was fluent in French and conversant in German, Russian and Farsi and was a lifelong student of archeology, history, and art. Ann was a voracious reader and an expert at the New York Times crossword puzzles.

In 1958, she moved to Manhattan's East Village when she was recruited as a computer programmer by IBM, a rare profession for women at the time. Ann relished the city's rich cultural life and met her future husband, Fanaollah Sobhani, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. After IBM, Ann was employed for many years by Advanced Computer Techniques where she developed and managed complex programs for corporate and government clients. Her assignments took her to Italy and Washington DC. In addition, she traveled extensively with her husband throughout Europe and the Middle East.

Late in her career, Ann worked for the New York Mercantile Exchange where she oversaw the installation and testing of mission-critical applications. On 91, she was about to depart for her offices at the World Trade complex when the first of two jetliners hit the Towers. While her workspace was only slightly damaged, she and her colleagues were forced to commute by boat on the Hudson River under tight security. The smoldering Towers, the dense smoke and dust, and the devastation formed a deep sense of loss that she could never forget or even talk about without tearing up.

Ann embraced living in Kenosha in retirement, but visited New York City yearly to keep in touch with her friends, coworkers and her husband's extended family. She continued to travel with friends and family to Europe, the Rocky Mountains, and California. Trips to Turkey and Estonia were cherished adventures as were attending many local school plays and movies with her Wisconsin friends. She was a member of The Woman's Club of Kenosha, the Fifth Avenue Book Club, and a patron of the Art Institute of Chicago and The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. The Green Bay Packers became her favorite sports team.

She is survived by her sister-in-law Merike Phillips, cousin Kenneth Miller, and the Sobhani relatives in New York, New Jersey and Illinois. She was preceded in death by her husband Fanaollah, parents Stuart and Mary (Dorworth) Phillips, her brother William L. Phillips, uncles, aunts, and cousins, especially beloved cousin Susan Dorworth Murray Miller.

Her sister-in-law's mother "Ema" along with her Estonian relatives became Ann's close friends and an integral part of her extended family. She remained close to Bahi (Sobhani) Williams out East.

In Kenosha, Ann dearly loved David and Denise Dennee, their children, and grandchildren. For them she was their Aunt and "Miss Ann". We thank their family for their love and invaluable help for many years, the Brookside staff for their caregiving, and Allay Home and Hospice for their compassionate service.

A Memorial gathering for Ann will be held on Friday, December 6th at 3:00 p.m. at Brookside Care Center in Room Southport B (3506 Washington Road). A separate Memorial Service will be held in New York at a later date. Her final resting place will be next to her husband at the family's plot at the Flushing Cemetery, Queens, NY.

Given Ann's generous support of many causes and charities over the years, the family requests donations in her honor be made to your favorite charity in lieu of flowers.

From Ann's favorite childhood book, Winnie the Pooh: "How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."

Hansen-Lendman Funeral Home

6019 – 7th Ave.

Kenosha, WI 53143

262-654-2136

Online Memorial Book

www.hansen-lendmanfuneralhome.com