Ann Sommer

Sommer, Ann
August 4, 1910 - March 30, 2009
Ann Sommer, 98, the widow of famed German composer, conductor, and pianist Hans Sommer, died Monday, March 30 of injuries she received on March 25 when she and her son, journalist Michael Sommer, 73, were struck by a car in an Agoura Hills parking lot. Michael died of his injuries as the two were being airlifted to the UCLA Trauma Center.

Mrs. Sommer and her husband fled Germany in 1935 after the Nazi government brought pressure on Hans, then one of the most prominent popular-music composers and film conductors in the country, to divorce his wife because of her Jewish heritage. The couple and their infant son spent three years in Mexico before obtaining visas to come to the United States in 1938.

As her husband struggled to find employment in Hollywood, Mrs. Sommer opened a real-estate business, called Homes With Charm, limiting it to high-end residences mostly on the West Side. Gradually. her husband -- who had become friends with many leading U.S. musicians while still living in Germany -- was accepted into the local film community, eventually becoming the conductor of the MGM Studio Orchestra for many films and soundtrack recordings. He died in 2000.

Mrs. Sommer remained active to the end, engaging in daily calesthenics and walking her dogs. She was a familiar figure in the Pacific Palisades area, where she lived for 56 years.

A memorial service for Mrs. Sommer and Michael is scheduled to be held at the Gates Kingsley Gates Moeller mortuary, 1925 Arizona Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90404, on Wednesday, April 1 at 11:00 a.m.