Ann Limbach

Ann Cleminshaw Limbach, 89, of Los Altos, CA, passed away Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, with family at her bedside.
Ann was born in Cleveland, Ohio, April 29, 1934, the youngest child to William H. Cleminshaw, Jr. and Helen (Dukelow) Cleminshaw. Ann's father died shortly after her first birthday, and then the family was continually on the move, from Cleveland to New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts. At age 9, when Ann's mother could no longer care for the family, Ann and her two siblings (Charles "Hobie" & Mary) were embraced by their paternal uncle's family in Hudson, Ohio – Russell & Beatrice Cleminshaw, and their three children Jim, Betsy and Bill.
In 1944, Ann's life changed. She now lived in a stable home, attended the same school year to year, and made life-long friends. That's also when she met George Limbach. Per George, "I kissed Ann under the bleachers the first day she came to town." But Ann recalls, "It wasn't exactly the 'first day we met' as he claims, but I guess it was pretty close." I always looked in the Hudson Times to see if George was 'acolyting' at Christ Church, and I always managed to be at church when George was there." In the Prophecies section of Ann's 1952 high school senior yearbook, there is reference that Ann would marry George.
Her new family spent summers on two small islands in Lake Temagami, Ontario, Canada, where they built a number of cabins. "Spending my summers at Lake Temagami, where I learned to swim, was a brand-new experience. And I was finally able to attend the same school instead of being shifted around every few months. Life at my new home, with my two siblings plus three cousins, I flourished." In 1956 she earned a BA in History at Wellesley College, and in 1957 earned an MA in Education at Harvard University. After raising four kids, Ann went back to school and became an accountant.
Ann and George were engaged in August 1956 at Lake Temagami, and married on June 29, 1957 in Hudson, Ohio. In 1958, they moved to California, and raised their children in Los Altos. Family was important to Ann. In 1984, when her brother-in-law (Dan Felix) suggested Ann & George host a large Thanksgiving dinner for the extended Cleminshaw family, Ann was up to the task. Their barn had been the site of many Christmas Barn Dances, so forty-two Cleminshaws were seated in the Limbach barn so everyone could be at the same Thanksgiving dinner table. Each was assigned a job (e.g., "gravy boat filler"), so after grace the meal was still warm. Ann and George built a cabin in the Sierras, which is still a special place for family and friends to gather.
Ann was a teacher, homemaker, accountant, and volunteered her time in many areas, including, most recently (for 20 years), tutoring 1st and 2nd graders in reading. She was a member of Christ Episcopal Church, Los Altos, and with George a founding member of the Los Altos Community Foundation. Interests included tennis, skiing, gardening, sewing, reading, knitting, cooking, local theater, the Giants & Warriors, and Stanford & 49er football. They were world travelers, and explored 6 continents. Wherever Ann went, she connected with strangers.
Ann is preceded in death by her aunt and uncle, Russell & Beatrice Cleminshaw; siblings William H. Cleminshaw, III (died in infancy), Charles H. Cleminshaw (Cynie), and Mary H. Cleminshaw; and sibling-cousins Jim Cleminshaw, Betsy Felix and Bill Cleminshaw. Ann is survived by her husband of 66 years, George of Los Altos; four children: Mary Fries (Doug) of Littleton, CO, Doug Limbach (Sandra) of Petaluma, CA, Alan Limbach (Jean) of Los Altos, CA, and David Limbach (Emily) of Niwot, CO; and seven grandchildren: Karl Fries (Megan), Sarah Fries, Cole Limbach, Katherine Limbach, William Limbach, Kayleigh Limbach, and Lauren Limbach.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation