Ann Elizabeth Maas

Ann Elizabeth Maas of Port Huron, age 85, passed away on Wednesday, August 20, at Heart to Heart Hospice of Troy. Born February 8, 1940, in Toledo, Ohio, Ann was the firstborn of Fred and Lena White.

Ann had a distinguished career as an educator for Macomb Intermediate School District, the majority of her time teaching young adults with significant disabilities and behavioral challenges how to learn and succeed far beyond their supposed capacities. She ended her career as the vocational evaluator for students with disabilities in Macomb County.

In the late 1980s, she and her husband Bill moved to Port Huron, closer to their beloved cabin on the Bruce Peninsula. She and Bill shared in each other's circle of friends: both of them bringing their love of life and warmth to every event in which they participated. They traveled extensively, returning with stories of the adventures they'd had.

Upon retirement, she put her considerable energy to work for those causes that were near and dear. She was an active member of the Friends of the St. Clair Library and ran two successful county-wide mileage campaigns for the library. She was an avid supporter of the International Symphony, first on their auxiliary and then on their board. She ran several successful campaigns for judge candidates in the county. Ann was active with the League of Women's Voters, the American Association of University Women, and several book clubs. She wrote to the editor of the Port Huron Times Herald often, eventually becoming a popular community columnist for several years.

Ann was a superb craftsperson. A long-time knitter, she challenged herself with more and more complex designs. When arthritis got the better of her hands, she took up weaving, starting with her mother's four-shuttle loom. She quickly advanced to more complex and much larger looms.

Her living room was turned into her weaving room with three looms - two large and her mom's, her home office became her wool room. She would enlist the help of her husband, Bill, to dress the loom, her increasingly more complex weaves requiring lots of patience and math to get them right. True to form, she got involved in an international weaving group, had items for sale at Weekends in downtown Port Huron and taught others to weave.

She and Bill were big benefactors of the Community Foundation of St Clair County and WRCJ in Detroit. In 2017, she and Bill were awarded the Crystal Microphone, recognizing donors of their Kresge Society for their work and efforts on behalf of classical music. Ann was first in line for her tickets to the International Symphony and the Lexington Bach Festival. She loved going to the Detroit Symphony, seeing plays at the Fischer, going to Stratford and Saturday at the Met.

Ann loved her time spent with family: at the beach, traveling or doing arts and crafts. She leaves behind her children, Stephen Hockley (Kathy Campbell) and Susan Smith, her beloved grandchildren Nathan Smith and Annalee Smith, her sister Bonnie Boyle (Ted Bachman), brother James White, dear nephews Geoff (Tina Tvrdik) Etzel and Ben Etzel. She was preceded in death by her parents Fred and Lena White and her husband, William H Maas.

Relatives and friends may call on the family on Friday, September 26, 2025, from 4:00 pm until 8:00 p.m. with memory sharing at 7:00 pm at Grace Memorial - Smith Chapel, 1525 Hancock St., Port Huron, Michigan 48060. There will be a one-hour visitation on Saturday, September 27, 2025 at 10:00 am, followed by a funeral service at 11:00 am at Grace Memorial - Smith Chapel. Pastor Anne Preimesberger will officiate.

Interment will be immediately following at Lakeside Cemetery Columbarium.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ann's memory to the Community Foundation of St. Clair County (stclairfoundation.org), The International Symphony (https://theiso.givingfuel.com/ american-donation-page) or WRCJ (https://donate.wrcifm.org/wrcj/tribute). The family wishes to thank the staff at Henry Ford Rochester Hospital and Heart to Heart Hospice Hospital of Troy for their gentle care the past two weeks of Ann's life.