Dr. Anna Marie Chandler

Dr. Anna Marie Dean Chandler transitioned peacefully on September 20, 2025, in Troy, Michigan. Born on January 20, 1936, in Newberry, South Carolina, to Wade Preston Dean, Sr. and Ruth Oneita Morgan Dean, Anna was a child of promise from the very beginning. She grew up surrounded not only by her loving parents, but also by grandparents, aunts, uncles, and a wide circle of family who nurtured her spirit and intellect. To them, she was "everyone's child"-a bright young girl who quickly stood out for her curiosity, wit, and gift for storytelling.

Her early years were marked by resilience and brilliance. At just eight years old she was advanced to the fifth grade after excelling on the D.C. Public Schools Placement Examination. By sixteen she graduated from Armstrong Technical High School as a National Honor Society member, and by twenty she had earned her Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from Howard University, where, in December of 1955, she was initiated into the Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She went on to earn both a Master of Education and a Doctor of Education from Wayne State University.

Anna began her career in 1956 as the first African American art teacher in the Pontiac, Michigan, school system. While pursuing her passion for education, she married Henry L. Chandler, with whom she shared more than three decades of love and partnership until his passing in 1990.

Dr. Chandler's career spanned more than 52 years as a teacher, administrator, professor, and mentor. She served in Pontiac, Michigan; Benton Harbor, Michigan; and Wichita, Kansas, school districts, and later as chairperson of the Ethnic Studies Department at Wichita State University. Her teaching extended far beyond the classroom-she was known as a visionary educator, a captivating historian, and a mentor who encouraged her students to dream beyond their own imagination. Her wisdom and humor left a lasting imprint on generations across the U.S. and abroad, including her international work in North Yemen in the Arabic Republic.

A charter member and past president of the Pontiac Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Dr. Chandler celebrated 69 years of active membership. She was also a valued member of numerous professional and civic organizations, always bringing intellect, leadership, and a compassionate heart.

She will be remembered as an accomplished woman ahead of her time-an intellectual, an artist, and a visionary who never lost her joy for life or her humor in telling stories that connected history to the present. She was a teacher, mentor, Soror, neighbor, sister, advisor, confidant, and most of all, a beloved mother and grandmother.

Dr. Chandler leaves to cherish her memory her three children, Phillip C. Chandler (Onah), Michael W. Chandler (Rachel), and Constance L. Chandler-White (Kevin); her sister, Thelma D. Jacobs; her brother, Wade P. Dean, Jr. (Janice): grandchildren Philesha Chandler-Johnson, Andres Rivas, Trenice Chandler, Anthony Chandler, Alica Mays, Courtney Bridges, Alana Dansby and Kenny Chandler: great-grandchildren Preston Chandler, Avani Chandler-Johnson, and Sienna Mays. She had the pleasure of being the godmother to Lonnie Humphries Jr. She also leaves a host of extended family as well, Sorors, former students, colleagues, and friends who will carry forward her legacy of excellence and love. as well as a host of extended family,

Her life was a testimony of intellect, resilience, and vision-an enduring reminder that one person, with heart and wisdom, can shape the lives of many.

Services are as follows: Saturday, October 4, 2025, Family Hour at 10:00 AM, Omega Omega Service at 11:00 AM, followed by a Memorial Service at 11:30 AM. All services will take place at Newman AME Church, 233 Bagley Street, Pontiac, Michigan 48341. The repast will be held at the church immediately after the service.

Memorial tributes suggested to Newman AME Church, 233 Bagley Street, Pontiac, Michigan 48341 or to Pontiac Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. P.O.Box 431194 Pontiac, MI 48343.

~ Lovingly written by the family ~