Anne Duncan Karshis

1946 - 2026

Anne Duncan Karshis, Amelia Island, FL, Age 79.
With deep sadness, Anne's family announced her passing on the 29th of March, 2026.
Anne's life was committed to her family, work career and volunteering in the community
She was born on 10 July, 1946, in Nashville, Tennessee, to her parents, the late Elizabeth Lowe Tate Duncan and Father Gordon Brown Duncan, granddaughter of the late Prof. and Mrs. William Knox Tate, and of the late Rev. and Mrs. Charles Bernard Duncan, of Nashville, Tennessee.
She grew up in Nashville and graduated from West End High School in 1964 and Vanderbilt University in 1968 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. Female engineers were rare in the 60s very few women were enrolled in engineering. Anne's interests in engineering grew during her secondary education and were encourage by her dad who together enjoyed doing science projects at home.
Anne was an engineer, a business analyst and most important to her, being a mom and bringing up two sons. She interrupted her budding engineering career in order to be directly involved in their most formative years. She was the Cub Scout den mother, the volunteer Liberian at the local grammar school, and hockey mom from peewee age through high school, and so many other educational and sports activities.
After graduation from Vanderbilt, Anne began working for General Electric Aerospace Equipment Div. In the design of the AWACS Airborne Early Warning Radar and Control Systems for the U.S. Air Force where she met, and soon thereafter, married her husband, Paul, in 1969, in Christ the King Church in Nashville.
Shortly thereafter, they moved to the Boston area where she took an engineering position with Raytheon Missiles & Defense Systems Development Division.
Her dedication to family was cause for a break in her engineering career that lasted for more than ten years, a lifetime in engineering terms, so she embarked on entering the field of software development when she returned and worked on a series of projects for startup type tech companies. Examples include: self-drive mobile vehicles back in the 80s, internet device connections, TV ad insertion applications, and a slew of other applications. Those were the dot-com days when everything was riding high, until it wasn't.
With the ending of the tech dot-com bubble, it was time to make a change once again. Anne rebranded herself with an MBA from Bryant University in 1999 with Honors in economics and international business that led her to an analysist position with Harvard Business School. As a research analyst working along with the business school professors she co-authoring numerous business Case Studies published by Harvard and used in teaching seminars for corporate business leaders.
She was "The Engineering Lady with a Green Thumb." Gardening was her passion, especially perfecting the artistry of bonsai. She preferred to put her hands in the dirt rather than go to a nail salon to make them look pretty. Talents she willingly shared in giving hundreds of hours of service with Master Gardeners to projects in both Florida and New England. The Nassau County Humane Society, she loved those kitties and also volunteered at the Second Chance clothing store generating supporting funds. The Boys & Girls Clubs championing activities in gardening and STEM based robotics building and programming, based on Lego MindShare as well as organizing a group of professional engineers in support of delivering the program to the kids.
To know Anne, is to also know that she loved football, the Patriots, Tom Brady and Howie Long, who she met briefly in Honolulu. That she would rather ride her bike than drive her car to the nearby grocery store.
She was truly brave, strong, and smart in so many ways, and willing to share with whoever was interested in digging deeper. In facing the challenges of her more than 27 years journey with cancer, the following words were adopted early on as her mantra. Posted on the home scene of her computer, as a daily reminder, were the words: "You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have".
The lady had fight. Everyone who met her would agree she was someone special.
A master gardener and A Beautiful Flower we will all miss.
Anne leaves behind her spouse of 57 years, Paul F. Karshis, of Amelia Island, son Matthew Owen Karshis and his wife Kyoko Iwahashi Karshis and granddaughter, Lena Iwahashi Karshis of Novi, MI, son Wade Harris Karshis of East Hartford, CT, Brother Gordon Brown Duncan Jr. and his wife Kay Simpkins Duncan of Bloomfield Hills, MI, Sister Elizabeth Jacintha Duncan Webb and the late Dr. John Ray Webb of Roanoke, TX, Brother- in-law, F. Phillip Karshis and his wife, Anne Mary Slater Karshis of Santa Fe, NM, and late Sister in-Law, Jeanne Marie Karshis Williams and spouse, Guy M. Williams of Hopkinton, MA, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Special thanks to: the doctors and staff at The Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Dana Farber Cancer Institute Boston and Warner Hospice Center Fernandina Beach FL, including: family, friends, neighbors, and especially to her niece, Barb for all their support and encouragement during Anne's long journey. She will be laid to rest in St. Peter's Episcopal Church Cemetery located in Fernandina Beach, FL in a private service per her wishes on a date to be determined later.
Rather than flowers, donations may be made in her honor to ………The Mayo Clinic Oncology / American Cancer Society.