Ann Jarvis Longyear

1925 - 2021

Oct. 7, 1925 - May 21, 2021 Ann Jarvis Longyear was born in Pasadena CA and remained a resident of the city her entire life. She passed away at her home in Pasadena on May 21, 2021. She was the daughter of Teresa Kennedy and John Rupert Jarvis. Her father, an English-born, Yale-educated architect, often took her to the Huntington Library and Art Collection. The first time she remembered writing her name was for a library card in the Children's Room at the Pasadena Public Library, with her mother. In 1948, she graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts. She was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta. At USC, she shared an interest in art and antiques with her friend Alice Van Vranken, who introduced her to Douglas Mackay Longyear Jr., a UCLA graduate and former World War II pilot. They were married for 47 years. The first year of their marriage, Douglas, an aerospace engineer, had an assignment in Washington DC. They lived in Georgetown and Ann spent her time exploring the art museums of the Capital. When she wasn't looking after their three children, she pursued her interests in culture, education, and children's health. Ann was the first parent Board Chair of Mayfield Junior School and served on Mayfield Senior School's Committee for Conservation. In 1973, Las Madrinas, dedicated to supporting pediatric care and research at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, welcomed Ann as a member. She served as President 1981-1982 and remained a member for the rest of her life. She worked on a committee to establish the group's first endowment and chaired various events in support of the hospital. As a member of the Pasadena Art Alliance, she joined the committee to build the Pasadena Art Museum, now the Norton Simon Museum of Art. Ann headed the docent program at the Pasadena Art Museum and at the Huntington Library, where she was a docent for 10 years. In the 1980's while Chairman of the Decorating Committee at the Valley Hunt Club, she created a significant collection of California Plein Air art for the club. For over 30 years she was a member of the Pasadena Public Library Foundation which focuses on the preservation and maintenance of the Central Library Building designed by Myron Hunt in 1927. She joined the first fundraising gala for the Library in 1987 and chaired the second in 1990. One of Ann's most enduring legacies is stable funding for the Central Library. In the 1980s Ann led efforts to pass a local tax dedicated to library operations. After the initial library renovation, the Library Foundation established an endowment dedicated to funding preservation and restoration in perpetuity. She also wished to increase support for education, career development, and other services that the Central Library provides for everyone in Pasadena. To thank Ann and her late husband, the fountain in the Central Library's south courtyard, which replicates one at The Alhambra in Granada, Spain, was dedicated to them in 2002. In 2019, she was honored with the California Library Association's President's Award, which recognizes individuals who have contributed outstanding leadership and achievement in support and advancement of California libraries. Ann was a long time member of the Concert and Restoration Committees at St. Andrew Catholic Church. She was honored for creating the Bach to Broadway annual concert. Proceeds from the event support the restoration of the church. Her final project involved the design of a new exterior sign for the church, installed in May 2021. She is survived by her sons, Douglas Mackay Longyear III and John Jarvis Longyear, a daughter, Teresa Jarvis Longyear who is married to David Bull, and five grandchildren, Lauren Dozier Longyear, Claire Elizabeth Longyear, John Jarvis Longyear Jr, William James Longyear and David Douglas John Bull. A Funeral Mass will be held in her honor at St Andrew Catholic Church on Friday, June 18 at 10:00 am. Cabot & Sons Pasadena Director