Ann Hartzell, acclaimed photographer and writer died September 4th, 2021, in Alpharetta, Georgia of natural causes. She was ninety.

Ann Carolyn Johnson was born on July 30th, 1931, in Providence, RI. She was one of two children. Her father, Donald, was a Yale Graduate and served as Registrar, Head of the French Department, and professor of linguistics at the Providence Country Day School. Her Mother, Francis Hyde, attended the University of Vermont, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. She taught English at the high school level. Both were noted for their devotion to philanthropic activities in Barrington, RI.

Growing up, Ann participated in sports, excelling at field hockey for The Gordon School and later at Barrington High School. She was also an excellent swimmer and could sail a wide variety of sailboats, winning awards for both swimming and sailing. She was a precocious student, starting school at the tender age of two and graduating from the University of Vermont. She went on to post-graduate studies and taught special education in Mendham, NJ.

Highlights of her youth included witnessing the great hurricane of 1938, attending the 1940 World’s Fair in New York, and summering with her family in Vermont and Nantucket. 

She met David Hartzell her freshman year at UVM, and they were married in June of 1953. They made their home in Albany before moving to Acton, Ma., Mendham, NJ., and St. Augustine, FL. Ann eventually moved to Atlanta, GA to be closer to her family.

Ann was an avid photographer and writer. She wrote two children’s books in 1970, the Memoirs of C. Maury Jones in 1975, and a vast collection of stories based on her adventures living on the Barrington River. She took up photography later in life and shot thousands of photos of Florida birds and animals, and many of these photos were exhibited at the St Augustine library in the early 2000s.

She loved helping in the community and working with her church, St Luke’s Episcopal in Gladstone, New Jersey. She worked with seniors and headed the church’s Leisure Club for many years. She also was a volunteer at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St Augustine, FL.

Ann is preceded in death by her parents, brother, and her husband. She is survived by her four children. They are Deborah of Atlanta, GA, David (Carolyn) of Buffalo, NY, Beth (Barry Wong) Philadelphia, PA, and Andrea (Charles Glass) also of Atlanta, GA., twelve grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren. 

A celebration of life will be held in the spring of 2022 at the Grove St. Cemetery, Putnam, CT. In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, 207 San Marco Ave, St. Augustine, FL 32084