Obituary of Anne C. Small

Anne C. "Penny" Small, 72, of 20 Emerson Ave., Chautauqua and Estero, Fla., passed away Sunday, June 26, 2016 at her home in Chautauqua following a lengthy illness. She was born February 20, 1944 in Jamestown, a daughter of the late Howard and Barbara Price Chadwick. At age 17, Penny was the first AFS student from Jamestown High School sent to Turkey. Imagine the reaction she encountered as a six-foot tall blond! This experience established her love of travel and in later years, she and her husband, Tom, visited over twenty countries and also returned to travel with her Turkish family several times. Penny attended Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts for two years then graduated with a teaching degree from Fredonia College. She met her future husband at age fifteen when, while sitting on a Chautauqua dock with her younger brother, she accepted his offer of a boat ride. She and Tom were married June 12, 1965 and lived for over thirty years in Novelty, Ohio, where she taught preschool at Laurel and Hathaway Brown schools, influencing many young lives. In 1999, they retired to Estero, Florida, where they joined the Lamb of God Church and volunteered many hours in outreach to the community and where Penny took up golf. Wherever she lived, she joined a Bible study group and remained an avid reader. Illness never dimmed Penny's blithe spirit. She cherished the simple pleasure of watching the Kapok tree bloom next to the tree orchids or watching for a hawk or osprey to swoop down into her Florida yard. Penny had a gift for friendship, hospitality and generosity. She kept every friend she ever made - and there were many - and always kept in touch. Her friends treasured her handwritten notes or phone calls that would arrive just when needed. She blanket-stitched and gifted hundreds of baby blankets, held babies in the hospital neonatal wing, and especially doted on her three grandsons. A lifelong Chautauquan, Penny never liked to miss a single lecture or concert, and many art and music students shared meals at her home. She chaired the Wensley House Committee, served on The Boys and Girls Club and waterfront advisory boards, supported the Watershed Conservancy and graduated from the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle (CLSC). Penny died at 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, June 26, soon after the three taps of the gavel rang out to open the new season in the Amphitheater, just as the crowd was praying for her. She had returned to Chautauqua after all for her seventy-third summer, and departed on a cloud of prayers. Penny is survived by her devoted husband of 51 years, Tom; beloved sister, Caroline Young of Chagrin Falls, Ohio; son, Andrew (Kristin) Small and grandsons, Ethan and Ryden of Barrington, Ill.; and daughter, Carrie (Rob) Smith and grandson, Andrew of Garner, NC. A private family graveside service will be held in the Chautauqua Cemetery. Visitation will not be observed. Memorials may be made to Hospice Chautauqua County, 20 W. Fairmount Ave., Lakewood, NY 14750; the Chautauqua Foundation, P.O. Box 28, Chautauqua, NY 14722; or the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, 413 N. Main St., Jamestown, NY 14701.