Anne Mary Wallenstein's Obituary
Anne Mary Wallenstein died in the arms of loved ones on January 6, 2024 in Tamarac, Florida. She is survived by her son William Wallenstein and his wife Brenda, their son Vaughn and his wife Victoria, her son Walter Wallenstein and his wife Sue, and her sister Lois Bravo.
Born to Ernest Weisenfeld and Anna Bruderman in Queens Village, New York on October 30, 1930, she spent her childhood and young adulthood in and around Long Island and New York City. Anne shared stories of taking the train “into the City,” riding bikes to Jones Beach with friends, taking the bus to visit her grandparents after church on Sunday, picking daisies in neighborhood lots to take to her mother. While pursuing and receiving a Bachelors in Elementary Education from St. Johns University, she taught at Old St. Patrick’s in the Bowery, infamous as New York City’s skid row. She fell in love with Walter Wallenstein on their first date to see the movie The King and I, and they were married on August 27, 1957. Soon thereafter they moved to Miami, Florida. Anne would say that once she and Walter vacationed in Florida, she knew it was to be her home.
Anne and Walter started a family in Miami. They raised their two sons and spent their free time fishing offshore, visiting friends at the Miami Outboard Club, and eating dinner together at local restaurants.
After receiving her Florida teaching certificate, she taught elementary education, mostly fifth and sixth grades, in numerous schools in Miami and Hialeah including Amelia Earhart, M.A. Milam, and Carol City. When Anne retired in 1996, she had been teaching for forty-seven years.
She had an innate talent for teaching. Throughout her life, students from her past would contact her and thank her for her positive influence on their lives. An example of her effect upon her students is when a high school valedictorian chose Anne, her 4th grade teacher, as the teacher who most influenced her. Anne had few, if any, disciplinary issues with her students. When asked how she did that, she said, “I always find something good in each student, and then focus on that.”
Anne’s husband Walter died at a young age. With two teenage boys, she had to redirect her life. After a period of mourning, she began traveling the world with friends. She loved experiencing different cultures, seeing new sights, and sharing the time with her companions. One of her favorite places to visit was Haiti and the numerous Haitian art paintings she purchased and hung on her walls at home were a frequent reminder of her visits.
Anne had many friends throughout her life. She was easy to talk to, listened well, and laughed often. By far though, her favorite friend was her sister Lois.
The light in Anne’s life was her grandson, Vaughn. She would visit him often and shared her love of birds with him when he was a toddler. She even moved from Miami to Ocala to watch him grow up. She called him her Baby Angel. She also adored her niece and nephews in Long Island. Louise, Charlie, David, Dennis, John, and Chris, Lois’s children, contacted her often, phoning and sending cards, pictures, and presents.
Anne loved to take long walks and to swim, especially in the ocean. She would recall driving to her home in Sunny Isles Beach after a long day at work and seeing the ocean as she crossed the bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. As soon as she got home, she put on her swim suit and walked to the beach for a relaxing swim in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Her long time wish was that her ashes be spread in the Atlantic, as she did with Walter’s ashes.
Anne touched a lot of people and left many memories. She will be missed.
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