Anne Marie Fehringer-Williams

Anne Marie Fehringer-Williams August 19, 1954 - January 16, 2022 Anne Fehringer-Williams passed away peacefully in her home after battling cancer for the past three years. Buzz, her devoted husband of 37 years, and her loving son, Ian, were at her side. It could be said that Anne led an ideal life. For the past four decades she and her family lived in a charming gingerbread-style house in a forest less than a mile from the Pacific Ocean in Oregon. The Alder House, the glassblowing studio she and her husband own is a short walk from their house in a grove of Alder trees. Lincoln City, the closest town, is a few miles north on Highway 1 along a stretch of dark sea rocks and crashing waves. There are sea views, and breathtaking sunsets a short drive from their house; she and Buzz went there often to see the sun set. It's a beautiful part of the world, and Anne was happy there. She spent her adult life filling a variety of roles -- professor, glass blower, mother, wife, sailor, world traveller, friend, teacher, favorite sister, etc.. Her quiet, determined approach to life helped her make and keep many friends and admirers who enjoyed her company and supported her while she ran her home, raised her son, battled cancer, and beat Covid-19. Anne was born August 19, 1954 in Chappell, Nebraska to Jerome (Jerry) and Kathleen (Kay) Mohatt Fehringer. She was the fourth child and the first (and only) girl in the family. After three straight boys, her birth must have been a special celebration to her parents. Anne grew up in a loving family in a small wheat-farming community. She was a good student and popular schoolmate, excelling in school and was active in her school and community. In high school, Anne participated in volleyball and track, and she was an active member of the school band and yearbook committee. Anne attended the University of Nebraska where she earned bachelors and masters degrees in Textile Science. In 1980, after having successfully completing her Masters Degree, Anne accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Textile Science at Oregon State University, where she lectured and ran labs for seven years. One weekend, Anne and a friend drove to the Oregon coast and stopped at a studio to watch a demonstration of glass blowing. The process and the man who owned and operated the studio intrigued her, and Anne went back again. One thing led to another and she wound up dating and eventually marrying him. Soon after, she gave up her teaching job, moved to the coast, and became a glassblower herself. Ian, their son, came along a few years later and Anne and Buzz raised him in their gingerbread house on the coast, homeschooling him through middle school. They travelled during the winter months when the studio was closed, and saw a lot of the U.S. and the world. Those were good years filled with work, schooling, friends, family, and sailing. In the 1990s, Anne was diagnosed with breast cancer which she courageously defeated, and for more than 20 years she resumed her full life as she raised Ian, blew glass, sailed, travelled, cycled, and enjoyed a wide circle of friends. But it came back in 2018 again, in the form of metastatic cancer, spreading to the brain. Again, she battled it, and as she did so, she contracted Covid-19, which involved a lengthy stay in a hospital, two weeks on a ventilator, and more than a month in rehab. After her release, Anne told everyone who would listen to take Covid seriously. Shortly after that, she discovered that the cancer that had invaded her body could no longer be controlled, and she prepared for the end. Many friends and family members came to call those last few weeks, saying goodbye to their unique and courageous companion. Memorial at later date.

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Anne Marie Fehringer-Williams

August 19, 1954 - January 16, 2022