Ann Kelsall, 99, of Crete, NE, passed away peacefully on December 4, 2024. Born in Newark, NJ, on February 8, 1925 to George A. and Hannah (Diggles) Kelsall, she proudly shared a birthdate with one of her favorite movie actors, Jack Lemmon. Her father was an electrical engineer with expertise in electromagnets at Bell Laboratories in New York City (NYC). Her mother was a teacher
in the NYC public schools. Ann graduated from high school (Belleville, NJ, 1942) and received a BA in music from Wilson College, in Chambersburg, PA, in 1946. While working for 25 years as an accountant with insurance agencies on Wall Street in NYC, trans-Atlantic travel via ocean liners earned her the affectionate nickname of “Gangplank Annie.” She later joined her sister Helen in Princeton, NJ, with her beloved cats, both Siamese and stray, where she worked as an accountant for International School Services (until the Shah of Iran was deposed) and then for the Doris Duke Estate in Somerville, NJ, until her retirement in 1987.
Ann and Helen moved to Crete, NE, in 1990 with apartments in the Doane Village. When Helen died two months later of throat cancer, many wondered if Ann would stay in Crete. However, she embraced Crete, Doane, and Nebraska as a whole. Ann joined the bowling team sponsored by Gene Eggebraaten, and for many years won prizes as the oldest competitor. As a double cancer survivor herself, it seemed natural to volunteer her accounting and organizational skills at the Crete Municipal Hospital in 1992, leading to nearly 6000 volunteer hours over 30+ years (1992-2023), coupled with 25 years on the Crete Area Health Care Foundation Board and 3 months with her picture on the Welcome to Crete billboard on Highway 33 saying ‘CAMC Service Redefined.’ There is a Bird Feeder on the Walking Trail at the Hospital named in her honor. She became an Admiral in the Great Navy of the State of Nebraska on her 80th birthday.
Ann will be remembered for her generous spirit, civic mindedness, ready and vibrant laugh, and curiosity. She was renowned for her love and encyclopedic knowledge of classic movies and mystery novels. One perk of living in Doane Village is the opportunity of taking courses of interest and in her first seven years Ann took most History courses Doane had to offer, to the extent that an academically oriented sorority invited her to rush, not realizing she was then 72 years old. These adventures led to the “The Ann Kelsall Endowed Scholarship” for juniors and seniors participating in the music program, which led to her receiving the 2018 Doane University Presidents Award for Leadership. Reflecting on her motivation as a supporter of many charities, including Doane University, she said “Many people have trouble thinking beyond their immediate lifetime. For me, it’s about being part of something bigger than ourselves.” For the past 18 months she has been living in the Tabitha long term care facility in Crete, from where she proudly voted absentee one month before her death.
Survivors include her sister-in-law Cecile Kelsall (Napoleon, OH), her nephew Kenneth Nickerson (Lincoln, NE), and his sons David (Narberth, PA) and Daniel (Redlands, CA). Preceded in death by her parents, brother Avery Kelsall, sister Helen Nickerson, and niece Ann Nickerson.
A celebration of Ann’s life is scheduled for 1:30-4 PM on February 8, 2025, at Doane Village, one hundred years after her birth. Arrangements entrusted to Kuncl Funeral Home in Crete.
