Ann Fiske

Ann Fiske was a Renaissance woman. Artist, engineer, writer, teacher, scientist – she had an insatiable thirst for knowledge.

Ann Lorraine Gleason Fiske was born June 11, 1938, in San Francisco, California. As a native San Franciscan she always felt at home in The City and made regular trips back to visit the de Young museum and paintings she considered old friends.

She went to college at UC Berkeley where she met Louie Fiske. The two admired each other from afar until their friends invited them on a double date. They married March 1, 1958 in Calistoga, California. They remained married until his death in August, 2024.

Ann continued her education and received a Master's degree in philosophy of art from Sacramento State college. She started teaching and taught until the early 70’s when she went back to college to get coursework in engineering. She used this education to get a job at PG&E where she worked for the rest of her career.

She then returned to college with the goal of getting a doctorate which required her to get another Master's degree. She obtained her PhD in Literacy from University of Cincinnati September 30, 2009.

Ann loved drives and finding new ways to get lost. She crossed the country with Louie driving at least 8 times, through the North, the South and, her favorite, the southwest. They went to New Zealand and Australia and made so many friends, they returned to visit friends in Perth on their own a few years later.

Ann died on March 21, 2026 the way she wanted to go: suddenly and at home.

She is survived by her daughters, Vereda and Aurora, her grandchildren, David, Sarah, Lilith and Fred and great grandchildren, Grayson and Dorian, as well as her son in laws Steve and John.