May 19, 2011

VIRGINIA BEACH — Carolyn S. Annas died May 19, 2011, at Sentara Leigh Hospital in Norfolk. For five days prior to her death, she was surrounded by her loving family and the angelic nurses of Wing 2B. She would have turned 81 on Friday.

She was born in Portsmouth on May 27, 1930, to Evelyn J. and Morton L. Smith, and attended Wilson and Churchland High Schools.

She was named Georgia Carolyn Annas, but everyone knew her as Carolyn.

She was married for nearly 64 years to V.M. Barney Annas, who survives her. Her early married years were spent in Suffolk, where she was active at First Baptist Church and with numerous volunteer groups.

At that time, she was a “pink lady” for Obici Memorial Hospital, sang with Suffolk Civic Chorus, worked for the Junior Volunteer Service Corps and was a P.T.A. officer.

She became a water safety instructor for the American Red Cross in 1953 and was praised by the committee chairman for “her patience, her tact, her understanding of the problem of the individual and her overall knowledge of the subject matter,” all of which enabled her to do “a job that was far above average.”

That 1961 assessment of Carolyn’s qualities held true her entire life.

Her love of swimming led her to join a water ballet troupe called the Aquarinas in the early 1960s, a few years after she and Barney moved with their two girls to Virginia Beach. As her husband became involved in many volunteer endeavors, Carolyn was the epitome of the supportive spouse.

They enjoyed traveling and attending social events and arts programs. She was well known and loved by many in the community. Carolyn had a warm, friendly personality and was always the Southern lady; to know her was to love her. She worked for 20 years, until 1990, at the bank now known as Bank of America — first in the trust department and later in public relations, where her duties included managing the bank’s art gallery and giving tours of the Norfolk Mace, a city icon then stored at the bank.

During the last three years, Rosemary Jackson became the couple’s primary caregiver and Carolyn’s dear friend. The family will always be grateful for that close, loving relationship in her last years.

Carolyn was predeceased by her sister, Libby Graham, and her brothers, Bill and Morton Smith.

Besides her husband, she is survived by her children, Teresa Annas and her husband, David Simpson, of Norfolk, and Carolyn Annas Kelsey and her husband, Sidney Harrison Kelsey Jr., of Virginia Beach; and two grandchildren, Sidney Harrison Kelsey III and Anne Calvert Kelsey, both of Virginia Beach.

Family visitation is set for 2 to 4 p.m. Friday at R.W. Baker & Co. Funeral Home and Crematory, 509 West Washington St., Suffolk. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the same location, with the Rev. Michael Turner officiating.

Memorial donations may be made to the Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad, 740 Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach, VA 23451. Condolences may be registered at www.rwbakerfh.com.