- Date Of Birth: May 13, 1939
- Date Of Death: September 8, 2018
- State: Connecticut
Anne (as she was known to family and friends) passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly on Sept. 8, 2018, in Cheshire, at age 79, in the arms of her husband of 58 years, Jean B. Mauro and surrounded by new friends at Elim Park Place, to where she would have soon moved. She was born on May 13, 1939, daughter of the late John and Ruth Koepfer Durkin. Anne was a remarkable person. Having survived two childhood cancer surgeries, she went on to become prima ballerina of a dance school in Parkersburg, WV, where she also taught ballet until marrying and moving to New Haven. Her love of classical music led her to become a director of the board of the Chamber Orchestra of New England (later Orchestra New England), a position she held for over 30 years. Her tireless work and several innovations in orchestra fund-raising earned her a “Volunteer of the Year” award from the New Haven Arts Counsel. During the renovation and revivification of the Palace Theater, she also served there as Development Manager. Her bottomless love for people and their well-being led her to act as care-giver for several family members, a cause to which she devoted decades of her life. Anne had no children of her own, but she had a knack for acquiring Yale students who decided to become her kids, and remained close and dear to her to her dying day. Anne was a lover of cats, having had four over the years. When they each became hopelessly ill, euthanizing them was the most painful thing she ever had to do.
