Anna (Ann) Burley
January 29, 1922—August 17, 2023
Ft. Montgomery, NY
Anna (Ann) Burley of Ft. Montgomery entered into eternal rest on Thursday, August 17, 2023, after a short illness at St. Lukes Hospital, Newburgh, NY. She was 101 years old. Both her sons Tom and John, daughter-in-law Peggy and granddaughter Erica were by her side. She is the widow of Thomas S. Burley to whom she was married for 71 years.
The daughter of the late Samuel Smith and Anna (Scully) Smith, Ann was born at home on January 29, 1922, in Brooklyn, NY, during a record breaking snowstorm. Her family and she would spend their summers in Ft. Montgomery to escape the heat of the city. In 1966, her husband and she with their two younger children moved permanently to the Fort.
Anna held a variety of jobs during her lifetime. As a young woman, she worked for Hawley and Hoops, distributor of penny candies, on Lafayette St. in NYC. During the war years, she worked at the Lake Kanawauke skating rink where she learned the 14 step and the tango. She was a homemaker until her children were older. She then worked as a saleswoman at A&S and Sears in Brooklyn. In 1966 she started working as secretary for PIPC at Bear Mt. State Park from which she fully retired in 1989.
She was a member of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Highland Falls and was deeply attached to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel in Ft. Montgomery where she attended Mass from the time she was one of the “summer bungalow kids from the city.” In later years, Tom and she would clean the chapel on Saturdays. Ann was a proud member and officer of the Highlanders, a member of the Friends of the Library, and the Garden Club.
Ann loved to swim. At an early age, she learned to swim at Coney Island. During her 16th summer “up in the country”, her brother Charlie, her friend Ruth Ruscelli and she swam across the Hudson River, a 3-mile water adventure. Her enjoyment for swimming continued as she joined Kathy Green, Jane Nanartowich, Kathy Forester, Dot Neilson, Pat Reidel, Pat Goscicki and Penny Moniz, The Mermaids, for weekly swims. She won 1ST place in the backstroke, breaststroke and relay in the Orange County Senior Citizen games. Ann also enjoyed playing piano, which she learned as a teenager. While her older brother Al played the violin, “Sis” would accompany on piano. She was also an accomplished roller skater and continued to skate well into her 60’s. But most of all, she loved to write and to correspond with her many friends.
Ann was a light in the darkness and a friend to all she met. She will be deeply missed by all who know her. She is survived by her four children: Carol of Newburgh, Tom (Lynne) of Eugene, OR, Elaine (George) of Highland Falls and John (Peggy) of Milton; her grandchildren Lynn, Greg, Erica, Catherine, Kelly, Theresa, Patrick and Sean; many great grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and a great-great grandchild.
She is predeceased by her husband Tom, sister Catherine Kiley, and brothers Albert and Charles Smith.
Arrangements were entrusted to Hudson Valley Funeral Home, Inc.
Memorial donations may be made to Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, 353 Main St., Highland Falls, NY 10928 or to the Highland Falls Library, 298 Main St., Highland Falls, NY 10928