Anne Jewell Lancaster, 82, of Annapolis, MD, passed away on October 31, 2022, with her three loving children by her side. Barbara Anne Jewell was born to Annie Leora (Long) and Robert Kenneth Jewell on Christmas Day, December 25, 1939 in Concord, NC. She was raised in Concord, NC, and lived in Martin, TN, Alexandria, VA, and most recently Annapolis, MD, and Nags Head, NC.

As a young woman, Anne was active in ballet, tap, and jazz dance and was a flutist in the Concord High School marching band. She attended Salem College in Winston-Salem, NC, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History with a minor in Religion.

Soon after graduation, Anne married the love of her life, Ray Lancaster, who shared her passion for the arts and humanities. Anne and Ray began their careers as teachers at A. L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, NC. Not long after, they moved to Tennessee when Ray became an Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee at Martin. There, Anne worked as the Art Editor for a local TV station, taught Freshman English at UT-Martin, and supported the university's performing arts program with her set designs. In Tennessee, Anne and Ray's first two children, Marianna and Elizabeth, were born.

In 1969, Ray was asked to be the speech writer for an aspiring Congressman. When he won the election, Anne and Ray moved their young family to Northern Virginia and Ray took a staff position with Congressman Ed Jones of Tennessee. In 1970, Anne and Ray welcomed their third child, Robert.

Anne exercised her passion for art through her work as a docent at the National Gallery of Art for many years. She made sure to take her family, especially her children, to the Gallery on a regular basis, and arranged countless field trips for students from the metropolitan D.C. area. She later worked as a substitute teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools. She and Ray enjoyed many work-related trips that afforded them the opportunity to experience our country's rich culture in cities across the U.S. In 2008, they chose Annapolis as their home and loved life by the water during their golden years. In Annapolis, Anne ran an annual high school art competition for the Severn Town Club.

Above all, Anne loved time spent with her family and would do anything that was needed for them in a moment's notice. She volunteered for swim meets, assisted with girl scouts, drove carpools, and supported all of her children's many and various activities. Later, she and Ray attended many of their grandchildren's sporting events, concerts, and graduations and took sheer delight in watching them grow.

Anne was also the consummate First Mate to Ray as Captain on a series of boats that took them from the Washington Sailing Marina on the Potomac River to Herrington Harbor on the Chesapeake Bay, where they kept their sailboat for 36 years. Anne adored the Outer Banks, where she took many family vacations and became a part-time resident of Nags Head, NC, in 1998.

Throughout Anne's life, she was quick to make friends and maintained long-lasting, special bonds. She made some lifelong friends in Virginia, and was known to be a "solver of world problems" and a pretty mean Bridge player. But central to her happiness and support system throughout her life were her first friends from Concord, NC, who came to be known as "The Bracelet Girls." These very special women met as girls and became her unbiological sisters. They enjoyed many annual gatherings that were always good for Anne's heart and soul.

Anne is survived by her daughters Marianna Lancaster (Mark Anstine) of Bethesda, MD, Beth Halloran (Barry) of Vienna, VA, and her son, Robert Lancaster (Pauline) of Oakton, VA. She had seven grandchildren: Max and Wysh Anstine; Jack, Fitz, and Ryan Halloran; and Hayden and Bridget Lancaster.

She is also survived by her beloved sister-in-law, Marian Buchanan of Rutherfordton, NC, nephew Jim Lancaster of Easley, SC, and her cousins Julie Mongiovi of Lititz, PA, and Beth Boyd of Concord, NC.

Anne once penned a short life story, ending that she and Ray "lived happily ever after." She truly believed she was lucky to have lived such a full life with her loved ones, but her loved ones know they are the lucky ones.

There will be a private, family-only ceremony at St. Margaret's Church in Annapolis on Friday, November 11, 2022. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in her memory be made to the National Gallery of Art or the American Diabetes Association.

National Gallery of Art

Development Office

2000 South Club Drive

Landover, MD 20785

Phone: (202) 842-6372

Donate Online: https://www.nga.gov/support/donate-now.html

American Diabetes Association

P.O. Box 7023

Merrifield, VA 22116-7023

1-800-DIABETES (342-2383)

Donate Online: https://diabetes.org/?form=Tribute&ada_source=WWMXXXX02HW001M001CC&ada_sub_source=left-nav&autologin=true