Anne (Paul) Law

FALLS VILLAGE — Anne (Paul) Law, a longtime resident of Rowayton, Conn., died on Dec. 7, 2015, at the age of 85, surrounded by her loving family, at the home of her daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer Law and Alan Lovejoy of Amesville.  

Anne was an artist, a homemaker, wife and mother, world traveler, gardener, hostess and chef. She was an adventurous intellectual, with great style and a bawdy sense of humor, was a pillar of strength to her family, and was dearly loved by her many friends.

Anne, the daughter of Lesley (Landborg) and Gordon Paul, was born on Nov. 25, 1930, and raised in Schenectady, N.Y., as an only child until age 13, when her baby brother, Jonathan Edwards Paul, was born.  

She graduated from Nott Terrace High School in 1948 and entered Cleveland College of Art and then Skidmore College. In 1951, she moved to New York City, where she met her future husband, S. Peter Law, while working together at a Madison Avenue ad agency. They were married on Oct. 2, 1954, at the Unitarian Community Church of New York.  

As a young couple, Anne and Peter lived first in Bronxville, N.Y., and then Hartford, Conn., before moving to Rowayton in 1959. In 1961 they purchased their stucco home on Jacob Street, a former barn to an adjacent property, which was converted in 1919 and inspired a lifetime of loving and artistic improvements. The house and the family expanded together over the years and was the veritable focus of their life for more than half a century. 

Anne and Peter raised four children, beginning with Stephanie in 1955 and followed by Jennifer in 1957, Hilary in 1961 and Anthony in 1964. 

Peter and Anne had just celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary in October.

Anne’s art was a lifelong passion inherited from and encouraged by her mother.  She had continued success as a professional artist. For some years, she was the art editor of the trade magazine Grade Teacher.  Her art was strong in both design and color, with an infusion of humor and irony. Her early work was in woodcut and silkscreen. She later worked in steel, learning the trade from John “The Blacksmith” La Sala, and stayed with that medium for the remainder of her working career.

In addition to her art, Anne’s interests were many. She was a driver for the volunteer organization FISH for 25 years, supporting community members with rides to appointments; an avid runner, which led her to run the Tufts 10K for Women for her 70th birthday; and a world traveler. She was fascinated by people and culture — from China, where she traveled and attended the People’s University in Beijing to further her study of the Chinese language, which she pursued at the age of 60; to the tranquility of the River Thames, having walked the 184 mile Thames Path from its source to the sea with Peter in 1997. 

Anne was a ravenous reader, Scrabble player and spirited conversationalist.  Drawing on a seven-decade devotion, she made many a wry comment beginning with, “That reminds me of a New Yorker cartoon …”

Above all was her beloved garden, where she put into practice her strong belief in the harmony of organically grown food and raised bed horticulture. Her flower garden was a delight from spring until first frost.

Anne is survived by her husband of 61 years, Peter; four children, Stephanie, Jennifer, Hilary and Anthony; seven grandchildren, Eric, Jeremy, Hannah, Molly, Hazel, Eleanor and Oliver; her brother, Jonathan; and her niece, Victoria.

A celebration of Anne’s life will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday Jan. 9, 2016, at the United Church of Rowayton, www.ucrowayton.org.

For those interested, donations may be made in Anne’s memory to her favorite global charitable organization: Heifer International, www.heifer.org; or locally to the Rowayton Arts Center, www.rowaytonartscenter.org, which inspired and supported her work and with which she was intimately involved in her younger years.