Ann Losey, 67, Normal, died at 4:27 p.m. Monday (Dec. 7, 2009) at BroMenn Regional Medical Center, Normal.
She was born Sept. 20, 1942, at Matthews, Mo., daughter of John and Aubrey Jackson Kelso. She married Donald Losey on Feb. 16, 1985, in Normal. Don survives of Normal.
Also surviving are her children, Dawn (James) Beemer, Bloomington; Richard (Judy) Burns, Normal; Kimberly Burns and Dawn Losey-Craig, both of Bloomington; Chet (Dr. Jessica Palmeri) Lyle, New York, N.Y.; her beloved dog, Zeke; grandchildren, Cody Russell, Dillon Russell, Brandon Mecham, Brittany Burns, Scott (Becky) Stoller, Timothy Stoller and McKale Craig; great-grandchildren, Lexi Hereford, Kaylee Stoller and Ethan Stoller; and sisters: Ruby Gold, Nashville, Tenn.; Thelma Patterson, Wisconsin; and Dorothy Walls, Mahomet.
She was preceded in death by her parents, three sisters and one brother.
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The following was written by classmates for our 50th Reunion Booklet. Led by a dedicated team of local classmates, the project was titled:
"BHS CLASS OF '60 FOOTPRINTS"
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Ann was another person who helped me feel welcome at the start of junior year. In September of ʻ58, I was a shy transfer from another high school. I was in two classes with Ann that year--band and Aegis. Ann and I both played the trumpet (I think I remember that accurately, but it’s been 52 years). She was kind and open, and easy to talk to, maybe a little too much so. I remember once or twice Mr. Harn got on our case for whispering back and forth when he was talking.
We worked together a little more closely on the Aegis staff. Early in the year, she said to me, “You have to work real hard in here; Mr. H is a tough customer.” She meant Roy Hostetler, of course, and she was right. He had standards, and he stuck to them. To this day, I think he had more influence on me than any other public school teacher.
As I remember, when we transferred to the “new” high school, we couldn’t take band and Aegis both. I think there was a schedule conflict which hadn’t been there when we were juniors. We had to choose one or the other. I’m pretty sure Ann opted for the band, as she wasn’t on the newspaper staff
senior year.
In any case, I have fond memories of her as a welcoming person who helped me make a difficult
transition.
(Jim Bennett)