Ann Janine Jochems

Trailblazer ~ Lesbian ~ Dyke ~ Amazon ~ Warrior Woman ~ Activist ~ Feminist ~ Lover of All Creatures Great and Small ~ Dancer ~ Traveler ~ Adventurer ~ Sister ~ Daughter ~ Aunt ~ Great Aunt

Ann was born on May 13, 1950 in Atchison, Kansas to Don and Jane Jochems. As the daughter of a Navy Commander, Ann spent her childhood in multiple locations, moving throughout the country and world.

From a young age, Ann was devoted to fighting for the underdog and against the power in her uniquely gentle and fierce way.

Ann graduated from Saint Maria Goretti Catholic High School in Philadelphia, PA in 1968. She then started college at Mount St. Scholastica College in Atchison, Kansas. She and her college roommate, Valerie, left the Mount after their first year. They moved to Philadelphia before returning to Kansas to attend the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Ann said of Valerie, “She was my first lover and the major player in my coming out story.”

In Lawrence, Ann was a force of nature. While strong-willed, Ann was also a loyal and thoughtful friend. She and her younger brother, Dan, formed a beautiful, tight-knit community of chosen family. They were poor and mostly working-class and celebrated and supported each other. After 50 years, and scattered across the country, these friends still love each other and maintain contact through zoom calls, Facebook, texting, and in-person visits when possible.

A pioneer in fighting power in the 70s, Ann challenged patriarchal norms in Kansas by applying for jobs in traditionally male-dominated occupations. She was determined to smash the discriminatory hiring practices against gender and sexual preferences. She had both failures and successes, and remained resilient.

Ann was a proud, defiant lesbian in a university town that birthed gay liberation dances, the Lawrence Lesbian Alliance, and many other groups of support for lesbians and gay men.

While volunteering at a local women’s shelter in Lawrence, Ann met her former partner, Pamela. They fell in love at the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival and moved to upstate New York together in the early 80’s.

In New York, Ann continued her quest of breaking into male-centric fields. She enrolled in a woodworking program and worked her way through a sexist system to become the first female carpenter for the New York City Board of Education, Division of School Facilities. Ann received her Master’s Degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Baruch College in 2003. From 2004 until her retirement, Ann was a commercial property appraiser for the Nassau County Department of Assessment. The story of Ann’s experience as a tradeswoman is featured in Jane LaTour’s book, Sisters in the Brotherhoods: Working Women Organizing for Equality in New York City.

Ann loved her family and things that reminded her of them. Having moved over 30 times in her life she was thrilled to purchase her first house in Freeport, New York with her then partner, Carol Vitelli, in 1987. She filled her home with her family’s antiques and mementos.

When it became time to retire, she found paradise in a Mecca of lesbian retirees - Gulfport, Florida. She purchased a condo in the Windsor building, which she affectionately called the “Edie Windsor.” Ann flourished in the community, participating in as many activities as possible and created an expansive circle of friends.

Ann was a self-described “Buddhist with bits of Wiccan.” Meditation was her lifeline.

A music and line dancing aficionado, you could often find her on the dance floor dancing to Wave on Wave.

Ann’s adventurous spirit did not diminish after her cancer diagnosis. In her last year and a half of life, she had an epic trip to the Pacific Northwest to see Joni Mitchell and Brandi Carlile perform at the Gorge, participated in one last women’s week in Provincetown, attended the National Women’s Music Festival in Wisconsin, visited her family in chilly Vermont, and, mere weeks before she passed away, traveled to Alaska aboard the Olivia Cruise.

During Ann’s final days, Hurricane Milton bore down on Florida. She passed peacefully in the aftermath of the storm with her sister, Nancy, and dear friend, Melissa, by her side.

Ann is survived by her sisters, Nancy (Tom) and Judy (Rudy), her nieces Heidi (Erin) and Megann, her nephews Patrick (Devin) and Edward, her six great nephews and niece Henry, Julian, William, Soren, Brayden, and Hadleigh, and her beloved fur babies Jesse and Boots.

According to Ann’s wishes, she will be buried in Atchison, Kansas next to her parents and brother. A celebration of life will be held in Gulfport, Florida at a date to be determined.

Donations in Ann’s honor may be made to:

https://www.limbochihuahuas.org/
https://wwtlc.org/
https://soniaplotnickhealthfund.org/
https://petpalanimalshelter.com/
https://stpetersburg.shambhala.org/