Anne Louise Durbin
Anne Louise Durbin
Anne Louise Durbin (79) of Seattle, Washington passed away peacefully on June 21, 2025 surrounded by friends and her loving caregiver, after struggling with an incurable cancer for several months.
Born in Los Angeles, California January 27,1946, Anne grew up in Placerville and Ventura, California. She graduated from Buena High School in Ventura, attended Ventura College and graduated from University of California, Santa Barbara in 1968. Anne then earned a teaching credential from San Diego State University 1969.
Anne moved to Seattle in 1973 and fell in love with the Pacific Northwest where she remained for the rest of her life. In the late 1990s she earned a Masters Degree in Occupational Rehabilitation from Western Washington University.
Anne loved nature and the outdoors and especially delighted in skiing with her husband, John and friends, in particular at Whistler.
She was passionate about the arts: theater, opera, ballet, and Shakespeare, and music, more so if it was a live performance outside. Anne loved skiing, sailing, hiking, traveling and rambling the trails in Seattle’s parks and neighborhoods.
Anne is survived by her husband of 45 years, John Wheeler, the love of her life. She was a loving and devoted wife and a cherished friend. She is also survived by her brother Philip Ford Durbin of Greenville, SC and her cousin Amanda M. Pelch of Santa Barbara, CA.
Anne will be very missed by her loving family of friends, but will be fondly remembered for her kindness, gentle strength and compassionate heart, devotion to friends and always positive outlook on life, in spite of some difficult and sad situations.
Part of Anne’s legacy will live on in the many lives she touched while working for Salvation Army of Seattle, helping many find employment and move on with their lives. She retired from Salvation Army in 2017.
Thank you to Kaiser Hospitalists: at Swedish, Cherry Hill and First Hill.
Dr. Lesley Richardson,
Dr. Bernstein
Dr. Chen
Dr. Shay
Overlake Hospital: Dr. Bagatto and Dr. Dommalapati
We appreciate these professionals for their extraordinary kindnesses and compassionate attention to Anne and her team of friends as we adjusted to a rapidly changing medical situation.
It is with deep affection that Anne’s family wishes to express their sincere gratitude to the circle of friends who have been an expression of the deepest love and caring for Anne.
In total gratitude to the family of friends: Monya Noelke, Kent Mettler, Jim Hanna, Tricia Tiano, Pam Barden, Michele Sullivan, Judy Mosset, Nancy Skaale, Elaine Blackburn, and Martha Petros, her caregiver, and to Anne’s neighbors, Carol Hutchinson, Marcia Farver; and the Mobile Integrated Health Team of North King County, Doug, Bethune, and Annie Drummond; and the kind and caring Kaiser Home Health team; and Kaiser Hospice team of Sean Butterfield, Stacey Drago, Mona Kathuria, Thomas Yang, and Harisa Cassano.
5 Responses to “Anne Louise Durbin”
Leave a Reply
Please be respectful. Disrespectful comments will not be published
Please do not link to other Internet content such as videos, songs, or text files.
When you have successfully submitted a comment, look in the space above to see your comment.
Your comment is awaiting moderation. All comments need to be approved by an administrator before appearing
If you do not see your comment, click HERE
Annie was a very big part of my life for all the reasons stated to eloquently in her obituary. I will miss her tremendously.
Dear Anne’s Circle of Friends,
Thank you so much for reaching out to those of us who couldn’t be with Anne these last few months. It meant the world to me knowing she was surrounded by you all, blanketed in your love & friendship.
Anne & I were life long friends starting with our days at Ventura JC, continuing as roommates at UCSB & San Diego State. We saw each other through the years, attended her wedding to John & continued with more visits, often here in Carlsbad.
I’m glad Anne & I had a chance to FaceTime on Martha’s phone, laugh at old times & cry over what was to be.
Pam, you were the “point man” alerting me to Anne & John’s situation, Martha kept me up to date with Anne’s condition & Monya called when she passed. I so appreciate you all.
Rest in Peace, Anna. Till we meet again ❤️
It was truly an honor and a pleasure to be Anne’s hospice nurse and to work closely with Martha and Monya over Anne’s months in my care. She was such a kind and pleasant patient with a very interesting life it was a joy to learn more about each week. I will carry Anne in my heart with me every day for the rest of my career.
My heart aches at the loss of Anne. She always had such a positive attitude and her smile was infectious. She was kind, caring, loving and thoughtful. Her support of John throughout those 45 years was unwavering and he truly appreciated it. As friends of John and Anne for over 20 years, we should all find peace in knowing how many lives she touched in such a positive ways. She will be missed, but not forgotten. Thank you to the circle of friends in Seattle who cared for her and who ensured she was comfortable. Peace and love to all of you.
Many thanks to Anne & John’s amazing team of close friends who have been coordinating their care for several years.
I was fortunate to become a friend of Anne’s back in the mid-70s when we both worked at Blue Cross. It was fun to watch her relationship bloom with John. They were a perfect pair, sharing their easy going manner and endless positivity with all of us who knew them. It’s very hard to lose dear friends, especially ones that we’ve known for so long. May she rest in peace.