Anne Regan Fiedler, age 95, passed away on January 6, 2023 at Reston Hospital Center in Reston, VA, with her family by her side.
Anne was born on December 21, 1927 in Norwood, NY, to Dr. Leo Patrick Regan and Marguerite (Gately) Regan. Anne graduated from Potsdam High School, Potsdam, NY, and, in 1949, received her Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam, with a concentration in classical piano. She loved to sing and act, receiving accolades for her roles in many musical and theatrical productions, and even composed and recorded her own original songs.
After college, Anne went on to teach music in Malone and Long Island, NY, where she was dearly loved by her students. In 1956, she married Walter H. Fiedler at the Church of the Holy Cross in Hopkinton, NY. After their marriage, Anne and Walt moved to Glastonbury, CT, where they raised their three daughters and Anne taught music and piano.
The foundations of Anne’s life were her faith, her family, her love of music, and her appreciation of nature. In 1974, when St. Dunstan Roman Catholic Church was founded in Glastonbury, Anne became its first music director, initially playing the piano, then learning to play the organ, and conducting both the adult and children’s choirs. After moving back to the Adirondacks in 1988 after Walt’s retirement, Anne served for many years as organist and choir director for St. Bernard’s Roman Catholic Church in Saranac Lake. She also volunteered in other roles, including Eucharistic minister.
Anne was a wonderful sister, mother and friend, a kind person with a warm heart and generous spirit, who was always there with a caring word or a helping hand. She was quick to encourage, eager to laugh, and never one to complain. She appreciated the little things in life. Anne loved to write poems both witty and affectionate for family and friends on their birthdays, often in the form of her beloved “Irish ode”. An accomplished pianist, Anne adored gathering around the piano with family and friends, playing duets, singing Christmas carols, and filling the air with Chopin, Mozart and Beethoven.
Anne was a true Adirondack girl who treasured the natural beauty of the mountains. She loved an adventurous swim in icy Lake Ozonia, a hike up Azure Mountain to pick wild blueberries, and daily “constitutionals” up and down Mount Pisgah in any kind of weather. Anne also enjoyed golfing with family and friends. She especially cherished gathering with generations of family at the Regan camp on Lake Ozonia, where she added fun and positive energy to every get-together. Anne was a gift to those who knew her, and she will be truly missed by family and friends alike.
Anne was preceded in death by her husband, Walter H. Fiedler, her parents, Dr. and Mrs. Leo Regan, and her brothers and sisters, John Regan, Gloria Dolan, Dr. Gerald Regan, and Mary Margaret Mahlstedt.
Anne is survived by her three daughters, Mary E. Fiedler of Collinsville, CT, Margaux A. Plourde (Andrew L. Cameron), of Sarasota, FL, and Christine M. (Clayton M.) Felker of Washington, D.C.; six grandchildren, Jason, Miranda, Kelsey, Delaney, Linnea and Aidan; and her brother-in-law, Dieter Mahlstedt.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at the Church of the Holy Cross in Hopkinton, NY in the spring. Burial will follow at St. Mary's Cemetery in Potsdam, NY. Arrangements will be with the Garner Funeral Service, Potsdam, NY. Thoughts, memories and condolences for the Fiedler family can be made @www.garnerfh.com. Memorial contributions in Anne’s memory may be made to the Discalced Carmelite Nuns, Carmelite Monastery, ATTN: Sister Pat, 89 Hiddenbrooke Drive, Beacon, NY, 12508.
