I first met Anne, through my sister, Pat Penn, already a good friend of Anne and Dave while visiting my sister in Atlanta. Anne and Dave graciously invited my husband, Ray, and myself to join my sister, and her significant other, Michael Milan, for a trip to Sedona, Arizona. Anne and Dave own a home in Sedona, as well as Blue Mountain Lake in upstate New York. The meeting point for our trip to Arizona was to be at the Grand Canyon, specifically the El Tovar Lodge for lunch. We were running late on our drive from Las Vegas (into which we had flown), and were trying to make good time to the lodge for lunch. Being the type A personality that I am, I was sweating the arrival time especially, knowing that our arrival was close to the end of lunch service. Anne and Dave were already there waiting, seated at the table for six. As memory serves, we were almost one hour late. Finally, after a mad dash through the parking lot, into the lodge, we made a beeline for the dining room, where we found our hosts. Anne was serenely sipping her hot tea, and graciously greeted us without any flap or complaint. I remember her being relaxed, poised and ready to catch up. It was as if we were just running a few minutes late, compared to an hour.
After a fun visit in Sedona, I mentioned to Anne and Dave, that they should join us in our hometown of Louisville, Kentucky for a visit. I suggested that Anne would really enjoy visiting during the St. James Art Show, which is very well known as a wonderful art show, staged in scenic Old Louisville. So, they came to visit, along with my sister and Michael, and we all enjoyed the art show. I remember that although Anne was super knowledgeable about various art forms, she always sought out other’s opinions rather than being overbearing or pedantic about the various media we saw during the art show. She was graceful in her knowledge, and did not have to impress others with what she knew. She was “ quietly competent”, a term my sister first coined to describe my husband’s multi-faceted mechanical knowledge and aptitude. This description definitely applied to Anne Vaccaro.
After Anne and Dave departed Louisville, we wound up having one more visit with them in Blue Mountain Lake, New York, where they own a home. We all went kayaking one beautiful afternoon, and as I watched Anne gracefully paddling, it struck me that wherever she was, Anne was totally happy in the moment. She lived her life fully immersed in the moment with the people around her, with no complaints or regrets. She was not looking for happiness; instead she was living it.