Anita Tanner Daubenspeck

Anita Tanner Daubenspeck died June 6th in Danbury, Connecticut. She was born September 25, 1938 in Van Wert, Ohio to Warren Leslie Tanner DVM and Myrdith (Hartzell) Tanner.

Anita attended public schools in Ohio and was awarded a full academic scholarship to Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida where she received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award and was a member of women’s honorary fraternity Libra (later ODK) and Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity. She studied with the Washington Semester program at American University in spring,1959 and graduated Rollins in 1960. 

She married David F. Daubenspeck in June, 1960 and resided in Pennsylvania and New Jersey before moving to Ridgefield in 1973.

Anita earned an MSLS degree from Villanova University in 1966. She was Director of the Ridgefield Library from 1975 to 2000, where she managed 4 expansions of the facility from 8,000 to 26,000 ft. and introduced automation technology to library operations. She was a member of the American Library Association, officer and board member of the Connecticut Library Association, board and founding member of the regional library automation consortium and served on several state-wide automation committees. She was named CT Librarian of the year 1996 by the CT Library Association.

The sculpture “Storytime” by Glenna Goodacre was donated anonymously to the library in her honor to celebrate Anita’s retirement in 2000. Anita was a member of Ridgefield Rotary, president 1990; and served on the boards of Ridgefield VNA and Ridgefield Chamber of Commerce.

Her husband David, to whom she was married 60 years, recently died May 26th of this year. She is survived by Leslie Daubenspeck Henderson (Alastair) of Glenview IL, Rick Daubenspeck and companion Judy Johnson of Scottsdale AZ,and by Timothy Daubenspeck (Kacey) of Ridgefield and by grandchildren Derek (Nicole) Henderson of Ridgefield, Douglas (Emma) Henderson of Manchester UK, David T. Daubenspeck, Scottsdale AZ, Margaret Daubenspeck of Boston MA and by Tanner, Edward and Lily Daubenspeck of Ridgefield and great-granddaughter Winter Rose Henderson. Included in her family is AFS daughter, Junko Kobayashi Saltzgaber (Lee), of Wilkes Barre, PA. Also survived by Philip Tanner of Sylvania OH and Jean Tanner of Dagsboro DE. She was predeceased by her parents and brother Michael Tanner.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Ridgefield Library or Ridgefield VNA.

A Zoom/Livestream Memorial Service will take place on Saturday, June 12, 2021, at 11:00 AM. Please use the link provided here: https://zoom.us/j/96098020519 or the Livestream link available below the obituary in the "services" listing. (Please note that a passcode is not required to join the memorial service Livestream).

To view/download the memorial service program, please click here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/p3xsaghx7qi8vhj/MEMORIAL%20SERVICE_David_and_Anita_Daubenspeck_FINAL.pdf?dl=0

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