Anna May (Snidero) Leiss

Anna May (Snidero) Leiss died in her home in Danbury on Sunday, March 16, 2025. Ann was born November 15, 1936, to John and Santa Snidero of Brewster, NY.  She was the youngest of nine children.

Before having children, she worked in the HR department at Norden Systems in Norwalk. Then, she took time off to raise her children, always involved in whatever they were involved in: she hosted choir practice so Wayne could attend, and she never missed one of Kurt’s football games or one of Gina’s cheerleading events.

A devout Catholic, she worshipped at St. Peter Church in Danbury, St. Mary Church in Bethel, and lastly, at St. Gregory the Great Church in Danbury. At St. Peter’s, she was on the Parish Council, the editorial staff of the Parish Newspaper, The Crossword, served as a lector and Eucharistic Minister, and ran the monthly coffee hour after mass for many years. At St. Gregory’s, she was a member of the Women’s Group and prayed the rosary weekly in the Adoration Chapel.

After raising her children, she returned to work, first as a volunteer in the Danbury Hospital Patient Representative Office, which later turned into a part-time and then full-time position. She also served on the Hospital’s Trauma Team and the Pastoral Care Council, for which she ran quarterly memorial services, Christmas Eve masses, and the Look Good Feel Better Program for cancer survivors. Ann was the hospital liaison to the Danbury Fire Department, where she helped organize and run the Babysitting course for 15 years, which trained over 1400 teens on the art and safety of being a good babysitter.

Ann was a woman about town. She was a member of ARC (Association of Religious Communities), Off the Streets Founding Board Member and Welcome Basket Coordinator, Shelter of the Cross (Renewal House) Board Member, Completed the Citizen’s Police Academy, Regional Hospice (Family Care Volunteer, Healing Hearts Teen Grief Program Volunteer), Cub Scout Den Mother, Boy Scout Adult Support (Parents Council, Eagle/Life banners, organized scout dinners), Santa’s Workshop Registration Volunteer, Dorothy Day Soup Kitchen Volunteer, Member of the Immaculate High School parents advisory board (even after her kids had all graduated) and a United Way Allocations Volunteer. During all this, she drove Mom’s Taxi and baked bread and cookies for these organizations.

If you spent any time around Ann, you probably heard her say more than once: “I’m the Little old Winemaker’s daughter – do you want to see my purple feet?” or “If the Good Lord is willing and the Creek don’t rise,” “It’s Better to be seen and not viewed” and more recently “Jeepers Creepers, Mom has got no Sneakers. I guess I will have to go barefoot!” which she always did (her father even called her his barefoot Contessa).

As the last member of her entire generation, Ann is survived by her children, Wayne and Kurt Leiss (Regina), and her daughter, Gina Thurn (Loren). She has seven grandchildren: Danielle Lefante (Blake), Matthew, Marc, Michael, Maximus Leiss, Noah, and Ian Thurn, and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her son Eric, her parents, her brother and all seven sisters, and some nieces and nephews.

Ann always believed that flowers were for the living and not the dead. In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to:

Regional Hospice, 30 Milestone Road, Danbury, CT 06810

Off the Streets, PO Box 591, Bethel, CT  06801

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. in St. Gregory the Great Church, 85 Great Plain Road, Danbury.

Private burial will take place in St. Lawrence O'Toole Cemetery; Brewster, NY.

The family will receive friends in Deacon William D. Murphy Hall of St. Gregory the Great Church following the mass.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Anna May (Snidero) Leiss, please visit our floral store.