Anne McShane Curtis

anne curtis

Anne McShane Curtis died on August 21, 2022 after a battle with advanced Alzheimers. The former
Buckhead resident was 87 years old.

Anne was born and raised in the Sparrows Point community of Baltimore, MD to Colegate and Elizabeth McShane. Her father was a foreman at Bethlehem Steel, and she was the fourth of five children. She was pre-deceased by her three older brothers, Johnny, Dick, Coge and a younger sister Betsy. The McShane family was best known for the estimated 300,000 bells manufactured by the McShane Bell Foundry and found in cathedrals, churches, universities and schools throughout the world.

In 1956, Anne was working in a lab at Johns Hopkins Hospital and was introduced to Dr. Earnest (Earnie) Curtis. That introduction was made by a colleague of Earnie’s, with the request from the colleague being, “please watch out for Anne while I am gone.” Earnie took the colleague’s request quite seriously as he proposed only a few weeks later, and they married in Baltimore the next year. They had three boys before moving to Atlanta, Ga in support of Earnie’s medical (OB/GYN) practice. Shortly after
arriving in Atlanta their fourth son was born.

Anne loved cooking and supporting her husband and sons, but she also loved people from all walks of life. While many of her friendships blossomed from her involvement with organizations such as The Junior League of Atlanta, those close to her know that one of her closest friends and support throughout her life of raising four boys, was Ruby Stargen. From the outside, many believed Ruby was simply Anne’s housekeeper there to help keep the house clean and the boys in order. But Anne and Ruby’s friendship was far deeper and therapeutic to Anne than most ever realized.

As her four boys grew older and began their independent lives, Anne started a business combining her love of cooking and helping others. She would contract with two to three families at a time to provide personal chef services, providing home cooked dinners for busy families with two working parents. She provided these services for more than ten years. Her son Lock says, “Mom was an amazing cook who could turn a picked over baked chicken carcass into the most amazing soup you ever tasted.”

Another word that has been used to describe Anne is that she was a “fighter.” While the challenges of anxiety and mental health are far more commonplace today, Anne privately struggled with both, for much of her adult life. Yet, she never stopped pursing greater peace and happiness in her life, often researching and trying new techniques and treatments. Her passing is made a bit easier for her family as they now know that she has found the peace and happiness she relentlessly searched for and
deserved.

She is survived by her four sons, Mark Curtis (Jennie) of Atlanta, GA; Shane Curtis (Molly) of Asheville, NC; Price Curtis (Kristy) of Atlanta, GA; and Lock Curtis (Kathleen) of Baltimore, MD; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Her husband, Earnie, of 59 years died in 2016.

A private service will be held at All Saints Episcopal Church at a later time.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, please donate to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org).

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