Ann “Annie” O’Dowd, of The Villages, Florida, passed away Dec. 26, 2018. Annie was born on April 26, 1929 in Chicago. She was 89 when she died.
Her mother, Agnes, her father, Henry, and five siblings predeceased her.
Annie is survived by her partner of 44 years, Jill Schwartz, and Jill’s family, who loved and cherished Annie: Jill’s brother and sister-in-law, Jim and Susan Schwartz; her nieces, Cathy Schwartz and Sarah (Brian) Ayres; her great-nephew, Cory Ayres; and her great-niece, Casey Ayres.
A great joy in Annie’s life was playing baseball for three years (1949-1951) for the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, which is the league depicted in the movie A League of Their Own. She was a catcher and she played for several teams, including the Rockford Peaches, the primary team portrayed in the movie. Annie was proud to have been recognized by the National Baseball Hall of Fame for her contributions to women’s baseball and to have her pictures and name displayed in the Women in Baseball exhibit at the Hall of Fame.
After leaving baseball, Annie worked as an office manager and buyer. She spent her working career in Chicago, moved to Atlanta upon retirement, and then to Fort Myers and then to the Villages in 2007.
A celebration of her life was held Jan. 5 at the Waterfront Inn in Lake Sumter Landing in The Villages.