Anne Meek

Dr. (Martha) Anne Meek, 85, passed away on Saturday, March 26, 2022, at the home of her daughter in Winter Springs, FL, after a long illness.  "Life is full of adventures," she often said, and her life was full till the end.  Although she will be missed by many, her time came to go.  Anne was a teacher and educator, writer and editor, poet and poetry advocate, and animal lover.  She was also a mother and grandmother to her unexpectedly large and blended family and beyond it.

Anne was born in 1936 in Martin, TN, the youngest child of Paul and Martha Campbell Meek.  When the man next door was called back to active duty after Pearl Harbor, taking with him the only other girls in the neighborhood, she became a tomboy, playing football with and standing up to the pranks of the boys.  "I believe in equal rights and equal opportunity," she often said.  Her brothers achieved doctorates, and ultimately, at age 40, she would, too.  Education was one of her strongest values, and she remained connected to the University of Tennessee at Martin, especially the library named after her father, long after she was living elsewhere. 

Professionally and personally, Anne held a lifelong commitment to desegregation and equal education for all.  She taught Head Start and was a Title I reading teacher in the Shelby County (TN) Schools.  She went on to be principal of Bonny Kate Elementary School and supervisor in Knox County, TN, and had a key role in making a sound curriculum out of the basic skills movement.  Later she edited the national magazine Educational Leadership from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, as well as writing books Designing Places for Learning and Communicating with the Public.  She served as assistant superintendent for the Virginia Beach City Schools.  At every job, she mentored those who worked with her. 

Anne published poems throughout her adult life, and her collected poems, Tree Full of Stars, was published in 2021.  Many of her poems are about and dedicated to her students, whom she loved and nurtured.  Even after promotion to administrative roles, she often organized poetry workshops for young writers in a variety of schools, museums, and bookstores.  Poems, she insisted, were "for the people."

Throughout her life, she supported arts and cultural organizations, and most recently in Norfolk, she avidly worked on and supported activities of the Cultural Alliance, the Retired Officers Wives Club, WHRO, the Muse Writers Center, and Hampton Roads Writers.  She was a lifelong member of the United Methodist Church, especially at First Methodist in Martin, Aldersgate and Bartlett in Memphis, Church Street in Knoxville, and McKendree and Heritage in the Hampton Roads area.

As a girl, Anne would secretly let her cat, Captain Midnight, into her bedroom at night, against the wishes of her mother.  All her life, she took in strays and made them family.  If a cat needed food or a warm spot to sleep or if someone she knew needed an invitation to Thanksgiving dinner, Anne welcomed them.  Some of her last words were asking every night if all the kitties were in safe.

Everywhere she went, Anne made dear friends she has kept through the years.  In her last few weeks, the outpouring of love from friends and family too numerous to name has eased her going.  We especially wish to acknowledge the cherished friendship of Barb, Gary, and Samantha Janovetz, as well as Benell Rawls and Joan Worley.

Anne is survived by her husband of 25 years, Captain Gilbert L. Kraine, USCG (ret.), her son Kelly Roney and daughter Lisa Roney (Bruce Janz) from her first marriage, Kelly's partner Leslie Morgan and his daughter Julia Denardo Roney, as well as her devoted nephew and his wife, John and Katrina Meek, and several beloved cousins including Marilyn Hammonds, Jenna Wright, and Suzanne Powers.  In addition, she leaves Gil's children Susie Daniel (Rick), John Kraine, and Sally Marquigny, and their children Kenton Marquigny, Tyler Kraine, and Benjamin Kraine. 

She was predeceased by her brothers, John Paul Meek and David Campbell Meek, as well as her second husband, Owen Donley. 

The family will receive friends at First United Methodist Church in Martin, TN starting at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 1, with a memorial service at 2:00 pm.  A private family interment will follow at Freeman Cemetery.  A second service will be held on Saturday, May 21, at Heritage United Methodist Church in Virginia Beach, VA, with friends received at 1:00 p.m. and service at 2:00.   In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the University of Tennessee at Martin, one of the Methodist churches mentioned above, Hampton Roads Writers, or the Muse Writing Center.