Ann Spey was born Ann Elaine Hoge on July 13th 1925. She was born on a family farm near Aneta, North Dakota, 60 miles west of Grand Forks and 80 miles south of Canada. She was the second of five children: Clarice, Ann, Sanford, Harris, and Vernon. Her parents, Sever and Sophie Hoge, were children of Norweigan immigrants. Their farm was homesteaded by Sophie's father, Even Smaaladen in 1886. When Ann was 10 years old, her mother passed away. Ann and her older sister Clarice were sent to live with relatives in Aneta, while the boys stayed on the farm. The Hoge children were all baptized and confirmed in the local Norwegian Lutheran Church, a small white chapel, which is still standing, out on the open plains near the town of Aneta. The Lutheran services were given in the Norwegian language and everyone was brought to know the Lord Jesus as their Savior at a young age. Their faith was very important to the farming families of Norwegian descent. Ann's love for her Lord Jesus stayed with her all of her life.
World war II changed the lives of Ann and her siblings. The boys went off to war while her older sister, Clarice, went to live with family members in Seattle, who then sent for her younger sister. During these war years Ann worked at a Naval Base outside of Seattle. She assembled torpedoes and then went on to be a teletype operator in the Naval Intelligence Office. On the weekends she would go with her sister to the Crystal ballroom, dancing to the sound of the big bands. It was at the Crystal ballroom that she first met her husband, Ernest Gustave Spey. Ernie was a member of the US Army Signal Corps and stationed on the Aleutian Islands. While on leave, Ernie went to the Crystal ballroom and met Ann.. Ann recalled that she knew immediately that Ernie was going to be her husband. She would always talk about how they fell in love during the first song they danced to, "Some Enchanted Evening", from the musical "South Pacific". They were married in Seattle just after the war and they drove to Shelton, Connecticut for Ann to meet Ernie's parents.
After the war Ernie returned to Drexel University, in Philadelphia, to complete his degree in Mechanical Engineering. During this time they had their first son Gregory Ernest. After graduating Ernie took a job as a power plant operating engineer for Philadelphia Electric Company, PECO. Ernie would work for PECO the rest of his career. In the next seven years Ann had their second son, Stephen John, and their third son, Bryan Wayne. In 1960 Ernie was transferred to the Conowingo Hydroelectric Dam in northern Maryland. The dam is also the bridge where US route 1 crosses the Susquehanna River. They lived in the small Conowingo Village which was maintained by PECO. The Conowingo Hydroelectric Dam was just outside Darlington, a small rural town in Hartford County, Maryland. Ann and Ernie brought their three boys to the Methodist Church every week. When all of her children were in school, Ann took a job as a 1970 census worker.. Ernie bought Ann a little blue Rambler American, which she drove all over Hartford county working for the federal government.
Ernie was then promoted to plant superintendent of the Richmond Power plant in Philadelphia, so it was back to Philly for Ernie and Ann. Gregory was now at the University of Delaware and Stephen was at Lehigh University. With Bryan in High School, Ann took a job at the Schmidts Brewery in downtown Philly. Every work day, Ernie would drive with Ann into the city and drop her off at an elevated train station. She would take the train and then a bus to the brewery. She really enjoyed these years of working in Philly and commuting with Ernie. Ann had always been an excellent typist and teletype operator, so she was put in charge of entering data into the accounting computers at the brewery. At this time in her life Ann was reunited with her older sister Clarice. Clarice came out from Seattle for a visit and ended up staying with Ann and Ernie. Clarice took a job at a local hospital and the "Hoge Girls" had a wonderful time together, seeing Philadelphia, and traveling back and forth to Aneta.
Ann would go back home to Aneta, almost every Father's Day, for the world's largest Turkey Barbecue. Her little home town of Aneta, with less than 200 people, started a turkey barbecue in the 1970's, because many farmers, including Ann's younger brother Sanford Hoge, raised turkeys. This annual festival has grown exponentially over the decades. In 2021, they barbecued over 300 turkeys and entertained over 3,000 visitors. Ann stayed very close to her younger brother Sanford, his wife Yvonne, and their three children: Ward, Russel and Renee. Sanford has gone to be with the Lord while Yvonne and her two sons still farm all of the land originally homesteaded by the Hoge and Smaaladen families.
After spending 10 years in Philadelphia, Ernie was offered the plant superintendent position in Conowingo. This is where he would work until he retired after 35 years with PECO. As a plant superintendent they lived in a large southern style mansion in Conowingo Village. This palatial home of over 6,000 sq. ft. was the social center for much of the local area. Ann was constantly entertaining visiting dignitaries from PECO and hosting charity events. She was in her element, she loved cooking and entertaining. She would always look back on these years as a very special time for her and Ernie. Ernie was at the peak of his career and Ann was the preeminent hostess.
When Ernie retired, they moved to the family home in Shelton Connecticut. In retirement, Ernie bought a 32 ft motor yacht and sailed it down the Inland Waterway to Florida. Ann flew down to Florida and lived on the yacht as Ernie's "First Mate''. She enjoyed sailing all around Florida. It was a wonderful experience for both of them. When they docked at a marina in North Fort Myers, next to the Parkway Condominiums Ann met a real estate agent that had a furnished first floor condominium for sale. Ann went back to the boat and told Ernie that she had found their next home. He bought that condo for Ann. Every morning Ann would make breakfast for Ernie, who would then go out to work on his boat, which he moored just outside their back door. These were the golden years for Ann and Ernie. For the next 20 years they were snowbirds, spending their winters in Florida and their summers in Connecticut.
When they were in their early 80's they decided to move into an assisted living community. They lived the rest of their life in Gulf Coast Village, a wonderful Christian retirement center founded by the Volunteers of America, which is a spin-off of the Salvation Army, created in the late 1800s to care for the elderly. This was perfect for Ann and Ernie. They really enjoyed the Lord's Day services and the weekly hymn sings. Pastor Bob cared for their spiritual needs and was instrumental in the assurance of their salvation. Ernie went to be with the Lord in January of 2019. Ann was always grateful for the life Ernie had given her and that he had passed peacefully. Ann was well taken care of until she passed at 7:04 p.m. on July 19, 2021. She had been under hospice care, did not have any pain, and passed peacefully in her sleep. Ernie and Ann are survived by their two sons, Stephen and Bryan, five grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. Ernie passed in his 94the year and Ann passed one month shy of her 96th birthday. May God bless them and give eternal rest to Ernie and Ann Spey.
Friends may call on Saturday morning from 10:30 - 11:00 am at the Riverview Funeral Home, 390 River Rd., Shelton. Her funeral service will follow at 11:00 am at the parlor. Her burial will be at Riverside Cemetery.
Friends may leave condolences at www.riverviewfh.com.
