R.I.P. | Anne Gerli, Will Woodin's Last Surviving Granddaughter

Anne Gerli (1923-2016)

Anne Harvey Gerli, 92, passed away on March 3, 2016. She is survived by her daughters Anne G. Shean, Mary G. Clarke and Carol G. Deane, six grandchildren, one great-granddaughter and her cat, Pussywillow. She was pre-deceased by her husbands, Carl W. Gram and David C. Gerli.

She was the sole surviving granddaughter of William H. Woodin, secretary of the Treasury under FDR. Of the original seven grandchildren of Will and Nan Woodin, three grandsons now survive – Charlie Miner, Jr., of East Hampton, N.Y.  and Vero Beach, Fla., who was a close companion to his cousin Anne Gerli; William H. Woodin III of Tucson, Ariz.; and William W. (Woody) Rowe of Sedona, Ariz.

Anne Gerli was the youngest president of the New York Junior League, and advocated for the rights of women and the mentally ill as president and board member of The Women's Prison Association, Girls Service League and Fountain House.

Anne Gerli

She was an avid tennis player and figure skater. She  was a member of The Skating Club of New York for 80 years, and a national figure skating judge for more than 70 years, and served U.S. Figure Skating as vice president and world team leader in 1985 and Olympic representative in 1981-82.

Gerli was elected and inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame, Class of 2015. The induction ceremony took place during the January 2015 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Greensboro, N.C. Joining Gerli in the Class of 2015 were two-time Olympian David Santee and choreographer Ricky Harris. Gerli is famed in the skating world for her work on three initiatives:

• The accelerated judges program, which encourages high-level test and competitive skaters to become judges.
• The young internationals program, which sent young skaters to European non-qualifying competitions to gain experience. 
• Creation of the U.S. Junior Championships ("junior nationals").

Gerli was a past president of the Garden Club of East Hampton.

There will be a memorial service Friday, March 11 at 2 pm at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church.

Sources: U.S. Figure Skating website, New York Times obituary notice, independent inquiries.