Monday, August 20, 2007

Annie Laurie Pomeranz

This website site has been established to celebrate Annie Laurie Pomeranz who passed away August 7, 2007 after more than 89 years of a wonderful life.

Below her photo to the right is a short biography and a list of links to various items, some from her funeral service, others from published articles, and some of good information. There will be more to come.

You comments are welcome in the Obituary Guest Book (see list to the right).

Enjoy.

Annie Laurie Pomeranz gave it to us straight

Reprinted from the August 19, 2007 edition of The Sanford Herald.

By Billy Leggett
Editor, The Sanford Herald


“I’ve known every editor at The Herald for as long as I can remember, and I’ve given each of them a hard time.”

I heard those words during my first week here back in February. They came from an 89-year-old woman who intro­duced herself as “Anlapomeran” ... a name I lat­er learned was Annie Laurie Pomeranz. She’d introduced herself to many an editor, I imagine, and the name just rolled off her tongue like it was one word.

In the following few months, she would stop by my office a few times ... once to get on to us for not covering our local schools well enough. The other time, she praised us for simply making the paper better.

“If you were doing a bad job, you’d hear more from me,” she said in a serious tone, but followed by a quick smile.

Well, I didn’t hear more from her, but not because we were perfect or anything.

Unknown to me, Mrs. Pomeranz’s health was fading. She died a few weeks ago after an illness that spanned several months.

Now I’m sure there are many out there who wouldn’t necessarily mind that their biggest critic was no longer around. But not me ... not her, anyway.

Because I know Mrs. Pomeranz would be honest with me. The Herald needs that honesty more than ever this week, as Tuesday, we launch our redesign — a months-long study in ways we felt we could change the paper to make it better for our readers.

We announced this effort way back in April ... in my sec­ond month here. In late May, we hosted a successful reader forum where we introduced some of the rough drafts of the new look. In June, we did a lot of tweaking, and in July, we began revealing page examples online at my blog: .

Now it’s August. School’s about to start and news, inexpli­cably, usually “picks up” during this time of year.

We feel now is as good a time as ever to introduce our new product. In addition to what we feel is an attractive new look, we’ll have new fea­tures and an overall easier-to­-navigate newspaper.

So what’s new, besides the look?

First, we’re making our paper less confusing. It should­n’t have been confusing to begin with, but one of the com­plaints I’ve received since I got here is that our regular features — comics, crossword puzzles, Dear Abby, horoscopes, Billy Graham’s column, obituaries — aren’t always in the same place. Beginning Tuesday, they will be. Graham, Abby, comics and crosswords will always be in the middle of our Carolina section, which is no longer just a Wednesday/Sunday section.

It’s every day now. The sec­tion’s “theme” will be ever­changing, though — arts on Tuesdays, food on Wednesday, religion on Thursdays, enter­tainment on Fridays, schools on Saturdays and human interest stories on Sundays. The other major change (we’ll explain the changes all next week as each day arrives) is Page 2 in our news section.

No longer will it be nation/world news. Beginning Tuesday, it will be an extension of our front page ... with local photos, local briefs, more local stories, online teases, the “Rambler,” birthdays, meeting agendas and the daily almanac.

National news won’t be gone, however ... it’ll just be a little further back in our news­paper. The idea is this — we aren’t competing with cable and network news channels or larger metropolitan papers to bring you a bunch of national news.

Our focus will be local. We want to be known as the only media source that gives a darn about Lee, Chatham, Harnett and Moore counties. We want to be the one place you want to go when you want news from any of these areas.

Tuesday won’t be perfect.

What you’ll see next week isn’t going to be set in stone. We’ll tweak along the way, constantly looking for ways to make this newspaper better. We just need people to come to us and let us know what they want.

We want people like Annie Laurie Pomeranz, who gave it to us straight.

Friday, August 17, 2007

A song is ended...

Susie Brooks Overton, mother of Annie Laurie Overton Pomeranz, was an accomplished poet. She wrote the following poem in 1945. It was read by the Rev. Del Parkerson at Annie Laurie Pomeranz' graveside service, August 11, 2007.

A song is ended for a day,
The chords are hushed; the melody is done.
Death again has had its way,
And we are sad because a friend is gone.

A silent note, a vacant chair;
A voice we loved so well, and hear no more,
Has joined the vast immortal choir –
Her spirit freed through an open door.

But time will heal, and once again
We’ll hear the harmony that filled her way
In vibrant chords: a soft refrain
To lend a quiet respite on our way.

Farewell, we shall not mourn your going
Into a land beyond this earthly care.
We shall go on, always knowing,
Where-er you are, there will be music there.

A Royal Farewell

Annie Laurie Overton Pomeranz was a Charter Member of the Pvt.John Grady Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution which was chartered December 4, 1951

This anonymous poem, which was read at the memorial service for Queen Mother Elizabeth (born August 4, 1900; and died March 30, 2002), was read in memory of Annie Laurie Pomeranz at her graveside service, August 11, 2007.

A Royal Farewell

You can shed tears that she is gone,
Or you can smile because she has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that she’ll come back,
Or you can open your eyes and see all she’s left.

Your heart can be empty, because you can’t see her,
Or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember her and only that she’s gone,
Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.
You can cry, close your mind, be empty and turn your back,
Or you can do what she’d want:
Smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

A Wide-Open Heart

These remarks were made by the Rev. David Early at the funeral service for Annie Laurie Overton Pomeranz, August 11, 2007.

Isaiah 65:13-14

God’s prophet Isaiah only met Annie Laurie Pomeranz a few days ago, but his ancient words vividly mirror her life journey. For a few moments spent in gratitude for her memory this morning, I invite your focus, with me, on those last few words read from Isaiah. “Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart.”

God is the loving source of all that makes the human heart joyful. Cecil Alexander expressed it this way in his simple hymn:

“All things bright and beautiful,
All things great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
Our Father made them all.
Cold wind in the winter,
Pleasant summer sun,
Ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one.
He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How good is God our Father,
Who doeth all things well.”

Annie Laurie’s heart was open wide to the whole gamut of God’s provision for her gladness.

He gave her a big family . . . and how she loved each and every one of you. You were truly the joy of her heart. She treasured home and its lovely setting and found happiness in sharing its surroundings generously.

In God’s creative master plan, he set lovely boundaries at the extremity of the oceans’ pounding surges. We call them beaches, and that creation was one of Annie Laurie’s chief joys . . . particularly that special one at North Myrtle.

The majesty of rolling peaks also reminded her of God’s love and caused her heart to rejoice. Locate a lovely and challenging summer music camp/festival in that setting at Brevard, and Annie Laurie’s heart could hardly contain the joy. She didn’t want to “contain” it either. She wanted others to share it, too.

Somewhere along the way, her love for symphony led to an abiding friendship with Dr. Ben and Maxine Swalin. I can’t count the times she shared with me the joy their many visits brought to her home. Surely, music was the common denominator, but she also relished their richly varied and stimulating conversations. It all added much to the joy of her life.

God gave her pianistic skills and delight in carefully honing them. So many hours she found joy of heart at the keyboard of the Steinway in her living room.

We could go on and on, but your minds have already recalled other treasures certain to have contributed to her joy of heart.

God is good to us, isn’t he? His abundance makes us joyful, but he also encourages/expects that “my servants shall sing out of the joy of their hearts.” Did Annie Laurie’s life do that? I believe abundantly so.

The simplest meaning of “sing” is “to vocalize a musical selection.” She did that well and often. Untold hymns and anthems sounded joyfully from Annie Laurie’s throat in happy testimony to the deep reality of her faith in God . . . and her happy commitment to honor him utilizing his talent/gift to her.

Her life also “sang”. She discovered many ways to let that happen, for making a positive contribution to others’ lives was important to her.

She invested time as a dedicated teacher, utilizing music’s power to enrich, challenge and uplift her young students.

Remember her period of selfless service in support of young men in the military. Her infectious smile must have “sung a happy tune” in their lives far from home.

An unseen carrier for the News & Observer sensed the powerful song of Annie Laurie’s life as the recipient of a simple telephone call in appreciation for her new service on the Forest Drive route. Upon learning of the death of this lady she had never met, she wrote the family to share her own sorrow, saying: “It says much about a person’s character when she takes the time to call a paper carrier to say ‘Thank you’.”

Numerous times, First Baptist Church had need of the “song” which could be sung so well by Annie Laurie’s skilled fingers and sensitive musicianship. From the joy of her heart, she met each challenge when asked. Bob Pomeranz often told me how much she (and he) enjoyed her diligent preparation for each needed service.

Budding, obviously gifted, musicians have often ridden the wave of he encouraging “song” while on their way to greater accomplishments.

Her deeply cherished Meredith College will never outlive the importance of her beautiful song of love for the school, its high purposes and the many young women she helped draw to its hallowed halls.

Surely, we have all heard – clearly – some portion of Annie Laurie’s lovely life song. It was her joyful and reasoned response to the New Testament admonition: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly . . . as you sing Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16)

After speaking of his servants’ songs from the joy of their hearts, God struck another lovely chord through Isaiah: “Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth. Be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create.” (Isaiah 65:17-18)

Enjoy, Annie Laurie! It’s for you!

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Obituary

SANFORD NC—Annie Laurie Overton Pomeranz, 89, died Tuesday, August 7, 2007, at her home in Sanford with her fam­ily by her side.

Born Jan. 30, 1918, in Fair Bluff NC, she was the oldest child of the late James Atkins and Susannah Brooks Overton. She grew up in Sanford, graduated from Sanford High School and Meredith College, and taught music in the public schools in Moncure and Southern Pines.

Mrs. Pomeranz was an active member of the First Baptist Church of Sanford and a member of the Pvt. John Grady Chapter DAR, and served with the American Red Cross during World War II, was on the board of Lee County Arts and Community Center, and the Pines of Carolinas Girl Scout Council.

She served as a trustee of Meredith, a trustee of Campbell University, and was longtime secretary/treasurer of Brooks and Kindred Families Association.

Her husband, Robert E. Pomeranz, preceded her in death on June 7, 1997. They were married in Sanford on April 19, 1947.

She is survived by:

sons
Robert E. Pomeranz II and wife Cheryl of Carolina Beach;
James B. Pomeranz and wife Nancy of Cary; and,
William Brooks Pomeranz and wife Pam of Sanford;

daughters
Suzanne Pomeranz of Jerusalem, Israel;
Laurie Pomeranz Grimm and husband Brian of Newport, Vt.; and,
Sarah Pomeranz Layne and husband Elvis of St. George, Barbados;

daughter-in-law
Betty Carter Pomeranz of Danville, Va.;

sister
Sarah Overton Partridge of Mobile, Ala.;

sisters-in-law
Margery Smith Overton of Sanford;
Anna Kyzer Overton of Sanford; and,
Marilyn G. Pomeranz of North Port, FL;

11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Special music requested by Mrs. Pomeranz will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, August 11 at First Baptist Church. The funeral service will begin at 10 a.m. Burial will follow at Jonesboro Cemetery.

The family will receive family and friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Miller-Boles Funeral Home, 1150 Fire Tower Road, Sanford.

Memorial contributions may be directed to:

Annie Laurie Pomeranz Memorial Fund
Lee County Arts and Community Center
502 N. Steele St.
Sanford, N.C. 27330

Robert E. Pomeranz Memorial Scholarship
Central Carolina Community College Foundation
1105 Kelly Drive
Sanford, N.C. 27330

Annie Laurie Pomeranz Memorial Fund
Lee County Girl Scouts Day Camp
1305 Cedarhurst Drive
Sanford, N.C. 27332

Annie Laurie Pomeranz Memorial Piano Fund
Meredith College Department of Music
3800 Hillsborough St.
Raleigh N.C. 27607

Miller-Boles Funeral Home of Sanford is serving the fami­ly.

Obituary Guest Book

August 16, 2007
Grandma Laurie was an incredible woman. From the moment I joined the Pomeranz family, she was as warm and welcoming as anyone could be. She, along with her late husband, always treated me like one of their own, even if I wasn't related by blood. Her life was truly remarkable and I learned a lot from her. What an intelligent lady! She was also a fantastic cook. I had never had Yorkshire pudding before and I don't suppose I will ever have it again, but I will always remember it. And I will always remember her - a true Southern Matriarch of the highest degree and honor. I wonder if St. Peter has any idea how to cook green beans "like Grandma does." I suppose he's about to find out.
--Chris Bridges (Hendersonville, NC)


August 14, 2007
I am one of Annie Laurie's "Virginia cousins". She was a very family minded person who never forgot "her people". My sympathy to her children and to her surviving sister.
--Hunter Watson (Farmville, VA)

August 9, 2007
I babysat the kids for awhile and was not that much older then Rob or Suzanne at the time. Annie Laurie always remembered me and was very thoughtful. The last time I saw her was last year at my Uncle Lewis's funeral. She wanted to sing in the choir for him.The community will miss her.
Martha McBryde (Napa, CA)

August 9, 2007
Dear Family:May your hearts soon be filled with wonderful memories of joyful times together as you celebrate a life well-lived. She was a remarkable woman. God's Peace and comfort to you all.
Mary Rogers Brawley (Mooresville, NC)

August 9, 2007
Love to all of you. I will miss Annie Laurie for so many reasons.Carol Russell
Carol Russell (Cary, NC)

August 9, 2007
My aunt, My friend, I will miss her greatly!!
Carolyn Ellis (Raleigh, NC)

A Service Celebrating the Life

of Annie Laurie Overton Pomeranz

First Baptist Church of Sanford NC
10 a.m., Saturday, August 11, 2007
Preceded by Special Music at 9 a.m.
Organ: Susan Brooks Gaster
Piano: Patricia Langston
Organ: Jimmy Jones

Processional Hymn #629 "God of Our Fathers"

Welcome: Dr. Thomas A. Jackson, Pastor

Scripture: Proverbs 31: 10-31 read by Suzanne Pomeranz

Solo by Dr. Sharon Howell UpDyke
"The Lord is My Light and Salvation" by Frances Allitsen

Special Words: Rev. David L. Early

Choral Selection by Church Chancel Choir
"My Eternal King" by Jane Marshall

Rememberances: Laurie Pomeranz Grimm & James B. Pomeranz

Congregational Hymn #410 "It is Well with My Soul"

Benediction : Dr. Jackson

Recessional Hymn #7: "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee"

Pallbearers:
Grandchildren: Robert E. Pomeranz III, John T.Pomeranz, Jordan B. Pomeranz
Nephews: David S. Overton, Jr., William C. Overton, David W. Overton

A graveside service, led by Dr. Del E. Parkerson, was held at the Jonesboro Cemetary immediately following the Church service.

Memorial Contributions for Annie Laurie Pomeranz

Annie Laurie Pomeranz was a very, very active person, taking part in many causes and contributing time, money and energy to nearly everything she touched. This list could be much more extensive, but her six children have asked that memorial contributions may be directed to:

Annie Laurie Pomeranz Memorial Fund
Lee County Arts and Community Center
502 N. Steele St.
Sanford, N.C. 27330

Robert E. Pomeranz Memorial Scholarship
Central Carolina Community College Foundation
1105 Kelly Drive
Sanford, N.C. 27330

Annie Laurie Pomeranz Memorial Fund
Lee County Girl Scouts Day Camp
1305 Cedarhurst Drive
Sanford, N.C. 27332

Annie Laurie Pomeranz Memorial Piano Fund
Meredith College Department of Music

3800 Hillsborough St.
Raleigh N.C. 27607

Dear Annie Laurie

Remarks made at the funeral of Annie Laurie Pomeranz by son Jim Pomeranz, August 11, 2007

Good morning. Thanks to everyone here today. Thanks to those who came last night and to Mom’s house during the last few days and to those who dropped in to visit with Mom during her last few days, weeks and months. Thanks to those who were unable to visit but who have held Mom and her children in their thoughts and prayers.

You offer wonderful support to my brothers and sisters and me in our time of grief, but more importantly, I believe that each and everyone who has reached out during this time has done so to honor our mother, Annie Laurie Pomeranz.

Thanks to my brothers and sisters and the many members of our extended family for allowing me to share a few thoughts about our Mom. We are here to honor her. We are proud of her.

We are proud of her for many things

--For her support of our father as he and others built businesses in this community that reached across the country and around the world. She was very much a part of those successes.

--We are proud of her for raising the six of us—Robbie, Suzanne, Brooks, Sarah, Laurie and me—and doing … a pretty good job.

Though we were tough, she was tougher.

--We are proud of the way she became a community activist, teaching us all to do more with our lives, to have a wide array of interests while staying focused on many important aspects of life, especially family. Her family—immediate and extended—reached far and wide, and she constantly stayed in touch.

--We are proud of her efforts to make Sanford a better place for everyone. She loved this community and took an interest in everything.

Mom was also was an entertainer, allowing friends, relatives and business acquaintances from all over the world into her home. And she did it with her children present. She wanted us to take part in the friendships that she and Dad developed.

Any of the six of us could talk forever about our Mom.

So could her flock of nieces and nephews and cousins and friends.

I want to read in part a letter written to Mom from one of her nieces, first cousin Ann Partridge Johnson, who is here today with her mother, Sarah Overton Partridge, (Mom’s sister). Having that family in Sanford, visiting Annie Laurie, has been a common occurrence forever. This is where Aunt Sarah grew up, and in many respects, it is very much a place where she raised her children.

Ann sent this letter last week, just a few days before Mom’s passing. As I sat next to Mom and read it to her, it was obvious to Mom and others that Ann, as always, was writing with sincerity and warmth and from her heart. Ann, we thank you for this.

And, while this is from Ann, again, it could have been written by any number of relatives, friends and associates of our Mother. You speak for many.

--------------------------------

Dear Aunt Laurie,

I'm thinking of you every day, savoring a lifetime of memories made possible by you and your commitment to family and friends and community.

You have been a constant in all of our lives—

Always there in that pine-paneled home,

Swimming your laps in your pool,

Your children coming and going,

Playing that beautiful grand piano in your living room,

Holding court at the lengthy table in your Parisian dining room,

Racing around town in your old station wagon or in the Town car, and often stopping to prune someone's hedges,

Spreading your love of music at our beloved Baptist church and

Taking care of our Brooks family business.

(You are) Tireless, involved in Life as each of us should be, but rarely are.

How many different organizations have benefited under your diligence … from your vigilance?

Nothing escaped your eye, or your critique, or your care?

Certainly not us!

And not the swimmers and the Scouts and the Meredith girls and the old Sanford High School, now the Lee County Arts & Community Center,

Not the schools and the newspaper and your congressman...and even the President, I expect, on occasion!

You kept them straight and you kept them honest and you kept them going, not to mention correcting their poor grammar!

What a woman!

Being your niece was an education all by itself. Long before we knew about "women's lib", we saw your strength and your talents, and we were inspired. Your self-confidence, your sense of purpose, and the freedom you felt to express your opinions was infectious.

Somewhere along the way, while raising six wild and crazy kids and hosting every family event for dozens of cousins and brothers and sisters and in-laws for over FIFTY YEARS, you, Annie Laurie, became a living legend.

Recognized by many and bestowed with various honors and titles, you did us proud.

You carried on the family honor … the good done by Grandpa and Grandma before you… in our eyes and in God's eyes.

And always, you made us feel welcome. You opened your home and your heart to us, and it became our home, too. Your constancy was our anchor in a world that changed too fast.

When we needed a good "fix" of old-fashioned hearth and home, we knew where to head. Fresh fruit and a yummy almond pound cake, pork chops on the grill, watermelon by the pool, surrounded by aunts and uncles and cousins stopping by…. these were the reality of Sanford and Annie Laurie.

During long summer visits, we'd live at your swimming pool by day, playing tetherball or showing off our dives or having underwater races. How many times did we go dripping water through the house, when it was time to change to go back to Grandma's house for the night, and then eagerly await our trip to the Dairy Bar for a good old hot fudge sundae after dinner?

On a hot summer Sunday morning, we'd get dressed up for Sunday school, racing up the stairs to keep up with Robbie and Suzanne so we could find our classroom. We even did a few Vacation Bible schools, where we learned our Sword Drills, and where the coke machine was downstairs in the church basement!

I thank God for those times, those memories. They formed my character much more than I realized at the time. I would not trade them for any thing. Being in church with you, Annie Laurie, and Mom and Carol and Grandpa was precious beyond words. To this day, I cry in church whenever I hear certain old Baptist hymns being sung. The traditions, the heritage, that you and my mother and my grandparents gave us by living your beliefs were a great gift, a blessing that will carry us and sustain us.

We are part of a wonderful and proud family … a long line of Brooks and Overton descendants.

And no one was more outstanding than you have been. You have lived your life as you saw fit, and, as Grandma would have said, “with a sense of the fitness of things."

I thank you. … For everything … Love, Ann

--------------------------------

Ann, your thoughts and recollections are what we think of daily.

While for the most part, we attended public schools, during other times of the day and at night, Mom also home-schooled us in her own way, teaching us to take interest in others and many things beyond the trivial. And, she wanted AND WANTS us to keep in touch with family.

She wanted us to do well in whatever we chose to do, but she also wanted us to follow her lead, to do good with our lives, with our family, with our friends and our communities.

--------------------------------

The six of us have especially followed Mom’s constant reminder of using correct grammar. No ending sentences with a preposition; the right way to use I and me; and others.

Even as she lays…a-a-a-a-a…lies here before us, I’m sure Mom has heard these words and all others since her passing, and somehow, some way, she’ll let us know if we’ve done good.

Mom, you’ve done good and then some.

Thanks for everything.

We love you…

We will miss you.

Once Upon A Time

Remarks at the funeral of Annie Laurie Pomeranz by daughter Laurie Pomeranz Grimm, August 11, 2007

“Once upon a time…” well that’s how the card starts. It was just one card of many, many we have found in the piles of cards that mom has kept over the years. Sarah had sent it to her for Mother’s Day in 1990 and while the inside sentiment says “don’t you just love fairy tales?” I believe that most of what the card says is true…I’ll let you decide for yourself which is or isn’t the fairy tale (feel free to laugh).

“Once upon a time, there was very wonderful mother who lived in a little village outside the city. She had a perfect marriage and perfect children and because her family was perfect, she never had to nag them about leaving their socks under the sofa or anything. Because she was such a lovely person she had scores of friends who loved her very much. She was an inspiration to all who knew her because she never complained and always had a cheerful word for anyone she came in contact with.”

The card goes on to say something about winning the lottery but since we know that would really never happen I wont include it. We had a great time reading this to mom and she seemed to enjoy it.

Another card we came across holds some fun memories from just the Friday before mom passed away. She had called us all to her room. Upon gathering we began to banter back and forth with each other until mom raised her finger and said “don’t be sarcastic” (still the same old mom). She then proceeded to tell us to be nice to each other and that she loved everybody. After a few minutes she said “if I had a million dollars”. She didn’t finish her thought but I knew from some previous conversation that if she had a million dollars she would ask medical science to find out what was wrong with her. We all know that the only thing wrong with mom was that she was just plain tired and had told several of us many times in the last six months that what she really wanted to do was get to the couch, any couch, and take a nice long nap. But mom’s sentence of “if I had a million dollars” quickly led to more joking about where it was hidden and who would actually get it. I wont share that with you now but suffice to say we all have great reasons to be the sole recipient of said millions. On Sunday afternoon, while reading more from the card pile I pulled out a great Valentine card that Suzanne had sent her years ago. On the front was a cartoon drawing of a million dollar bill labeled “one million smackeroos” and the inside said “You’re one in a million”. We immediately told mom that we had find the illusive million dollars and laid the card next to her on the bed so we wouldn’t forget.

Ten years ago when I got the phone call that dad had died I stayed up half the night writing a tribute letter to him. It contained the things that all of us had wanted to say but may or may not have ever said to dad. From that I learned my lesson to always say what I wanted to say to mom…good, bad or indifferent…so that she could hear my thoughts and my heart. For her birthday this past January I sent her a card that, for once, finally said all the things I had trouble saying in previous conversations and none of the extra stuff that I didn’t want to say. On the front is a small wallet card with these words

“Mom, no matter what I do today or where the future takes me tomorrow, I promise to remember all the things you’ve taught me and how very much you love me. And in case I don’t always say it and sometimes I forget to show it, I wanted you to have to have this so you know I love you, too, mom.”

I will leave you with these words from the inside of the card,

“Thank you, mom, for being someone I’ve always been able to turn to for acceptance, reassurance and love - someone who taught me values that will last a lifetime, someone who keeps growing dearer to me all the time…Thanks you, mom, for filing my life with so much love. No matter where I am, you will always be a part of me - in thought, in heart, in love.

Proverbs 31:10-31

Read at the funeral of Annie Laurie Pomeranz by her oldest daughter, Suzanne Pomeranz, August 11, 2007

A woman of valour who can find? for her price is far above rubies.

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, and he hath no lack of gain.

She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.

She seeks wool and flax, and works willingly with her hands.

She is like the merchant-ships; she brings her food from afar.

She rises also while it is yet night, and gives food to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

She considers a field, and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

She girds her loins with strength, and makes strong her arms.

She perceives that her merchandise is good; her lamp goes not out by night.

She lays her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.

She stretches out her hand to the poor; yea, she reaches forth her hands to the needy.

She is not afraid of the snow for her household; for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

She makes for herself coverlets; her clothing is fine linen and purple.

Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitts among the elders of the land.

She makes linen garments and sells them; and delivers girdles unto the merchant.

Strength and dignity are her clothing; and she laughs at the time to come.

She opens her mouth with wisdom; and the law of kindness is on her tongue.

She looks well to the ways of her household, and eats not the bread of idleness.

Her children rise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:'Many daughters have done valiantly, but thou excells them all.'

Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her works praise her in the gates.

OUR VIEW: 'Teacher' will be missed

From the editorial page of the August 12 edition of The Sanford Herald

Issue: Local activist, philan­thropist Annie Laurie Pomeranz died this week at age 89

Our stance: Pomeranz took great pride in Sanford and had her hand in a number of beautification projects. Her desire to make Sanford a better place to live will be sorely missed

Annie Laurie Pomeranz, who passed away this week at the age of 89, made a myriad of contributions to Lee County. Trying to settle on one word to sum up the breadth of what she was would be futile, but if pressed to do so, Pomeranz herself would likely have been pleased with “teacher.” She was born to two teachers, and she had a career as an edu­cator, teaching music to children in schools and in her church. She taught six chil­dren and had a near life-long affiliation with Meredith College in Raleigh, an institution of higher learning to which she was extraordinarily dedicated and of which she was immensely proud.

As someone who exemplified the idea that learning is a life-long endeavor, she was committed to and aligned with many organizations and entities in which “teach­ing” and “learning” were integral, including the Lee County Chapter of the N. C. Symphony (where she helped teach children the appreciation of fine music by working to bring students to symphony performances), the Girl Scouts and the Lee County Arts Center. (The Arts Center structure — now known as the Tommy Mann Sr. Building — was once Sanford High School. Mann him­self has said many times that Annie Laurie hadn’t led the fight to save it, it would have been demolished, as scheduled back in 1983, to make room for low-cost housing.) But mostly Annie Laurie taught about the idea of “community.”

It was a task that never ended for her. With the advent of the 24-hour news cycle and wireless communication devices attached to our hips (or our ears), the con­cept of community has been lost or, at least, devaluated over the years. People in her gen­eration knew what community was. Annie Laurie lived it, breathed it and taught it — she insisted upon it — all her life. To have a spirit of community, and then to exude it with every waking moment, was a prerequi­site for life for her. If you knew Annie Laurie, you’d better know your own sense of community. If not, she’d be happy assign it to you.

What came naturally to her isn’t natural so much today, because it’s less common.

Common sense might not be so common, but the vibrant spirit of community in a commu­nity is even more rare. Annie Laurie had it and had it in abundance.

When she was given The Herald’s Lifetime Achievement Award in January 2004, her reaction exemplified that spirit.

“How do I feel about the award?” she asked. “Honored, naturally. I do what I want to do. If I’m rewarded for it, that’s wonder­ful. But if not, that’s OK, too. It’s the satis­faction of doing and accomplishing that’s most important.”

That, friends, is community — taught by someone who really lived it.

Copyright (c)2007 The Sanford Herald 08/12/2007

Pomeranz cared deeply about Sanford

Philanthropist, activist dies peacefully at 89

(From the front page of the August 8, 2007 edition of The Sanford Herald)

By JONATHAN OWENS
Herald Staff Writer

SANFORD — Local teacher, music lover and community activist Annie Laurie Pomeranz died Tuesday.

She was 89 years old.

Her son, Jim Pomeranz, the third of six children she had with her late husband, Robert, said his mother died peacefully in her sleep Tuesday after around 40 days of deteriorating health.

He added that the entire family, includ­ing members who now reside in for­eign countries, had convened on her Sanford home to spend her last days together.

“It’s an emotional time,” said her son, “but we are all convinced that she led a full, wonderful life, and she is resting comfortably now.”

A Fair Bluff native, Pomeranz moved to Sanford at a young age and attended school at what was then Sanford High School on Steele Street. Years later, she would prove instrumental in saving the old build­ing from destruction, and it now serves as home to many non profit organizations in town.

Tommy Mann Sr. worked with Pomeranz on renovating the high school, which is now the Lee County Arts and Community Center. He recalled her as a “real go-getter” who was committed to mak­ing Sanford a better place to live.

“You could always count on her,” he said. “If she told you she was going to do something, she would do it.”

Jim Pomeranz said his mother had a soft spot in her heart for historical buildings. He recalled an incident in which the Lee County Board of Commissioners wanted to tear down a build­ing at a local swimming pool, but the county manag­er at the time insisted that the board act fast. “It is rumored that (the manager) said, ‘We better tear it down before Annie Laurie finds out,’” he said. “And it was gone in a mat­ter of days.”

Such community activism became Pomeranz’s trademark throughout her adult life.

And though the success of the old high school may be a major part of her legacy in the city, she was also a founding member of the Lee County Chapter of the N.C. Symphony and devoted many long hours to the Girl Scouts, among many other philanthropic activities.

Martha Oldham of the symphony group said Pomeranz introduced her to the group in the 1990s, and that she “inherited a love of the symphony” from Pomeranz.

“She’ll always be Mrs. Symphony to me,” she said. “And she was a wonderful crusader for so many causes. We are going to miss her.” Pomeranz was also deeply committed to her college alma mater, Meredith College, her son said, coaxing many Sanford teenagers to attend the Raleigh women’s school.

Pomeranz spent a consid­erable amount of time work­ing with The Herald over the decades to get the word out about the activities of her many clubs and efforts.

Herald Publisher Bill Horner III said he will remember Pomeranz’s tenacity toward pursuing her endeavors most of all.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever met anyone who cared more deeply about more things than Annie Laurie did,” he said. “And even more than that, it really bothered her when people around her did­n’t care about their commu­nity as much as she did.”

Horner referred to Pomeranz as “part Southern belle and part bulldog.”

“She was very stately and gracious and cultured, but she didn’t pull any punches when she was working on a project or working to solve or resolve something in the community,” he said. “She was very direct and very honest, but it all came with a very good nature and big dose of compassion. It was a perfect combination.”

Horner said he consid­ered Pomeranz a“very good friend,” adding that she called him every month to talk about what was going on in Lee County.

“She would tell me about what was happening at the Arts Center or at Meredith College, or what she liked or didn’t like about The Herald,” he said. “I will really miss those visits with her.”
Her son summed up his mother’s philanthropic nature and love of Sanford best.

“Sanford lost a real icon of human love and love of community,” Jim Pomeranz said. “One that this town will never forget.”

Copyright (c)2007 The Sanford Herald 08/08/2007