Ann Michele Wendel

Ann was born on August 1, 1941 in Brooklyn New York. She was born third of four girls. A brother preceded her in death. Ann was a proud second generation American of Russian and Italian descent. Her first name was given in honor of her Russian grandmother, Anne. Her middle name in honor of her Sicilian Grandfather Michele (pronounced mɪˈʃɛl).
After her younger sister was born, the family moved four times; first to Alameda, California; then to Bozeman, Montana; Stillwater, Oklahoma; and finally, back to California. In 1947, the family settled into a home in North Hollywood where Ann became a ‘valley girl’. Ann graduated from Van Nuys High School in 1959 and went onto nursing school. After two years she left an nurses aide and went work at a local hospital. She knew that one day she would finish her dream.
In 1963, Ann married and gave birth to her first daughter, Andria. The family grew and was followed by her siblings Kathryn, Douglas (who died at birth), and then her second son, James. Two years after Kathryn was born, the family moved from Gardena to settle permanently and grow their roots in Harbor City. Ann still had that lingering desire to become a nurse.

Ann began to fulfill her future as a nurse while she continued to work full-time. In 1980, she graduated from Los Angeles Harbor College with an AA degree in Humanities and her certification as an LVN. It was also during that year she was honored the ‘Nurse of the Year’ award by her fellow students and instructors. This motivated her, and in 1984, Ann graduated from El Camino College receiving an AA degree in Science and her RN certification. In 1989 she became a single mother but was driven even more to further her education. She went onto graduate from Cal State Dominguez Hills with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing along with a degree as a Public Health Nurse. But Ann was not finished with her schooling, for in 1997 she went to UCLA and became a Lactation Educator.

Although she worked in a wide array of nursing, her specialty was in Maternal/Child Health. She completely loved it and without a doubt was one of the best in her field. She spread her knowledge in every hospital in the South Bay area, but her favorite was Bay Harbor Hospital.

As her children grew, so did her family. Her children became parents of their own giving her six grandchildren- Cody, Dawnee, Garrett, Wyatt, Nikolas, and Kendall. Having a nursing background gave her the opportunity to be a part of 5 out of 6 of her grandchildren’s births, one having arrived too fast.

Ann retired from hospital nursing in 2011 and found a new passion. That same year she turned her experience to teaching and began working as a Clinical Instructor at Stanbridge University in Irvine, in what else, Maternal/Child Health. The teaching and the students brought Ann so much happiness, she lived for it and she loved everything about it. It was her hopes that she inspired some of her students to work in her favorite specialty that she herself loved so much.

Ann has always said that her four biggest loves in her life were her children, grandchildren, nursing, and her friends. Many happy times were spent with family and friends, and memories began to fill her bucket list.

Ann made many friends. She had a very lovable and honest personality. She belonged to several organizations: alumni groups, St. Margaret Mary Church and Women’s Society, St. Anthony Guild, Red Hats Society, Meucci Museum, and Order Sons of Italy in America.

Ann will be remembered by each of you and for your memories of what you created together. She was many things to many people for she always said that God made her special when he made her a Russian/Sicilian from Brooklyn, New York.

Services will be put on hold due to the Covid-19 situation, but it would mean a great deal to Ann and her immediate family to have all of you join us at a future date to conduct a Celebration of Life service.