Anita Tanner Daubenspeck

Anita Tanner Daubenspeck died Sunday, June 6, 2021, in Danbury, Connecticut.

She was born September 25, 1938, in Van Wert, the daughter of Warren Leslie Tanner, DVM, and Myrdith (Hartzell) Tanner, who both preceded her in death.

Anita attended public schools in Ohio and was awarded a full academic scholarship to Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, where she received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award and was a member of the women’s honorary fraternity Libra (later ODK) and Kappa Alpha Theta fraternity. She studied with the Washington Semester program at American University in spring1959 and graduated Rollins in 1960. 

She married David F. Daubenspeck in June 1960 and resided in Pennsylvania and New Jersey before moving to Ridgefield in 1973.

Anita earned master’s degree in Library Science from Villanova University in 1966. She was director of the Ridgefield Library from 1975 to 2000, where she managed four expansions of the facility from 8,000 to 26,000 square feet, and introduced automation technology to library operations. She was a member of the American Library Association, an officer and board member of the Connecticut Library Association, a board and founding member of the regional library automation consortium, and served on several statewide automation committees. She was named Connecticut Librarian of the Year in 1996 by the Connecticut Library Association.

The sculpture “Storytime” by Glenna Goodacre was donated anonymously to the library in her honor to celebrate Anita’s retirement in 2000. Anita was a member of Ridgefield Rotary (president 19900, and served on the boards of Ridgefield VNA and Ridgefield Chamber of Commerce.

Her husband, David, to whom she was married 60 years, recently died May 26 of this year. She is survived by Leslie Daubenspeck Henderson (Alastair) of Glenview, Illinois; Rick Daubenspeck and companion Judy Johnson of Scottsdale Arizona, and by Timothy Daubenspeck (Kacey) of Ridgefield; by seven grandchildren, Derek (Nicole) Henderson of Ridgefield, Douglas (Emma) Henderson of Manchester, United Kingdom, David T. Daubenspeck of Scottsdale, Arizona, Margaret Daubenspeck of Boston, Massachusetts, and by Tanner, Edward, and Lily Daubenspeck of Ridgefield; and a great-granddaughter, Winter Rose Henderson. Included in her family is AFS daughter, Junko Kobayashi (Lee) Saltzgaber of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. Also survived by Philip Tanner of Sylvania and Jean Tanner of Dagsboro, Delaware. 

She was also predeceased by a brother, Michael Tanner.

Funeral services are incomplete and will be announced. Kane Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Preferred memorials: Ridgefield Library or Ridgefield VNA.