Anne Marshall, Wife and Mother, Served as a Social Worker, Loved to Travel

Anne Marie Marshall, 53, of Saline, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, November 11, 2020.  Anne was born on November 30, 1966. 

She is survived by her husband Steven J. Sheldon, son John Marshall Harrell and her mother Norma E. Marshall.  Anne was also survived by Nathan and Charlotte Elizabeth Sheldon of Rock Hill, South Carolina, Allan and Kimberly Sheldon of Ann Arbor and Daniel Sheldon and Annie Jensen of Jackson. Also survived by five grandsons, Toby, Morgan, Whitaker, Warner and Harrison.  She was preceded in death by her father Claude J. Marshall.

Anne married Steve at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor in 2012, just a few miles from her childhood home.  A second marriage later in life for both, they both were grateful each day for the love they shared and genuinely enjoyed each other’s partnership.  She enjoyed many years of the “Sheldon boys” as Steve had three sons, who then had five sons of their own.  As Anne was an only child, she enjoyed having the extended family.

Anne was born in Ann Arbor at the “Old Women’s Hospital” and grew up along the Huron River off Dixboro Road.  Although she loved to travel, she remained a resident in Washtenaw County her entire life.  She attended Eastern Michigan University (BS 1990) and the University of Michigan (MSW 1992).  She was employed as a social worker her entire life, first with Washtenaw County for 24 years, then with the Community Mental Health Partnership of Southeast Michigan.

Anne loved to travel to northern Michigan, especially to her family cottage in Oscoda, trips to her “happy place- Mackinac Island” and the Upper Peninsula.  She was at peace in the woods or along the water.  She enjoyed numerous trips with her husband and son as well as simple, quiet nights on their front porch in Saline.  She loved animals and had rescued several dogs, mostly German Shepherds. 

Diagnosed in with breast cancer in 2008, she found strength in walking in two Susan G. Komen 3-day, 60-mile walks in 2010 and 2011 with her “Kindreds Spirits”.  She was inspired by the survivors she met and served on the University of Michigan Cancer Center Patient and Family Advisory Committee for several years.  She was diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer in 2017 when she learned it had returned in her lymph nodes and spread to her bones and later to her liver.

Anne LOVED Spartan football.  LOVED the Spartans.  She began cheering for the green and white at an early age, going with her father to Spartan football and basketball games.  They attended the 1988 Rose Bowl together.  Anne continued to attend the games throughout her life. She also inherited her father’s love of cars and wanted to restore his 1962 Lincoln Continental convertible.  Anne loved to drive and was known for her great sense of direction.  She was sarcastic, funny and loving.  She cried easily and loved with her whole heart.  Her husband Steve and her son were the core of her life and heart.

Following her cancer diagnosis she often said that having cancer changed her, that she refused to settle for less, asking for that table by the window, the better wine, the nicer hotel room.  Life became more precious and the illusion that she might live into her nineties like her parents had been shattered.  So she decided to live.  And love.

Whether they were in an expensive restaurant or on a cliff in the middle of nowhere she would say, “Don’t I take you to all the best places?”  She would say this even when she ended up in a real dive--but she always laughed.

So, when you hear the wind in the leaves in a crisp fall day, see a German Shepherd, hear the Spartan fight song or see a great old classic car, may you think of her and smile.  Travel wherever and whenever you can.  Even if it’s only a few hours away for the day.  And ask for the table by the window and order the more expensive glass of wine.  Life is too short not to.

A memorial visitation for Anne will take place on Thursday, November 19, 2020 from 10:00 A.M. until 1:00 P.M. at the Robison-Bahnmiller Funeral Home in Saline, MI. Services will be held privately for the family due to capacity restrictions but will be available to watch online at [Click here to view live stream video]https://www.facebook.com/robisonbahnmiller.funeralhome/. Interment will take place at Oakwood Cemetery. Rev. Melissa Anne Rogers will be officiating.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to METAvivor (an organization supporting people with metastatic breast cancer), your local Humane Society or a cancer organization in her name. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home. To sign Anne’s guestbook, to leave a memory, for more information or directions please visit www.rbfhsaline.com.

And one last time, GO GREEN!

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