Anne MacRae Bouton

Anne MacRae Bouton, 95, died on May 15 2020, in St. Augustine Florida. Anne was born on March 31 1925 in Glen Ridge New Jersey. She grew up in Harford County Maryland, living with her father Duncan MacRae, her mother Rebecca Kyle MacRae, and her older brother Duncan MacRae, Jr. While living on post at Edgewood Arsenal, Anne enjoyed riding horses and made life long friendships. She graduated from Bel Air High School in 1941 at the age of 16 having skipped a grade. Her older brother Duncan mentioned in his autobiography that “Anne received an IQ score of 150 at Bel Air High, on which [he] had received only a 148….[He] felt that she should be able to get as good a job as a man.” Anne attended Mary Washington College in Virginia for one year and graduated from Northwestern University in Chicago with a BA in English. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and kept in touch with some of her sisters for years. Her first job was at New York based Penguin Books as a childrens’ magazine editor. This position reinforced her strong interest in reading and her love of children her whole life. During this time Anne boarded at the Trinity House in Brooklyn. She shared many stories of life there and kept in touch with friends there throughout their lives. Anne MacRae met her future husband Edwin Harry Bouton at Trinity House, and they were married in 1947. Anne and Harry moved to the country near Bel Air Maryland when he obtained a job at Edgewood Arsenal. They raised seven children in a large old house on 85 acres. Anne provided for everyone’s needs in the busy household which included a large garden, several cats and large dogs, and some chickens. Her love of music was always on display with her breaking into song while working around the house and she encouraged/required each of the seven children to learn to play a different instrument by practicing every day — sometimes at the same time. Anne was active at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Bel Air, MD which she attended with her children. She was very sociable, and always in contact with friends and relatives, frequently playing bridge with her friends and entertaining. Beaches had always appealed to her. For several years before retirement, she spent months each summer with her family in Bethany Beach, Delaware. This provided her children with wonderful memories and experiences. She also held several jobs while residing in Bel Air, MD. Her last position was as a Paralegal in the State’s Attorney’s Office. After retirement, in 1982, Anne and Harry moved to St. Augustine Florida. Anne and Harry settled in a house on the beach next to their daughter Rebecca and her family. They loved their retirement, and spent their time biking, boating, entertaining, and travelling the world. They also travelled around this country since their children and grandchildren were scattered. The grandchildren, especially, enjoyed these visits with Anne, since it meant games of Parcheesi, Monopoly, Scrabble, treats, reading aloud books, and endless attention. Anne was blessed with endless patience for grandchildren and an abundance of a truly fun spirit which they appreciated. The children and their spouses, also all enjoyed her visits because of her witty conversations and straight-shooting remarks and funny quips. It was great to be in her company. After Harry’s death, Anne spent a few years in Southern Maryland, residing near her daughter Rachel, but in 2013 returned to the beach at St. Augustine where she lived with both her daughters and their families for the past several years. Her family will sorely miss Anne and their wish is that wherever she is now, she is at peace, sitting in her chair on the beach, completing a crossword puzzle, looking out to the waves and saying as she did many times, “Isn’t this a wonderful place?” Anne is survived by seven children: Edwin Jr. (Susan) of Punta Gorda FL; Rebecca Price (David) of St. Augustine FL; Rachel Hiller (Patrick) of St. Augustine FL; James (Joanne) of Red Lion PA; Art (Jacinda) of Lone Tree, CO; Thomas of Ocean Pines MD; and George (Chris) of Yulee FL; Anne’s former daughters in law include Helen Bouton in Salisbury, MD; Susie Smith, in Colorado Springs, CO, and Gail Bouton in Burke, VA. She is also survived by 14 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. Several nieces and nephews also remain, including Amy MacRae Brown (Gary) in Missouri, and the George Bouton contingent from Ohio— Jill, Richard, Susan, David, and Jim and Anne’s beloved sister-in-law Elizabeth Bouton, age 94. Funeral plans are pending but will most likely include a service at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Abingdon, Maryland at a much later date. Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to Community Hospice of Northeast Florida. Anne’s family is extremely grateful for their years-long support.

Anne MacRae Bouton

March 31, 1925 - May 15, 2020