Anne Paxton Haynes Fialkowski

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Anne Paxton Haynes Fialkowski on April 11, 2025. Anne passed away peacefully in Warrington, PA, surrounded by her family, after a three-year battle with dementia.

Anne was born on December 31, 1931, in Fayetteville, West Virginia, to W.H. Haynes, Esq., and Helen Paxton Haynes. She spent her childhood in the small coal mining and timber town of Fayetteville and cherished her time on her aunt and uncle’s farms in the Virginia valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Anne was known for her kind and social nature, her picky eating habits, and her rebellious spirit, often sneaking away to spend time with friends.

Anne graduated from Fayetteville High School and encouraged by her father’s belief in the power of knowledge, pursued a teaching degree at West Virginia University of Technology, graduating cum laude. She began her teaching career at Manasquan High School in New Jersey and continued her education at Marshall University during the summers. After earning her master’s degree, Anne taught girls' physical education at Georgian Court College in Lakewood, NJ. An avid swimmer, she spent many summers lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons, becoming the one of the first female lifeguards at the Jersey Shore, as featured in the Newark Star Ledger.

In the summer of 1957, Anne met Fred V. Fialkowski while working at the Old Castle Wood Hotel in Manasquan. They married a year later and started their family. Anne took several years off from teaching to raise their four sons. After Fred’s job with American Airlines transferred the family to Tulsa, OK, they settled in Bixby, OK until Fred’s retirement in 1990. Anne returned to teaching at Bethany Community School in Tulsa, OK, and later at Noah’s Ark Day School in Waretown, NJ, before retiring to travel (and cruise) the world.

Anne loved spending time at the beach or pool, visiting family, solving jigsaw and crossword puzzles, playing bridge (achieving the rank of Life Master), and quilting. Her cherished quilts, lovingly referred to as “granny blankets,” were treasured gifts to family and friends. She was deeply involved with her church, playing the organ at St. Clement Catholic Parish in Bixby, OK, and serving as a lector at St. Pius X Church in Forked River, NJ.

Anne was predeceased by her husband of 42 years, Fred Fialkowski, Sr., in 2001, her second son Robert (Sherri), her brother Robert (Nancy), She is survived by her sons Fred, Jr. (Jane), Charles (Lee Anne), and Walter, her grandchildren Taylor, Hailey (Tyler), Parker, Madison (Dan), Keeley, Tyler, and Jenny (Eric) and great grandchildren Mason and Eleanor.

Services will be held at the end of this summer, at St. Pius X following cremation, with interment at Good Luck Cemetery, Lanoka Harbor, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to a charity of your choice.