Anne Terry (July 29, 1918 to March 25, 2016)

Anne Terry, Cass Donovan, and Susan Elden

Anne Terry, Helga, and Susan Elden (daughter)

Anne Terry

Jason Grunwald (great-nephew) and Anne Terry

Memories

Matthew Kidd

I first met Anne at the Soledad Thursday night game around 2005 or 2006 when she had a regular partnership with Linda Thomas in an effort “to improve her [Linda’s] game,” as Anne put it. This partnership came to an end when Linda found love on the dance floor and dropped out of bridge. But Anne continued to play at the Soledad Club, often as a last minute fill-in because she only lived a few minutes away.

I guess Anne saw something in me because she asked me to play in the Saturday barometer game at Adventures in Bridge, which was her favorite game. Anne knew all the players so it was through her that I got to know many of the strong local players. Anne was opinionated and not afraid to speak her mind. She had great respect for the skills of Marvin French, Evan Bailey, John Strauch, Roger Doughman, and John Coufal, and sometimes less kind things to say about other players.

On Marvin French: “The best of the best but he had a bicycle accident and was never the same.” (Marvin was hit by car while out riding.)

On Bette Cornelius: “She is a good player and a lucky one too,” the last bit said with a hint of jealousy.

On Elaine Chan: “That woman always manages to fix me.” This should be heard as grudging respect.

On the minor arguments of the Huffakers: “She [Mary] is always right.”

Our first few results together were poor. I knew she was a strong player so I shaded some opening bids with the result that we ended up in a lot of hopeless 22 and 23 HCP games. But once I realized that she had already compensated for her skill level in her own bidding, I returned to my normal style of bidding and things went well. I learned about what I call “negative [HCP]” hands from Anne. She was an aggressive bidder which meant that when she kept quiet she would have a truly worthless hand, not merely limited in high card values but one utterly useless on offense that would however simultaneously cross up any of the opponent’s contracts—a truly defensive hand in a deal where the Law of Total Tricks was inevitably off by one or two tricks in the pessimistic direction.

Anne’s favorite double was the penalty double. Unlike most 2/1 players, she preferred to play 2/1 as on after an overcall. She was hoping to pass a reopening double or vice-versa. I too felt that a lot of good results were available from penalty doubles so her style suited me. Even decent partnerships miss many of these opportunities because modern penalty doubles are very much a partnership effort where one player doubles to show strength without clear direction and partner decides it is the right moment to leave it in, a carefully choreographed partnership dance that has replaced the rare but clear as bell unilateral penalty doubles of yore.

Sometimes the proclivity to defend could go too far. We once had a fantastic defense that set a vulnerable contract six tricks. But neither of us had been in a position to double. Our +600 compared poorly at matchpoints with the easy +620 our way.

Anne didn’t want to be second. Once we had a good position coming into the last round of the La Jolla unit game. Anne went for 3NT despite our major suit fit. After the round she said she was swinging and it worked—she took as many tricks as she would have taken in the game and we moved into first place. The normal contract would have kept us in second place.

Expect to find Anne in the East seat at the great club above. She liked to sit East-West, preferring to move each round and was superstitious about sitting East. If she accidentally ended up in the West seat she would invariably feel a bit off.

When I played bridge in Salt Lake City it was my habit to give players nicknames that were only shared among teammates. There were obvious choices for the Hideous Hog, the Rueful Rabbit, and Secretary Bird, not to mention Spock, the Task Master and few others who never made an appearance in Victor Mollo’s world. San Diego hasn’t proven as creative. But I did have a nickname for Anne: the Black Widow.

The nickname worked on many levels. She had been a widow for many years before I met her. And she often dressed in black, usually wearing elegant gold jewelry. Few people enjoyed a good penalty double as much as Anne. And of course she had her opinions. I had to keep on my toes playing with her but she knew a good play when it occurred. I felt quite proud to pull off a double squeeze as she watched from dummy.

Anne also played online on OKbridge every night she wasn’t playing at a club. Her daughter Susan says she called it, “her medicine.” She also enjoyed watching the experts play online and how well the experts bid slams but expected as much from them since, “it was their business.”

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Biography

Anneliese Terry, 97, of La Jolla, died peacefully of natural causes on March 25, 2016 in La Jolla, California.

Anneliese was born on July 29, 1918, in Bielefeld, Germany, where she lived until she escaped Germany in 1938. Her father was a butcher and her mother was a homemaker. He had two older brothers, Ernest and Fritz. Ernest is 102 and resides in New Jersey. Fritz died in 1980 at the age of 68.

Anneliese arrived in New York City on Dec. 22, 1938 despite a treacherous journey escaping Hitler. She managed to diligently work her way into the garment district where she learned to become a fabulous seamstress. She met her husband, Herbert, a doctor, on the tennis courts in New York City. Within four months, they were married in 1940. Being the adventurous type, they managed to work their way West. They first made a stop in Oklahoma but eventually made a loving home in Hobbs, New Mexico.

Anneliese and Herbert were married for 52 years as Herbert died in April, 1992. They bore three children, Linda, Stephen, and Susan. Herbert, was a doctor who developed a prestigious practice as the local doctor who made house calls at any time of day or night. They lived on 40 acres in the country where they developed the land by leasing the acreage in order to farm cotton and corn. Anneliese studied art in Berlin, Germany until she had to escape in 1938. She continued her studies in art by officially graduating from San Diego State University in 1974 with a degree of Bachelor of Arts in Art. She further developed her artistic talents by exhibiting her art within the La Jolla Watercolor Society as well as the San Diego Watercolor Society. She had several one woman art shows in La Jolla. She competed monthly in shows and continually came home with awards. She painted all media of art including watercolor, chalk, pastel, and oil. Her passion flourished in life drawings and nudes in her later years using watercolor, pen and ink, and chalk. She continued to develop her skills well into her 90’s by taking community college courses which were available to local artists.

Anneliese was a homemaker who delighted in raising her three children. She sewed clothes, made an oasis out of the desert with her gardening talents, played bridge and tennis and continued to develop her name as a watercolorist. She became a Diamond Life Master in duplicate bridge by earning 5,000+ points. She competed nationally as well as locally in tournaments in order to earn this prestigious award. She learned to play bridge on the computer with people all over the world. This, she would say, was her ‘medicine’! As a young child in Germany, she also played tennis competitively. She continued her love of the sport by playing competitive tennis until the age of 90 where she won awards in many tournaments in the Doubles Hard Court arena in La Jolla.

She is survived by her brother, Ernest, 102; her children, Susan, Stephen and Linda, and a son-in-law, Jim; four loving grandchildren, Ari and Reisa Elden, Josh Paxton, and Raffi Maddalo; one niece; two nephews; seven great-nieces; six great-nephews; five great-grandnieces; and two great-grandnephews. She was predeceased by a grandson, T.J., a niece, Ricki Lanyi, and a nephew, Jeffrey Grunwald. Her legacy will be passed down with love and admiration by her family and friends for her creativity, perseverance, determination, competitiveness, and strong will.

The family suggests donations be made in memory of Anneliese Terry to the San Diego Watercolor Society or Elizabeth Hospice. Please sign the guest book online at legacy.com/obituaries/lajollalight.

More pictures of Anne

Anne Terry as a little girl in Bielefeld, Germany with a baby carriage Anne as a young child in Bielefeld, Germany Anne Terry in her grade school class photo Anne in grade school in Germany Anne Terry sledding Anne sledding with friends in Germany Anne Terry Anne with a classmate Anne Terry as a young woman In Germany with classmates Anne Terry in a school play in Germany as a teenager Anne in a school play in Germany as a teenager Anne Terry in a wedding dress Wedding photo in New York City, December 22, 1940 Anne Terry holding her first child Linda in 1944 Anne holding her first child, Linda, 1944 in New York City Anne Terry three children: Susie, Linda, and Stepen Anne’s three children: Susie, Linda, and Stephen, 1959 or 1960 Anne Terry with her husband Herbert on a cruise Anne and Herbie on a cruise Anne Terry in a swimsuit dockside on a cruise Anne and Herbie on another cruise Anne Terry wearing a pearl necklace on vacation in Las Vegas with her husband Herbert Anne and Herbie on a vacation in Las Vegas Anne Terry seated on a couch in 1968 Anne in 1968 — 50 years old Anne Terry carrying her grandson Ari Anne with grandson, Ari, in 1986 Anne Terry holding her grandson Ari and the doll she made for him Anne with grandson, Ari, and the doll she made him (1989) Anne Terry Anne enjoying her grandson’s soccer tournament in 1994 at age 76 Anne Terry with her granddaughters Granddaughter, Reisa’s, 9th birthday (1995) Anne Terry being kissed by her grandson Ari at his Bar Mitzvah Grandson, Ari’s, Bar Mitzvah March 22, 1997 Anne Terry with her daughter Susan, and granddaughter Reisa Three generations: Anne at age 87, daughter/Susie, granddaughter/Reisa (2005) Anne Terry at age 89 with son, Stephen Anne at age 89 with son, Stephen (2007) Anne Terry with her painting of daughter, Susie Anne with her painting of daughter, Susie (early years) Anne Terry posing next to her painting at an art show Anne with her painting from an art show Anne Terry posing next to her painting from her one woman show in La Jolla Anne with her painting from her One Woman Show in La Jolla (2002) Anne Terry posing next to her painting of nudes Anne with her painting of nudes (2002) Anne Terry with Betty Cornelius and other friends on a bridge cruise Anne and Bette Cornelius on a bridge cruise Anne Terry laughing during her surprise 75th birthday party at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club Anne at her surprise 75th birthday party at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club Anne Terry in a grey green blouse and pant suit on her 80th birthday Anne on her 80th birthday. Anne Terry Anne and her brother, Ernest, at her 90th birthday party Anne Terry and her grand-niece Anne at her 90th birthday party with her great-niece, Jessica Braun