Ann (Wadhams) Cobrain

Ann Wadhams Cobrain, formerly of West Hartford, passed away peacefully on July 25, 2023. Born July 17, 1926 in Waterbury, she was one of four children of the late John M. Wadhams, III and Sela Frost Wadhams. She was a 1943 graduate of Torrington High School and an alumna of Mount Holyoke College, where she excelled as a Math major. Ann graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1947 and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. She remained connected to her alma mater as class agent and Treasurer for 30 years.

Ann met the love her life, Joseph “Hugh” Cobrain, in 1942 and they married in 1947. They lived in Hamden and she worked as a bank teller while Hugh completed his degree at Yale. They then moved to West Hartford and Ann happily devoted herself to raising their children. The most important thing in her life was always her family. Later, she worked as a tax preparer, spending 15 years doing tax returns for trust accounts at a large bank in Hartford. Upon retirement, she put her skills to good use as a volunteer tax preparer for AARP, providing much needed assistance to elderly citizens for 14 years.

Ann was involved in her community for many years as a member of the First Church of Christ, Congregational, where she volunteered on several committees and as a Sunday School Teacher. She also served as a Brownie Troop Leader and pursued a variety of other volunteer opportunities in town. She was a member of the Mount Holyoke College Club in Hartford and served on the Board of the Slope ‘N Shore Club in New London, NH, where she and Hugh had a much-loved summer home for 23 years. Her many interests, included tennis, paddle tennis, cross country skiing, hiking, sewing and bridge. Ann enjoyed spending time with friends, but above all, she was devoted to her family. She was a rock: wise, supportive, reliable, encouraging, considerate, respectful, unfailingly polite, and nice to everyone she met. She left behind many wonderful memories and will be deeply missed.

Ann is survived by her children Sarah Cobrain (Plainville), Candace Doersch and husband Bob (Avon), and David Cobrain and wife Val (Santa Fe, NM); grandchildren Karen Doersch, MD/PhD (Rochester, NY) and Carl Doersch, PhD (London, UK); sister-in-law Nancy Wadhams (Goshen) and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her beloved husband Hugh; siblings Barbara Youngbluth, Sela Barker, and John M. Wadhams, IV; and daughter-in-law Patricia Cancelli.

Celebration of Ann’s life will be private. Those who wish may send a contribution in her memory to McLean Home Care and Hospice, 75 Great Pond Road, Simsbury, CT 06070 or First Church of Christ, 12 South Main Street, West Hartford, CT 06107.

The staff at Plainville Funeral Home extends their gratitude to Ann’s family for their trust.  For online expressions of sympathy, please visit www.PlainvilleFuneralHome.com

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