Of 50-year marriage, 43 spent in school
By NADIA MARIA SMITH
CS&T Staff Writer
ELKINS PARK — After 43 years of service to St. James School in Elkins Park, Anne Speitel McCann, 75, is retiring in time to celebrate her 50th wedding anniversary with her husband, Marty.
“It’s time to spend time with my husband while we both have our good health,” she said.
McCann began volunteering at the school in 1965, when her eldest daughter Eileen began first grade.
At that time, she also had twin boys, Marty and Michael, and her 2-year-old son with special needs, Thomas More, had just died.
“My mother called me up and said, ‘Anne you have to get out of the house.’ In her wisdom she said, ‘Why don’t you call Mother Superior at the school and see if she needs your help?’”
McCann did that and began working as a volunteer secretary twice a week while her mother babysat the twin boys.
Before she knew it, she started the school’s newsletter, headed the Mother’s Guild as president and volunteered in various other ways. She also went on to have three more children and she continued to stay involved as a volunteer until her youngest child, Jean, graduated in 1989.
It was that year that the school, by then under lay leadership, created a school secretary position and offered the job to McCann.
She has been in that position for the past 19 years, assisting the principal and the teachers, and being a mother to the parents and a grandmother to the children, she said.
“I like to say I worked for 10 mother superiors and 2 superior mothers,” she added. “When you are working with people you really like it’s hard to give it up. We’ve been blessed with good principals [and] wonderful parents and children.”
During the past four decades, her husband has been her silent partner, willing to help whenever he can at the school. They both also became involved at Bishop McDevitt High School in Wyncote when their children attended. And they were involved in their parish as the first members of the parish council as well as in other capacities. They plan to continue to be involved during their retirement, trusting that their pastor, Father Raymond Himsworth, will call upon them when he needs them.
Anne graduated from St. Helena School and Little Flower High School; Marty graduated from Holy Cross School, La Salle High School and La Salle College. They have 12 grandchildren; the 13th will be born at Christmas time.
“It’s been a very busy life,” she said. “When our oldest was in college, we still had one in nursery school.”
Now McCann is looking forward to renewing her marriage vows to her husband on Oct. 25, the same day they were married 50 years ago. Her brother, the priest who married them, will celebrate the Mass, and the party will be held at the same reception site where they celebrated their wedding day in 1958.
The secret to a successful marriage is faith, she said.
“Everything in our life seems to be centered on the Eucharist. Where would you be if you didn’t believe in God? We are blessed.”
CS&T staff writer Nadia Maria Smith may be reached at npozo@adphila.org or (215) 965-4614.