Ava Whittemore

Ava Maria Whittemore, 66, of Frederick, MD passed away Tuesday, September 1, 2015 at her home, surrounded by loved ones, following a lengthy battle with cancer. She was born May 6, 1949 to the late John H. Smith, Jr. and the late Helen Butler Smith. She was the youngest child of six. She was preceded in death by her husband, Clabon A. Whittemore; sister, Shirley E. Snowden; brothers, Thomas W. Smith and Robert E. Smith; and brother-in-law, Russell A. Snowden.

Ava, also fondly known as Maria, Marie, and Lucy, graduated from Walkersville High School and went on to attend Lincoln University at Pennsylvania and Hood College. She began with the FCPS in 1971, where she taught and was assistant vice principal at many schools in Frederick County for about 30 years. After working directly in the schools, she found her way to the Board of Education office, where she held the positon of FCPS Coordinator for Education That Is Multicultural. September 1, 2015 she retired from that position.

Maria was a member of several organizations, including Eliminating Achievement Gaps (EAG), Lincoln Alumni Association (LAA), and Friends of Mullinix Park. She received many awards during her professional career, most recently, in 2014, The Jack Epstein Award. An essay she co-wrote was published, and her reviews of two popular education books appear on their covers. She was a member of Silver Hill and Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Churches. Ava loved working with children and dedicated her life to ensuring educational achievements were possible for ALL students.

Ava Maria is survived by her loyal companion of 12 years, Ronald J. Anderson; brothers, John H. Smith, III (Shirley) of Alexandria, VA and Gordon E. Smith of Morristown, NJ; sister-in-law, Barbar Smith and Aunt Clara Butler, both of Frederick. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, cousins; and very special friends, Debbie Bowie, Alice Hall, Sarah Harrison, and Eric Phillips; a host of other friends and her FCPS family.

The family will receive friends Wednesday, September 9, 2015 from 6-9 pm at the Stauffer Funeral Home, 1621 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick.

Services will be held 11 a.m. Thursday, September 10, 2015 at the funeral home. Pastor Richard Baker will be officiating. Interment will be at Resthaven Memorial Gardens, Frederick.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to EAG, in honor of Ava Maria, Maria, Marie, or Lucy. Checks should be made payable to Sam's Kids with "care of EAG" in the memo and sent to: 5115 Pegasus Court, Suite A, Frederick, MD 21704.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Stauffer Funeral Home, Frederick. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.staufferfuneralhome.com.