Date of Birth:
Friday, February 26, 1926
Date of Death:
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Age:
94 years old

Anne Mary Robertson Winkelmann

 Anne Mary Robertson Winkelmann passed away peacefully on May 5, 2020 in Rochester, MN. She was 94.  Her last days were spent connecting with her loving family through Zoom calls and reminiscing about fond family memories of time spent in Rochester, MN; Fountain Hills, AZ and on the St. Croix river.

Anne was born on February 26, 1926 in Bend, Oregon. She was the daughter of Beatrice (Bebe) and Francis (Billy) L. Robertson and was raised in South St. Paul, MN. Anne attended the College of St. Catherine and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1947 with a BFA.

Anne has been a prolific artist, painter and musician for most of her life. She began her career teaching visual arts at Stephens College in Columbia, MO and she continued fostering her passion for the arts by teaching at the Rochester Art Center where she eventually served on its Board.

Anne married her beloved husband of 60 years, Richard K. Winkelmann, in 1952. For 40 beautiful years, Anne and Wink lived in Rochester, MN, where they raised four children and where Wink was the Department Chair of Dermatology at the Mayo Clinic. Anne loved her family and infused each day of her life with laughter, fun, creativity, color, art and music. Anne would always find time between her daily activities to sit at the piano and fill their home with music.

Tennis was important to Anne as it was a social sport and she took her social calendar seriously. Anne grew up across the street from a tennis court and met Wink while playing tennis at the Tennis Club of Rochester. To honor their first meeting and to instill their love of the sport into their children, Anne and Wink built a tennis court which became a center for daily family matches and social gatherings, such as the famous “Winkeldon Invitational Tournament.”

Anne and Wink cherished the relationships they built over the years and thoroughly enjoyed entertaining their friends. Anne used her gourmet cooking skills to curate “epic” parties with every detail personally designed, from the handmade invitations, to the delicately placed finger bowls. Every party crescendoed with the group gathering around Anne at the piano for a “sing along.” Everyone was encouraged to participate, whether by singing, clapping or picking up an available instrument and playing along. Anne even planned every detail of her recent 94^th birthday party.

Anne and Wink traveled the world together. Anne used this time fill her sketch books with drawings and material that would provide the inspiration for many of her larger art pieces when she returned home. Anne even gathered political posters from distressed billboards while visiting Barcelona which became the foundation for her collage series in the 1990’s.

In 1994, Anne and Wink began spending winters in Fountain Hills, Arizona, and summers on the St. Croix river in Minnesota, where Anne had private art studio-galleries, allowing her to fully immerse herself in her art. In 2007, Anne and Wink moved back to Rochester, which allowed Anne to continue to produce and show her artwork while enjoying spending more time with her family and friends.

Anne is survived by her four children, Richard and his wife Becky (Phoenix, AZ), John and his wife Jeannine (Cincinnati, OH), Lisa Speltz and her husband Jerome (Guilford, CT), and Susan and her husband Brad Carberry (Minneapolis, MN); and her four grandchildren, William, Richard, Paul and his wife Heather, and Katherine Speltz and her fiancé Martin Moore. Anne is also survived by her two brothers Duncan Robertson (Long Beach, CA) and Dennis Robertson and his wife Andrea (Fountain Hills, AZ).

Anne brought her passion for learning and her colorful creativity to every aspect of her life. Anne’s golden heart, contagious smile and quick wit will be missed dearly by all those whom she touched.  We know Anne has joined Wink and her parents, Bebe and Billy, and is currently curating an epic party to celebrate their reunion while they all sip on highballs in Heaven.

Due to current restrictions a memorial service will be held at a later date.

Memorials are suggested to: 

St. Croix Watershed Research Station, Science Museum of Minnesota, Artist in Residence Program. Donations to: 120 West Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55102; Tel: 651 221 2515

Or

The Washington County Historical Society: http://www.wchsmn.org/