Anne Rapp

Anne Rapp, 86 of Cherry Hill, NJ passed away on January 25, 2022. While Anne lived there for more than six years and will be buried in New Jersey, in her heart, she was always devoted to New York, which she called home for more than 50 years.

Born in Philadelphia, Anne moved to New York with her family as a young girl and was raised on the Upper West Side. Anne often compared her life to that of the Herman Wouk heroine, Marjorie Morningstar.

One of two children, including her older brother, the late Leonard Spooner, born to Joseph and Pearl Kaplan, Anne was later adopted by her stepfather, Bernard Spooner, who adored her. Bernard and Pearl would also welcome a daughter, Lisbeth. She would later learn that Joseph Kaplan had a daughter, Sheila, In his second marriage. Sheila and Anne met for the first time in 1993 and shared a deep and special bond until Anne’s passing.

Educated at Julia Richmond High School, Anne later attended the City College of New York, where she mastered French, a language she spoke throughout her life, and graduated cum laude. She used her language skills as a translator at the French Line (Compagnie Générale Transatlantique), which had regular sailings between New York, Plymouth (England), and Le Havre.

In college, she met Arthur Ascher, who was one year ahead of her at CCNY. They married in 1958 and had three children, Bruce, Debra and Melinda. They divorced in 1971. Anne married Morty Rapp in 1972 and welcomed his sons, the late Lawrence and Alan Rapp into her family.

Anne and Morty enjoyed 34 years of marriage and traveled extensively together. Morty’s work in the garment center of Manhattan gave Anne the opportunity to accompany him on trips to Europe to seek out fashion styles and trends to recreate in the U.S. This only helped to enhance Anne’s already keen taste for fashion. She loved clothing and jewelry and relished frequent shopping trips at Saks Fifth Avenue where the personal shopper greeted her by name.

An avid reader, Anne was a whiz with the New York Times crossword puzzle, which she proudly completed with a felt tipped marker. She had a terrible sweet tooth and was especially fond of the TastyKake Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes of her youth.

Together Anne and Morty welcomed 11 grandchildren from their blended family. Anne answered to many names – Gagi, Grammy and Grandma. She adored being a grandmother; she also leaves behind three great grandchildren she never had the opportunity to meet.

Following Morty’s death in 2006, Anne became an active member of Hadassah, which honored her as their woman of valor.

Diagnosed with ovarian cancer in spring 2014, Anne was treated at Jefferson Hospital and coalesced at the home of her daughter Debra and her family in Marlton, NJ. Anne eventually moved permanently to Spring Hills, an assisted living facility in Cherry Hill. At Spring Hills, Anne was very social and enjoyed many of the organized activities in the community. Sadly, the aftereffects of cancer treatment and a reoccurrence of cancer impacted her ability to life independently and enjoy many of the activities she had loved, such as theater trips, museum visits and dining out.

Anne will be missed very much by her family and friends. Contributions in her memory can be made to Hadassah or the charity of your choice.