Obituaries

Recent Obituaries
In Memoriam Archive

Ann Almquist Niles ’63

A picture of Ann Almquist Niles

Ann Almquist Niles ’63, April 7, 2011, in Seattle, Washington, from leukemia. Ann was born in Burbank, California, and moved with her family to Grants Pass, Oregon, when she was five. She majored in economics at Reed and wrote her thesis on immigration and the economic development of Israel. At Reed, she met Philip H. Niles ’63. They were married the day after graduation and moved to Canada to attend graduate school at the University of Toronto. They also lived in London before relocating to Northfield, Minnesota, where Phil joined the history faculty at Carlton College. After completing an MA in library science at the University of Minnesota in 1969, Ann joined Carleton's library and took charge of acquisitions and collection development. They had three children: Ian Niles ’88; Colin, who died in childhood; and Nell Niles Edgington ’95. Ann and Phil retired in 1998 and returned to Oregon, where they divided their time between Neahkahnie on the Oregon coast and Portland's Pearl District. Ann developed a second career in urban development and transportation and did volunteer work with the city of Portland and the Pearl District Neighborhood Association on a variety of projects such as the streetcar, the light rail, bike lanes, and wide sidewalks. The Northwest Examiner presented Ann's family with a posthumous lifetime service award for her work. Survivors include Phil, their children and three grandchildren, and her sister, Sue Almquist Dodd ’66.

Appeared in Reed magazine: September 2011

comments powered by Disqus