Anne Marie Santospago, 82, of Waynesville, North Carolina, passed away peacefully at her home on Monday, September 13, 2026.

Anne was born on August 24, 1944, in Massachusetts to her beloved parents, Eugene and Jeanne Slotta. She grew up in Massachusetts and graduated from East Greenwich Rhode Island. It was through her best friend that Anne met the love of her life, Alfred “Fred” Santospago, and the two shared 52 years of marriage.

Anne was the proud mother of David, Andy, Roseanne, and Stephen Santospago, and the beloved “Nana” of Victoria, Lyndsi, Gracie Matta, Henry, and Nicholas Santospago. Fred was already the father of Scott, Anne, Chris, and Cari when he and Anne met, and together they wove the many branches of their family into one with grace and care.

Anne and Fred’s marriage was filled with a deep and tender love. The joyful community at Camp Dennen provided some of the family’s happiest memories, becoming a special place where they could gather, laugh, and enjoy life together.

Anne spent her professional career working with special needs children in the Franklin, Massachusetts school system. She found the work deeply rewarding and loved and cared for those children as if they were her own. Anne possessed a quiet and genuine spirit and never needed recognition for the many ways she made life more beautiful for the people around her. She was extraordinarily creative and could seemingly make something out of nothing — with a little imagination and her talented hands, even ordinary coffee filters became beautiful roses. Those details were never merely decorations; they were Anne’s way of creating memories and making the people she loved feel at home.

Above all, Anne was loving and caring, a beautiful mother whose family held an immeasurable place in her heart. Her love was expressed in the countless little things she did for the people around her — the creativity she shared, the memories she created, and the warmth she brought into her home. Anne was heartbroken by Fred’s passing in 2021, but the love they shared remained an enduring and cherished part of her life.

Anne is survived by her sisters, Elizabeth Halpert and Margaret House, and was preceded in death by her siblings, Chris Slotta and David Slotta. A few of the many cherished family members and friends include Chris Santospago, Frank and Jill Saia, Karen Santospago, Lynne Slotta, Doug House, Mike and Joyce Matta, Fred and Mary Belanger, Bob and Ruth Roth, Donna Strange, Dorothy Whitney, Bonnie Sheets, Peggy Walsh, the late Harris Halpert, and the whole Camp Dennen family.

Services are being planned for a later date.

The care of Mrs. Santospago has been entrusted to Wells Funeral Home of Waynesville.