Annabel Stillman

Middletown, - Annabel Anne Routh Stillman, 81, of 600 Valley Road Middletown, died Friday, January 17, 2003 at John Clarke Nursing Center Middletown, RI.She was the widow of Dr. James Sydney Stillman and earlier, Cdr. Sherwoode Ayerst Taffinder, Jr., USN. Born in Buffalo, MO on October 25, 1921, she was the daughter of Walter Henry Routh and Lena Thurman Routh. Mrs. Stillman was educated in Carthage, MO, where she also acted in the theater. She moved to Bremerton, WA, where she sang at the ?City Club: and met and married Sherwoode A. Taffinder, on December 17, 1944. He was the son of Margaret Knowlton Brownell and Vice Adm. Sherwoode A. Taffinder, Commandant of the 13th Naval District and Puget Sound Navy Yard. She traveled extensively during her life and lived in different parts of the US, including San Francisco, New York and Chicago, where she pursued a career in singing, songwriting, acting and modeling. At one point, she worked with TV host Art Linkletter. She lived in London, England, from 1954-1956, and volunteered with the ?Meals on Wheels? program. From 1963-1965 she lived in Tokyo, Japan, where she taught voice, etiquette, and modeling at the Patricia Charm School and was a commentator for fashion shows held at the Imperial Hotel. She moved to Newport in the fall of 1965 and later worked at Carey, Richmond and Viking Real Estate. She volunteered in a number of local organizations, including the Newport Art Museum, the Newport Garden Club Treasurer, and the Newport Players Guild, where she performed in ?Angel Street? at the Newport Casino Theater. She was a member of the Redwood Library, Spouting Rock Beach Association, the Clambake Club and Ida Lewis Yacht Club. She had a strong love of music and was the musical director at the Living Waters Ministry for a nubmer of years. During this time, she wrote a song, ?Jerusalem?, that was performed by the choir at the Presbyterian Church in Newport. She survived her last husband, Dr. Stillman, a renowned physician who specialized in Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. She is survived by her sisters, Ardinell Bredice and Virginia Owensby of Springfield, MO, her two daughters, Terry Taffinder Grosvenor and Lisa Taffinder Stubbs, both of Newport and six grandchildren. A Memorial service will be held at a later date. Donations may be made to the Norman Bird Sanctuary, 583 Third Beach Road, Middletown, RI 02842 or to the Robert Potter League for Animals, PO Box 412, Newport, RI 02840.