Ann E. Heptinstall, a longtime volunteer and homemaker, died Sunday of Parkinson's disease at Gilchrist Hospice Care. She was 82.
Ann Enraght Porter, the daughter of a lawyer and a homemaker, was born in Chesham Boise, England, and with the outbreak of World War II, moved with her family to St. Albans, Herefordshire, England.
After graduating in 1946 from St. Albans School for Girls, she attended Berridge House in London.
While in London, she met her future husband, Dr. Robert Hodgson Heptinstall, who was a physician completing postgraduate training at St. Mary's Hospital.
They were married in 1950 and lived for the next decade at Beaconsfield, Bucks, England, until 1960, when her husband accepted a medical appointment at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
In 1962, the couple moved to Baltimore when Dr. Heptinstall joined the staff of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
In addition to raising her seven children at her Longwood Road home in Roland Park, where she lived for 30 years, Mrs. Heptinstall was an active communicant and volunteer at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer.
Mrs. Heptinstall also volunteered at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland and with several other nonprofit organizations, family members said.
Mrs. Heptinstall was also known as an accomplished gourmet cook and hostess, who enjoyed preparing meals for family and friends.
"She was an early devotee of Julia Child and would perfect her meals by serving them to her family as practice. She also took many cooking classes," said a daughter, Gillian M. "Jill" Heptinstall of Rodgers Forge.
"She prepared excellent fish dishes that I'm sure weren't appreciated by her boys, who preferred more meat-and-potato type of dinners," Ms. Heptinstall said with a laugh.
Mrs. Heptinstall was a lifelong animal lover.
"During the war, she would meet trains bringing the displaced dogs and cats from the bombings in London and find homes for them in the country," her daughter said.
Ms. Heptinstall recalled a friend recently saying that her mother was a "great friend and counselor," and that she could always "depend upon Ann for a kind and wise answer."
Since 1993, Mrs. Heptinstall had lived in the Charlesbrooke neighborhood of Baltimore County.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at her church, 5603 N. Charles St.
Other survivors include her husband, who is the retired chairman of the pathology department at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; two sons, Jonathan R. Heptinstall of Highland, N.Y., and James N. Heptinstall of Delmar, N.Y.; another daughter, Caroline Heptinstall Jones of Lutherville; two brothers, Michael Porter and Richard Porter, both of England; three sisters, Jean Porter, Susan Porter and Jennifer Porter, all of England; and nine grandchildren. She was predeceased by two sons and a daughter. David Heptinstall died in 1965; Christopher Heptinstall died in 2006; and Bridget Heptinstall died in 2004.