Ann Marie Camden

While she loved her life here, and lived bravely with metastatic breast cancer, she was willing to say goodbye to explore Heaven. Ann left without regrets and with eager anticipation to see how God will use her next.

Ann won the lottery on December 25, 1970, when she was born to her loving parents, Frank and Marie Gottbrath, and she was soon joined by her siblings, Rebecca and Charlie. She had the finest array of aunts ever known, each leaving their fingerprints on the woman she became. Besides eleven aunts, Ann had a dozen uncles and 24 cousins. A devoted Boilermaker, Ann was tethered to the Midwest but lived most of her life in the South and was proud of it. Bless her heart.

She met the love of her life, Jeff, at Purdue University while breeding chickens in their Animal Husbandry class, quite possibly the best story she ever wrote that may never see the light of day. Jeff kept her laughing (often inappropriately at medical appointments) and dreaming of the future. Ann was happiest whenever and wherever she was riding shotgun with Jeff, on adventures big and small.

Ann was passionate about farming and agriculture throughout her career, rising to partner level in a midsize global public relations agency. Her trusty red suitcase rolled across 48 states and around the world, from rice paddies in Vietnam, to crawdads in Louisiana, to Iguazu Falls in Brazil, to garlic farms in California, which ended in a memorably fragrant flight home in the middle seat. Ann was recognized in her industry many times over, and she was named Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication Distinguished Alumni at Purdue in 2018.

Ann’s greatest joy and inspiration were her twin daughters, Rose and Grace. She and Jeff raised them with love, and they fed her zest for life experiences, whether in a field, a forest or a mountaintop. Together, they embraced adventures at national parks across the country. Ann loved to delight and surprise them, and they never knew what April Fool’s Day would bring.

Ann deeply valued her community at Asbury Church Raleigh, volunteering for numerous projects and serving in leadership roles for more than twenty years. She funneled her energy into cancer advocacy, particularly in support of others navigating their cancer diagnoses and treatments. She co-hosted retreats for Casting for Recovery and Inheritance of Hope, and she honed her advocacy skills with Living Beyond Breast Cancer and the Lobular Breast Cancer Association. She traveled across the US to advocate for metastatic breast cancer research and better healthcare for all. She connected with many through sharing her personal stories about living with cancer.

Ann loved poetry, red wine, fresh fish, ice cream, moss and fern gardening, and feeding the birds. She pieced dozens of quilts for family and friends with an eye for color and bold modern designs. Ann was not perfect, of course. She could not carry a tune and was once cast in a musical as a character who sang off-key. She yelled at the squirrels and the deer munching her plants. Her selfies were reliably terrible, and she did not like to share her food.

Staying active and outdoors kept Ann moving forward throughout her life. She trained for and completed numerous races, including five marathons, one half Ironman triathlon, and a two-day, 160-mile Tour de Cure bike ride. She embraced paddleboarding, hiking, fly fishing, gardening, and neighborhood walks with friends.

Ann was afraid to be still, but she was not afraid to share her vulnerabilities through her writing. Her writing bloomed and resonated with many, particularly through her blog, “Down. Not Out!”, but also through numerous publications, including Wildfire Magazine, Brevity, and several cancer advocacy groups.

Ann leaves behind her husband, Jeff, her twin daughters, Rose and Grace, her loving parents, Frank and Marie Gottbrath, her sister, Rebecca Gottbrath Whipkey (and husband Mark), her brother, Charlie Gottbrath (and wife Andrea, plus nephews Isaac, Colin, and Ryan), along with too many family extended family, and close friends to list. Friends and family all over the country prayed and cheered for Ann. She will be deeply missed.

On July 27, 2024, an 11:00 am visitation, with services following at 1:00 pm, will be held at Asbury Church Raleigh.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Ann’s memory may be made to Living Beyond Breast Cancer or Inheritance of Hope.

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