Obituary for Anita "Ani" Gerard Slevin (Christopher )
Anita “Ani” Gerard Slevin passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 9, 2021 at her home in Spring Lake, N.J. following a brief, but valiant, battle with pancreatic cancer.
Ani was born on August 22, 1950 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., the youngest of three daughters of Alfred and Veronica (Slevin) Christopher. She graduated from St. Peters Academy and received her bachelors and masters degrees in Fine Art from the State University of New York at Albany and New Paltz respectively. Ani was a devoted art educator for over 25 years, retiring from the Ridgewood Board of Education in 2005. Ani was also a lifelong talented artist influenced by the light, textures and forms of the natural world, inspired by the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, the high elevation terrain of Utah, and the ocean along the New Jersey shoreline.
Married to Joseph Alexander “Alex” Butwinski for a collective 46 years, they resided in Mahwah, N.J. and raised their daughter Jessica before moving to Park City, Utah for retirement. Ani enjoyed her active mountain lifestyle and loved skiing, but eventually moved back east to Spring Lake, N.J. in order to be closer to the ocean as “Nan” for her beloved granddaughter. This is when she seriously picked up her passion for golf and had many wonderful memories on the course with her girlfriends. Ani always remarked how fortunate she was to “live in paradise”, thankful for each day and all her many blessings.
As a devout Catholic, Ani embodied her faith in active service to her community through youth mentorship, supporting families in crisis, and providing meals to those with food insecurity. Before COVID-19, she enthusiastically attended mass daily and has continuously enjoyed God in her life. She was a kind and thoughtful friend to all who knew her. She will be lovingly remembered for her gentle and generous spirit, and her beautiful and effortless smile.
Ani is survived by her husband Alex Butwinski, her daughter Jessica (Butwinski) Good and son-in-law David Good; sisters Ellen (Jim) Bell and Ruth (Jim) Ahlman, sister-in-law Michaeline (Stanley) Saladyga; nieces Christine Bell and Sarah (Saladyga) Hunicke, nephews Christopher Ahlman, Thomas Bell, and Joseph Saladyga; and their respective spouses Randy Hunicke and Stephanie Saladyga. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Friday, February 19, 2021 at St. Mark’s Catholic Church in Sea Girt, N.J. Donations in Ani’s honor may be sent to Jersey Shore Rescue Mission in Asbury Park, N.J. or Fulfill Food Bank in Neptune, N.J. Comments may be shared on the O’Brien Funeral Home website at www.obrienfuneralhome.com.
Ani was born on August 22, 1950 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., the youngest of three daughters of Alfred and Veronica (Slevin) Christopher. She graduated from St. Peters Academy and received her bachelors and masters degrees in Fine Art from the State University of New York at Albany and New Paltz respectively. Ani was a devoted art educator for over 25 years, retiring from the Ridgewood Board of Education in 2005. Ani was also a lifelong talented artist influenced by the light, textures and forms of the natural world, inspired by the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, the high elevation terrain of Utah, and the ocean along the New Jersey shoreline.
Married to Joseph Alexander “Alex” Butwinski for a collective 46 years, they resided in Mahwah, N.J. and raised their daughter Jessica before moving to Park City, Utah for retirement. Ani enjoyed her active mountain lifestyle and loved skiing, but eventually moved back east to Spring Lake, N.J. in order to be closer to the ocean as “Nan” for her beloved granddaughter. This is when she seriously picked up her passion for golf and had many wonderful memories on the course with her girlfriends. Ani always remarked how fortunate she was to “live in paradise”, thankful for each day and all her many blessings.
As a devout Catholic, Ani embodied her faith in active service to her community through youth mentorship, supporting families in crisis, and providing meals to those with food insecurity. Before COVID-19, she enthusiastically attended mass daily and has continuously enjoyed God in her life. She was a kind and thoughtful friend to all who knew her. She will be lovingly remembered for her gentle and generous spirit, and her beautiful and effortless smile.
Ani is survived by her husband Alex Butwinski, her daughter Jessica (Butwinski) Good and son-in-law David Good; sisters Ellen (Jim) Bell and Ruth (Jim) Ahlman, sister-in-law Michaeline (Stanley) Saladyga; nieces Christine Bell and Sarah (Saladyga) Hunicke, nephews Christopher Ahlman, Thomas Bell, and Joseph Saladyga; and their respective spouses Randy Hunicke and Stephanie Saladyga. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Friday, February 19, 2021 at St. Mark’s Catholic Church in Sea Girt, N.J. Donations in Ani’s honor may be sent to Jersey Shore Rescue Mission in Asbury Park, N.J. or Fulfill Food Bank in Neptune, N.J. Comments may be shared on the O’Brien Funeral Home website at www.obrienfuneralhome.com.