In Memory

Lenore Annenberg, philanthropist
Desiree Melissa Jane Stevenson, dancer

inmemory


Leonore Annenberg

Leonore Annenberg, who as the widow of billionaire publisher Walter Annenberg continued his tradition of philanthropy and patronage of the arts, died Thursday. She was 91. Annenberg died of natural causes at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., said family spokeswoman Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Annenberg was chairwoman and president of the Annenberg Foundation, which is based in the Philadelphia suburb of Radnor and has a mission “to advance the public well-being through improved communication.” She had led the institution since her husband’s death in October 2002.  Annenberg was a trustee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and a member of the acquisitions committee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. She also served on the Trustee’s Council of The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Annenberg was also a trustee emeritus at Penn, where she and her husband founded the Annenberg School for Communication in 1958. In 1993, the couple gave Penn its largest gift ever — $120 million — to endow the school and create the Annenberg Public Policy Center.  The Annenberg Foundation, which also has offices in Los Angeles, has given nearly 5,600 grants to nonprofit groups totaling nearly $4.2 billion since its creation in 1989.

Desiree Melissa Jane Stevenson , Age 10

Desiree simply loved dancing and had been doing it since the age of 3, studying everything from tap to ballet. A 5th-grader at New Media Charter School, she also studied at the Point Dance Studio, on Germantown Avenue, where she took ballet, jazz, acrobatic, tap and praise dancing. She had been studying at th4e school for six and half years. Monday, she died of a viral infection. She was 10.

She lived in Overbrook Park. Besides her mother, she is survived by a brother, Mark; her grandparents, Jane and James Stevenson; her great-grandmother, Jane Shelton, and a close friend whom she thought of as a father, Ron Ulmer.

Services: Funeral Mass 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Althanasius Church, 2050 Walnut Lane. Friends may call at 8 a.m. Burial will be in Chelten Hills Cemetery, Washington Lane and Woolston Avenue.

19 replies on “In Memory”

  1. Dear Desi,
    I love and will miss you so much! You truly touched my heart and everyone else at The Pointe! Dance in Heaven Desi! I will never forget how you would always give a hug and walk away, when we didn’t see each other for a while. I won’t forget your smile, your laugh, and your deep voice. I will not forget when you spent the night and we went to Dorney Park the next day. Lastly, when Ms. Ramonah and I took you to Pizza Hut and you went to town smacking on that pizza! LOL I am proud of how you blossomed and am proud to say you were a student at The Pointe!

    Love you,
    Ms. Charell

  2. Hey desi i just want to let you know that i miss you and love you soo much. Your smile always brightened up my day. You were always happy and joyful and i admire you for that. May you rest in peace desi. I Love You

  3. Hey Desiree,

    I remember when i first saw you dancing at a Summer Camp Recital and I was thinking, “who is that little girl” and as time went on I would see you with such a straight face but whenever we would make eye contact and I would say hello, then that big beautiful smile would widen. Jordyn is truly missing you already and I told her I know you are in Heaven dancing with the angels like never before. We know you have your angels wrapping their arms around your mommy right now.
    We love you!!!

  4. Hey Desi I will always remember how you would speak to me in your deep rasping voice an that contagious smile you had. You were always the first one dressed after dance class an out the door(Unlike your girl Subria who was always the last). However the memories I would cherish the most is all the fun we had at Disney. You an your girls(Subria,Deja,Khalia, Alaya and Ruquiah) ran us around all those parks from sun up to sun down and because of the love we had for all of you girls it was well worth it. I’m happy I had the opportunity to meet you and share in some special moments in your life. I promise I’ll do the best that I can to help your mom through this trying time in her life. Rest in Peace Desi for you will be greatly missed.

    luv ya
    Ms.Shawneir

  5. Dear Desiree,
    I remember summer camp of ”07” and you was a leader in group 1 and one of the little girls scrunchy fall out and she asked you to put it back on you gave her a look like what are you doing so you stopped dancing and put it back on the little girls head lol .Miyana hopes you like your ballons that we sent you on friday she said they where your presents.We will never for get you and our prayers go out to your mom and family.

    We Love, Ms Tera

  6. Hi Desiree, We will miss you very much and we will continue to pray for your family. You were such a joy to be around. Rest in peace!!!!!!
    Love you much
    The Frazier Family

  7. Hi Desiree,

    We will miss you very much and we will continue to pray for your family.
    You were such a joy to be around. Rest in peace!!!!!!
    Love you much
    The Frazier Family

  8. Hi Desiree,

    Hey Desiree. You were a great friend and a fantastic dancer. You were my best friend and you always will be. I will continue to pray for your family. Im very sorry this has happened to some was as great as you. You were a very talented person. you were like the sister I never had. I will always remember you and your beyond beautiful smile. I miss you more than you can imagine. You will always be missed by your wonderful family and friends. Enjoy your time dancing in Heaven with our eternal Father.

    Love you and miss you much, Marissa (aka Marissy 😀

  9. Hey Desiree.
    I know that I’ve written to you already, but I decided to write to you again so here it goes: Desiree, I miss you so very much. I miss all of the thing that we did together. My life without you as my best friend is so much different from when I met you in kindergarten September 2003. I miss how you could make me laugh or smile when I was sad or upset about something. I miss the first time I came over your house when we were in fourth grade. I cry and also pray when I think of our awesome friendship. Know other friend will ever replace you. You will always be remembered as my fantastic, talented and loving best friend. I will remember the the day when we first met as if it were yesterday (to be exact, it was September 2003)
    I will continue to pray for you and your family.
    Love you and will always miss and remember you, Marissa (AKA Marissy)

  10. Hey Desiree …….
    I know I had just met you last year but it felt likee I knew you forever. Desiree you was the only one that I could go to when I needed help on the tap steps that we had learned da week before. You never had gave anybody attitude, instead you kept a big smile on your face. Desiree I miss you so much… When I heard that the lord had called on you, I was so upset and hurt,Because it felt like I was just talking to you that Saturday at praise dance …. But I know that you are in heaven watching over us ….. Stay smiling like always and can’t wait to see you up there.

    ILY Desiree & Miss you !
    Love Roc-Quelle

  11. Hi Desi,

    I miss you so much, and I think about you all the time. I have always admired you since you were a little girl, and I was so proud of how beautiful you were blossoming into a young lady. You did everything to the fullest. I enjoyed having you at summer camp every year. It was a pleasure having you in my life, I was considerably blessed to have known you. I will never forget how you hugged me the last time I saw you, I often feel that you have hugged me since then. I love you, and will always love you. Rest In Peace, for you are a beautiful angel.

    Ms. Ramonah

  12. HEY Dessi,
    I cant wait to see you again I hope you seen all the people that passed before you . I hope you made some new friends up their . And when i go one day ill be looking for you and michal jackson but you the most.I am sorry for all the things i did to you when i was younger and I ope you can forgive me . i cant wait to see you again I always brag abought you . Tyler remebers you and he use to like you . I hope you like it up their I hope you are dancing like an angel like you used to do..I will keep praying for your family an dyou in enternal life .. Love always Your friend since kindergarten Brianna Travis. i hope you remeber me i might look older but still remeber me love ya

  13. HEY DESIREE! I MISS YOU SO MUCH! I WISH I COULD STILL TALK TO YOU AND TELL YOU HOW MUCH U MEANT AS A FRIEND TO ME! BUT ONCE ITS MY TIME TO GO TO HEAVEN I WILL TELL YOU EVERYTHING! I WILL CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR YOUR FAMILY. EVERYTIME I THINK OF YOU I THINK OF HOW HARD IT MUST BE TO YOUR MOM. BUT I’LL CONTINUE TO PRAY THAT SHE’S OKAY!!! EVERYDAY I OPEN MY FAVORITE PHOTO ALBUM AND SEE THE PICTURES OF US AND M ISS U MORE THAN EVER! KEEP DANCING IN HEAVEN WITH GOD WHO LOVES YOU SO MUCH! HE IS BLESSING YOUR FAMILY AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO CARE ABOUT YOU!!!
    ~LOVE YA DES, MARISSA (AKA MARISSY)

  14. Desiree,
    I missssss you so much and i wish you was still her to be with me. It wasnt your timeee, and you had a whole lot more you could have did. but HE call you homee and it was your time to go. you in a better place now and i was just thinking about you so i stopped by to say i lovee you, & imuuuuuu . I never got to tell you that but i do miss you and know you meant a whole lot to my life.

  15. Desiree,
    You were one of my best friends and when i heard about your passing, i was in disbelief. You were so full of life, always ready to take on any challenge. Perhaps that is the reason we were such good friends.
    Miss you,
    Charles

  16. If today the walls came crashing down.
    My dreams come to an end.
    I wouldn’t cry because I know you still be my friend.
    If tomorrow God should end my life,
    I would wait for you above.
    For heaven is the only place to share our love.
    If ever in this life we were to part,
    You know that even then you would always be in my heart.

    Brianna 🙂

  17. Hi Desiree. I was looking through old school pictures and when I saw your smile, my eyes completely teared up. Only God knows how much I miss and love you! I pray for your family everyday knowing how hard it is for them. There are times when I think of you and all the memories we shared and I just burst into tears. You’ll always be on my mind and I will continue my prayer for your family.

    Love, Marissa♥

  18. I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately. I miss you so much. I wish that I could talk to you somehow and hear your voice and see your smile. One day, we will be reunited and I will be at my happiest. I love and miss you so much, Desiree.

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