Obituary of Anne Pike Tay

Anne Pike-Tay, 63 of Salt Point, died at Vassar Brothers Medical Center on Thursday, April 16, 2020. Born in Newburgh, NY Anne was the daughter of Leroy and Nancy Pike. She was married to Eng C. Tay on December 6, 1978.
Anne taught at Vassar College from 1990 until her retirement in 2016. A paleoanthropologist, she earned her M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in Anthropology from New York University. At Vassar, she taught in the Anthropology Department as well as in the interdepartmental programs in American Culture, Asian Studies, and Environmental Studies, where she was a founding member of the steering committee.

She is affectionately remembered by friends, colleagues and students alike for her extreme collegiality, her devotion to her research and teaching, her passion for working with students, and her playful, at times subversive, sense of humor.

After retirement Anne pursued a second career as a puppet & doll maker and children’s book illustrator. She recently illustrated and co-wrote “Miss Van Winkle’s Mountain Tale” and her puppets have been exhibited at Uncanny Gallery in Kingston, NY. Accompanied by her therapy dog Molly, Anne would regularly read books to children at the Pleasant Valley Library. She also taught a weekly ESL class through Grace Church in Millbrook. Anne loved living in the countryside with her rescue dogs.

Anne is survived by her husband Eng C. Tay, her son Brendan Y. Tay of Brooklyn, her daughter Hannah L. Tay of Salt Point, her two brothers William Pike of New Jersey and David Pike of California. Anne was also predeceased by her brother Timothy Pike.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Pleasant Valley Library (http://pleasantvalleylibrary.org/support-us/) or the Grace Church Immigrant Outreach ESL Program (Millbrook, NY).

Due to the underlying circumstance services at this time will be private and at the convenience of the family. There will be a Celebration of Anne's life at a later day to be announced.

Funeral Services are being handled by the Timothy P. Doyle Funeral Home 371 Hooker Ave. Poughkeepsie, New York 12603. If you would like to send an online condolence please visit our website at www.doylefuneralhome.com