Ann Elizabeth Duval

Ann Elizabeth Duval, 65, of Lancaster, died at Hospice and Community Care on Friday, August 21, 2020, after a brief illness. Born in Elkhart, IN, she was the daughter of the Beatrice A. (Frey) and the late Jacob B. Shenk. Ann was truly a citizen of the world. In addition to traveling worldwide, she spent time living in London, Port-au-Prince, New York City, Chicago, Atlanta and Washington DC. She was an impassioned and determined advocate for social justice and made the world a better place in countless ways. Through both her career and volunteer work, she positively impacted the lives of people around the world and in her final hometown of Lancaster, PA. When she turned her attention to an issue or problem to be solved, she was a force to be reckoned with. Her organizational skills, keen intellect and deep curiosity about the world were evident in all she did. Even as she adjusted her expectations at the premature end of her life, these characteristics were on full display. She was unabashedly proud of her family, finding many ways of letting them know how much she loved them. As a teenager, Ann spent several years living abroad with her family. The year they spent in Haiti was especially formative for Ann. Several years after college, she returned to Haiti and married her high school sweetheart, Edouard Duval. She lived and worked there for 7 years. Although the marriage ended, their friendship endured. During her time in Haiti, she worked extensively with a micro- finance program for women, Fonds Haitien D'Aide a la Femme (FHAF). She eventually left Haiti to take a job as the vice president of Women’s World Banking in New York City. This began many years of work in international development, specifically in micro-finance. Ann’s work as a micro-finance consultant and then for CARE, took her all over the world, but she worked most extensively in Francophone West Africa and in Bosnia. Her work in Bosnia was especially rewarding for her. She was recently flown back to Bosnia to help celebrate an anniversary of the program she helped establish there and to honor her role in its success. She even authored a book for young readers set in Bosnia shortly after the end of the war, in which she explored the lasting impacts of the ethnic conflict on the people of Bosnia through the eyes of a young American girl travelling to Bosnia with her aunt. Although it was never published, she very much enjoyed the process of writing it. She was also a talented artist and craftsperson. Ann moved to Lancaster in the mid 90’s to be closer to family. It didn’t take long for her to become involved in local social justice issues. She was on the board of directors for the YWCA and served as a mentor to a number of women in various capacities. Ann was a co-founder and organizer of the annual “Woman to Women: A Day for Creativity and Exploration” event, bringing together women from throughout the area for a day of workshops to celebrate the power and diversity of women. This event and the work to organize it, also resulted in many deep friendships with dynamic women in the Lancaster area for Ann. Through her travels and work, she made lifelong friends in far flung places. One of her lasting legacies was forming a network of incredibly talented and interesting people, especially women. She took great joy in introducing old friends and family to new friends, continually expanding this network beyond herself. She loved entertaining guests and an evening of food and drink at Ann’s was truly an event to savor. In addition to her mother Betty, she is survived by her siblings, Jeff (Angela Cardaci-Shenk) of Lancaster and Sara Shenk (Bronwyn Evans) Ithaca, New York; her nieces and nephew, Tara Donnelly, James Donnelly and Kelly Shenk; her great-nieces, Dejuanah Collymore and Ahlayna Artis. She will also be missed by her large, loving extended family. A celebration of Ann’s life will be held when it is once again safe to gather in person. Memorial contributions may be made to: YWCA Lancaster 110 N. Lime Street Lancaster, PA 17602 OR Chestnut Housing Corporation 432 East Chestnut Street Lancaster 17602