Memorial Service for MaryAnne Almquist Aug. 19 in Pinedale
August 16, 2025
MaryAnne Almquist, 88, of Pinedale, passed away on Saturday, August 9, 2025. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, August 19. 2025 at 3:00PM in the Sheppard Auditorium in Pinedale. A reception will follow the service at the Pinedale Rodeo Grounds.
Obituary - MaryAnne Claggett Langdon Hittle Almquist
June 25, 1937 - August 9, 2025
MaryAnne Claggett Langdon was born in Providence, Rhode Island on June 25th, 1937, to George Dorland Langdon and Anne Claggett Zell Langdon. Her name was lengthy, and she would proudly tell people that since 1615 there has been an "Anne" in every generation of her mother’s family, and she was the 15th generation.
MaryAnne’s early childhood was spent in Pomfret, Connecticut where her father was the chaplain at an independent school for boys. When she was 5, her family moved from Pomfret to Salisbury, Connecticut where her dad became the headmaster of the Salisbury School. During the summer months, she and her family lived in a little rectory next to a mission church that her father started at the tip end of Rhode Island on Sakonnet Point. MaryAnne had very fond memories of the summers she spent in Sakonnet. Their house was on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, where they could hear the waves crashing on the rocks below, listening to the foghorn blaring from the Sakonnet Light House warning ships away from the rocky shore, and watching the sun slip over the horizon as it set.
MaryAnne’s education began in a two-room country school. Because there was no kindergarten, she was placed in first grade even though she had just turned 5 in June. Consequently, throughout her educational career, she was usually the youngest member of the class. From 5th-8th grade, MaryAnne attended Indian Mountain School, and then went to Westover School in Middlebury, Connecticut for her secondary education. In 1958, she graduated from Vassar College with a major in Child Study, which provided her with a strong basis for working with children.
In 1958, MaryAnne’s teaching career began in Salisbury, CT, but she only stayed there for 1 year as she had bigger aspirations for helping kids. MaryAnne headed for Boston to become a play therapist at Children’s Hospital, which was a hospital for terminally ill children. During this time, she enrolled in Boston University School of Education and had the opportunity to study under Dr. Donald Durrell, who was one of the leading professors in the country. She received her Master’s of Education the following summer of 1961. Although she was trained as a reading consultant she decided to go directly into the classroom where she could work with children. For two years she taught 2nd grade in Lexington, Massachusetts. In 1963, needing a change, she loaded up her belongings in her Volkswagen and headed to Menlo Park, California, where she taught 3rd grade for 7 years. California had highly rated schools and MaryAnne was able to further her training as well as train student teachers in the classroom setting.
While in California, MaryAnne galloped polo ponies three miles to condition them each morning before school started. She also loved to fox hunt and had the opportunity to ride with the Los Alto Hunt. She met many people, saw a great deal of countryside she would have otherwise not seen, and greatly enjoyed the excitement of the sport. MaryAnne also enjoyed sailing in San Francisco Bay.
During the summer months, MaryAnne would leave California and travel to Wyoming to visit her Aunt Amie and Uncle Sid Reynolds. Amie and Sid owned and ran the Z-U Dude Ranch located in Cora, Wyoming. It is here where she met Bob Hittle and on July 10th, 1971, they were married. MaryAnne said goodbye to California and moved to Pinedale, where she and Bob bought a ranch in Boulder, leased several other places, including the Mocroft Ranch, which was their home base, and started their own operation. To this union came Annie in 1975 and Amy in 1976. In 1989, Bob passed away. MaryAnne continued to run the operation for eight additional years before she stepped away.
When MaryAnne moved to Pinedale, she also began a 40-year teaching career in Pinedale. In 1971, she was hired to teach Title 1 Reading in the elementary school. Because there were no classrooms available, she taught in a dirt crawl space under the gym. There was no heat, there were holes in the concrete walls, and the only entrance to it was through a trap door leading down from the stage. MaryAnne made most of her own teaching materials, as there was very little money budgeted for this new position. Her salary was $1500 for the year. In 1982, MaryAnne was asked to start a gifted program for children in 2nd-5th grade. For the next 28 years she taught both Title 1 and the PEAK program, which were both very challenging but rewarding. In 2011, MaryAnne retired after teaching for a total of 50 years.
On August 28, 1999, MaryAnne married Dennis Almquist who was a Game Warden in Pinedale. Her focus changed from agriculture to wildlife where she was able to spend a lot of time in the mountains. She enjoyed hiking and pack trips in the high country of the Wind River Range. Many adventures and memories were to be made over these past 25 years with Dennis.
MaryAnne served her community in many ways over many years. She served on the Wyoming Reading Advisory Council, The Green River Valley Land Trust Board for nine years, the MESA Therapeutic Horsemanship Program and in 2003 was asked to join the Sublette County Artists’ Guild.
In 1977, MaryAnne and Judy Bogle founded the Pinedale Preschool which became the first accredited preschool in Wyoming. This was an accomplishment MaryAnne was very proud of. She spent countless hours getting this dream to come to light and continued to serve on the board and oversee its success for many years.
MaryAnne’s life was very invested in rodeo from the beginning of her moving to Pinedale. She became a board member in 1989 of the Sublette County Sporting Association and spent countless hours and time putting on team ropings and rodeos.
MaryAnne loved living in Sublette County. She loved the western way of life. She felt so lucky to have been involved in three of the most essential resources in this area; agriculture, education and wildlife. MaryAnne was blessed to have had such an impact on so many different lives. She was proud of her family and felt truly blessed by the very many friendships and memories that she had with so many.
MaryAnne is survived by her husband Dennis, daughters Annie Espenscheid (Brian), and Amy Jarrard (TJ). Grandchildren Cassidy and Hays Espenscheid, TR and Tel Jarrard, and family Amy, Abbi, and Paige Graham and Gwen Lenning. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother George, husband Bob, numerous aunts and uncles, and extended family and friends.
MaryAnne’s memory and spirit will live on in so many of us.
A memorial service will be held Tuesday, August 19th, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. at the Pinedale High School Auditorium (Sheppard Auditorium). A reception will follow the service at the Pinedale Rodeo Grounds.
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