Marly Ann (Pike) Sulkowski—always known as “Ann” to those who loved her—was born in Houston, Texas, on February 15, 1949. Her family moved to the D.C. area when Ann was young, and she lived in this vicinity most of her life.
At 17, Ann began working as a quality control inspector for the IDEAS company, continuing to work with them even after the company was bought out by Science Applications International Corporation in 1994. She retired from SAIC in 2019.
Friends who worked with her describe her as very organized, efficient, fun-loving, and a deeply devoted Christian. “She brought a smile to everyone’s face,” one workmate reported.
Ann was also devoted to her mother and her brother Gregory, affectionately nicknamed “Binky,” who experienced serious health problems most of his life. Ann provided and cared for both of them until their deaths.
A very private person, Ann did not talk much about herself but was always interested in the needs of others. When she joined the Spencerville Church, she worked tirelessly in disaster response work for over twelve years, keeping the books and records and assisting with volunteer training. On several occasions, she traveled to different disaster sites in the United States to offer hands-on assistance after floods and hurricanes.
Most Spencerville members, however, will remember her friendly smile from the church welcome desk, where she faithfully served each Sabbath for many years. Ann had the reputation of being a friend to everyone and had a contagious joy. She was always eager to pray with anyone in need, and some of her co-workers would come to her before the work day began just so she could pray with them. “She had the best prayers ever,” one friend said. “She would say that all you have to do is speak what you feel…and then let God talk to you.”
In 2017 Ann was diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer and was given only 2-3 years to live. However, her will to survive and serve God prolonged her life, extending her time to nearly five years.
Writing from the hospital a week before she died, Ann texted a sick friend, “As you know, we are in the Lord’s hands, and all things work together for good for those who love Him. So it may be a stressful time for us—and an uncertain time for us—but He’s just sitting back watching it all happening, knowing what tomorrow will bring. So we will be all right because we are in the Father’s hands…”
Ann gently went to sleep on July 22, 2022, anticipating the soon-coming return of Jesus—whom she couldn’t wait to meet face-to-face. She will be buried next to her family in Dorchester, Nebraska.