Ann Logan Sperry McGrath, 93, died peacefully at her home in Norwood, New Jersey, on September 23, 2026, surrounded by her family.
Born in 1933 to Elmer A. Sperry Jr. and Helen (Duffy) Sperry, in Brooklyn, New York, Ann was the fourth of their five children. Ann’s grandfather, Elmer A. Sperry Sr., her father, and her uncle were members of the Sperry family of inventors and pioneers in modern aviation and maritime navigation. Ann attended the Brearley School in Manhattan until her family moved to Wilton, Connecticut, in 1941. She graduated from the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Greenwich, Connecticut, and later from Newton College of the Sacred Heart in Newton, Massachusetts, where she majored in English. She attended Teachers College, Columbia University.
In 1956, Ann was teaching elementary school at St. David’s School, a private boys’ school in Manhattan, when she fell in love with the music teacher, Robert E. McGrath, who later became the featured tenor vocalist on the hit television show Sing Along With Mitch and an original cast member of the beloved children’s program, Sesame Street. Ann and Bob wed in June 1958 and started their family in Manhattan before moving to Teaneck, New Jersey, where they spent 55 years raising five children. They enjoyed more than 60 years together until Bob’s passing in 2022.
Ann spent a large part of her youth riding and caring for her horses, King and Ladybug. She loved traveling, gardening, hiking, playing the piano, and spending summers at their home in Maine, often with their grandchildren. She studied karate for more than 30 years, earning a high brown belt. A prolific reader and writer, Ann was often seen with a book in hand, even as she prepared dinner for their five young children, no doubt getting ready for a book club meeting whose members would become lifelong friends.
Her witty writings can be found dating back to her time as editor-in-chief of her college publication, “855.” She published the children’s book Tony’s Tunnel, a “carry-me” book with a hole in the center that served as both Tony’s secret hideaway and a handle for little hands. She documented her lifelong travels in journals, wrote a country music song, and forever kept paper and pencil on hand to write poems.
She helped Bob write eight books for children and handled countless details behind the scenes of his live family shows with symphony orchestras, managing everything from bookkeeping to sewing costumes for the young performers who joined Bob on stage for songs such as “People in Your Neighborhood.”
Quietly guided by her Catholic faith, Ann practiced her beliefs through her actions. A confidant and mentor, she provided a welcoming space and sage advice to people of all ages, and loyally supported her friends through their most difficult times.
A loving wife and mother, Ann is survived by her five children: Liam McGrath and his partner, Janet Rauber, of New York, NY; Robert McGrath and his wife, Linda Liang, of Brooklyn, NY; Lily McGrath and her partner, Cesar Cavlo, of Northvale, NJ; Alison McGrath Osder and her husband, William Osder, of Haworth, NJ; and Cathlin McGrath and her husband, Patrick McConnell, of Hastings-on-Hudson, NY. She is also survived by eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on October 17, 2026, at Saint Anastasia Church, 1095 Teaneck Road, Teaneck, NJ, at 11:00 a.m.
The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Bridgemusik, a nonprofit organization that offers affordable and empowering opportunities for school-aged music students through mentoring, collaboration and performances with world-class concert artists. www.bridgemusik.com.