The vivacious and gracious Ann Sakowitz would have been proud Friday night when a room filled with black-tie attired notables gathered in her memory and gathered to honor her two children, Lynn Wyatt and Robert Sakowitz.
The occasion was the second annual Eye Ball, which raised funds for the Houston Eye Associates Foundation and for Prevent Blindness Texas. Franelle Rogers chaired the gala evening that had a special decorative twist.
The ballroom of the Omni Houston Hotel was decorated in echoes of Lynn and Oscar Wyatt's River Oaks dining room. Trompe l'oeil tablecloths in black and white and a stage backdrop in broad black and white stripes, all of it dressed with yellow roses, bright yellow lemons and greenery reminded those in the know of the sophisticated Wyatt palette. All good friends felt right at home.
KTRK Channel 13 news anchor Melanie Lawson served as emcee of the evening that included remarks by Lynn and Robert and a delightful video filled with photos of Ann Sakowitz as a young girl, as a fashionable young wife and as a continuously glamorous and dynamic grandmother. Three of her grandchildren joined the party — Brad Wyatt and Brittany and Lexi Sakowitz. Ann Sakowitz died in January 2011 at the age of 97.
Among those especially enjoying the old photos and family stories was Joan Schnitzer Levy, whose late mother was Ann Sakowitz' sister. It's an enviable gene pool. As everyone familiar with Lynn and Joan know, the women in this family seem to be forever glamorous and ageless. Ann Sakowitz was a beauty throughout all of her years.
Applauding the generous life of Ann Sakowitz and the accomplishments of her son and daughter were Rose Cullen, Dede and Connie Weil, Mary Ann and Dr. Bob Wilkins, Cristina Girard, Joelle Rogers, Leslie Bennett, Margaret Williams and Jim Daniel, Drs. Yasmine and Maurice Haddad, Margaret and Dr. Jeff Lanier, Karen and Mike Mayell and Regina Rogers.
