What happened to Anne Whitfield?

The actress Anne Whitfield, famous for her role as Susan Waverly in the 1954 movie White Christmas, passed away on February 14. She was surrounded by her family at Valley Memorial Hospital in Yakima, Washington.

Her death happened because of an unexpected accident while she was out for a walk. Her obituary describes Anne Langham Whitfield Phillips’ life as beautiful, spent uplifting the world and those around her. She passed away on February 15 at Valley Memorial Hospital after the accident during her walk.

The obituary continues, saying that her family could say goodbye and show love and gratitude because of the help from kind neighbors who provided expert medical support. A celebration of Anne’s life, who is survived by her three children and seven grandchildren, will happen on March 22. People are encouraged to donate to charity or plant trees in her memory.

Anne started her career at the age of four when she moved to Hollywood. By the time she was seven, she was already acting in popular radio shows like One Man’s Family. At the age of 15, she starred in White Christmas as the granddaughter of hotel owner Major General Thomas Waverly (played by Dean Jagger). Most of her career was in television, appearing in shows like One Step Beyond, Rawhide, The Six Million Dollar Man, and The Untouchables.

In the 1970s, Whitfield moved away from Hollywood to Olympia, Washington. She returned to college and worked for Clean Water at the Department of Ecology for the State of Washington. Her obituary mentions that even though she was a talented actor, Anne felt that Los Angeles didn’t have enough trees for her. So, she left Hollywood in the 1970s for her new life “up north.”