Ann Adsley Schwarzstein

Ann Adsley Schwarzstein, a Laguna Beach resident since 1974, passed away on Sunday, June 14, 2026. Known to family and friends as “Sande,” she was born on August 10, 1938, in Denver, Colorado, to Erma and Irwin Adsley.

From an early age, Sande was drawn to creativity and adventure. She loved horseback riding, became a champion skier, and expressed herself artistically through a variety of mediums. Her natural artistic talent eventually led her to attend Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. It was there that she met Richard Schwarzstein. They married in 1959 and built their early life together and welcomed three daughters: Cindy, Alisa, and Amy.

Sande worked as an artist at Terrytoons, helping bring to life beloved characters including Mighty Mouse, Deputy Dawg, Heckle and Jeckle, Dinky Duck, and many more. She was especially proud of this chapter in her life and of the joy her work brought to others. That desire to connect through creativity became one of the guiding forces of Sande’s life. Her home was one in which creativity was not simply admired but lived. She encouraged each of her daughters to embrace authenticity, independence, and artistic expression in their own lives.

In the early 1970s, the family accompanied Richard on a business trip to Newport Beach, California. During that trip, Sande discovered a unique Spanish-style house in the village of Laguna Beach. Though the home was not for sale at the time, she was captivated by the house and by Laguna Beach itself, with its deep connection to creativity and natural beauty. She told a local realtor that if the home ever became available, she and Richard would acquire it. In time, they did. Since 1974, that home has remained the heart of the Schwarzstein family.

Sande’s connection to Laguna Beach is profound. She and Richard dedicated much of their lives to supporting the arts in Laguna, where their presence was a welcome fixture at gallery openings, the Laguna Art Museum, Laguna College of Art and Design, artist groups, scholarship programs, and among the many creatives who came to know the Schwarzstein home as a refuge. The couple was very involved with the Laguna Art Museum,the Orange County Philharmonic Society, Laguna College of Art and Design and the Hutchins Consort. Sande often donated her original artwork and jewelry to support the organizations she and Richard cared about.

In addition to Laguna Beach, the Schwarzstein family maintained a home in Jacmel, Haiti, where Sande and Richard became deeply involved in the Haitian art community. They operated Renaissance II, a gallery specializing in the work of “first-generation” Haitian artists, and built an impressive collection of Haitian art. Through their gallery, friendships, and patronage, they were instrumental in supporting Haitian artists and sharing the richness of Haitian culture with a wider audience. Their deep knowledge of Haitian art, and of art more broadly, made them active and generous patrons in every community they joined.

An artist in her own right, Sande worked in many mediums. She used her extensive skills to transform the Schwarzstein home into a functional work of art, every corner an expression of her unique experiences, travels, and point of view. While living in New York, she sold her original artwork at the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit, often bringing her young daughter, Cindy, along. Cindy would later become a curator and community liaison for the arts in Los Angeles, her own life shaped by the example of art, travel, and creative outreach that Sande and Richard modeled.

Sande and Richard’s second daughter, Alisa, was encouraged in her love of surfing and the ocean from an early age. As Alisa became involved with the National Scholastic Surfing Association and the U.S. Surf Team, Sande and Richard drove, flew, and chaperoned her to many events, including competitions abroad. Sande also supported Alisa’s ceramics business, through which she created tiles and trophies for surfing events, organizations, and special occasions.

Their youngest daughter, Amy, studied abroad and lived in France for more than thirty years. Sande and Richard traveled often to Paris so they could immerse themselves in French culture and spend meaningful time with Amy and her family. Amy fondly remembers the many hours she spent with her mother doing watercolors, sewing, and taking on countless home-improvement projects together in both Laguna Beach and France.

Throughout her life, Sande moved fluidly between different cities and cultures, bringing with her an artist’s eye, an adventurous spirit, and a deep devotion to family. She believed in the power of art to foster connection and to bring joy into everyday life. Her legacy lives on in the family she nurtured, the artists and communities she supported, and the creative courage she inspired in those who knew her.

Sande was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Richard Schwarzstein, who passed away in 2022, and by her sister, Mona, who passed away in 2025.

She is survived by her daughters Cindy, Alisa, and Amy; her son-in-law Ian; her grandchildren Capucine and her husband Ben, Fantine and her husband Jack, Solene, Spencer, Ethan, and Malachai; her great-grandchildren Lucas and Jude, and step-grandchildren Amy and Jon.