Obituary of Anna Zeigler

Anna Zeigler made friends with everyone she met. She was that kind of person--gregarious, giving, selfless. As seems to happen too often to such wonderful people, she fell victim to the slow, silent ravages of Alzheimer's, and quietly passed away on June 21, 2007. View her video tribute by clicking the link below: http://videos.lifetributes.com/?id=9984 Ah, but what a life! Born in Mannheim, Germany on November 4, 1919, she endured a severe economic depression, a monstrous dictatorship, and a brutal world war, but survived with her decency and humanity intact. Following the war, while working as a seamstress for the occupying American forces, she found the perfect match in a young US Army soldier named Frederick Zeigler, whom she married on September 17, 1947. After giving birth to their first son Eric on August 3, 1948 in Mannheim, Anna and her new family moved all over the place according to the impenetrable whims of the US Army. By turns, they moved to Virginia, to Seattle (where Anna gave birth to their second son Martin on September 25, 1951), to Alaska, California, back to Germany, then back again to the States in Baltimore, Connecticut, and elsewhere. Throughout this constant rooting and uprooting, Anna gradually picked up the English language on her own, and grew to love her adopted country and its people. Finally, at long last, after Frederick retired from the Army, the family settled down. As their home, they chose Steilacoom, Washington, a small town on the coast of Puget Sound. Here, Anna grew and thrived. She became synonymous with the community. She worked for a time as a cook in its elementary school. She instituted a food bank. She was instrumental in building for Steilacoom its first community center. And her claim to fame was that she worked tirelessly to have a town clock erected across from Steilacoom's City Hall. In 1997, at the community center she helped establish, Anna celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary with her husband Frederick. Over the years she received many awards--The Golden Acorn from the Steilacoom PTA for her work with the Steilacoom schools; the Steilacoom Unsung Hero Award; The Volunteer Citizen's Award presented by Governor Booth Gardner; and perhaps her proudest award, Steilacoom's Citizen of the Year for 1997. Anna indeed contributed so much of her time and her heart to the town she called her "Little Heaven." May Anna, along with her dear "Papa" Frederick, deceased two years ago, now reside peacefully in such a town. They will be missed by everyone who knew and loved them, and especially by their two sons. Memorial Service to be held 2:00 PM Tuesday, July 10, 2007 at Steilacoom Community Center, 2301 Worthington St., Steilacoom, WA 98388. Arrangements by Edwards Memorial Center, 253-566-1008.