Anna Marshall

Anna Marshall was a thoughtful and compassionate woman who, through her commitment to her family, redefined the concept of unconditional love. She had a full, caring heart, and everyone who spent time with her felt the warmth of her presence.

The year 1947 marked a time of great change for America. With the end of World War II, thousands of young servicemen returned home to start their families. The Baby Boom was quickly underway, and Wayne and Mollie Mae (Greenway) Younger were among the many expecting parents. The young couple had been working in Arkansas, picking cotton, but when Mollie became pregnant, they decided to hop a train with just a “nickel and candy bar” in their pockets, headed for Kalamazoo, Michigan. Here, Wayne found work in a local factory, while Mollie prepared their home for the arrival of their new bundle of joy. Doubly delighted, the couple welcomed the births of their identical twin girls, Anna Lou and Barbara Sue, on October 8, 1947. Like many twins, Anna (the oldest by minutes) and Barbara Sue shared a close bond throughout their lives. The two undoubtedly filled the house with their share of laughter, arguments and memories.

Anna received her education in the Comstock area schools, and graduated from Comstock High in 1965. A couple years later, her life took a new direction when she met Larry J. Thompson through a friend who was dating Larry’s brother. Anna and Larry were married in April of 1967, and were soon the proud parents of their daughter, Tammy Sue. In time, Anna’s marriage to Larry ended in divorce; however, they remained friends for life.

Besides being a devoted mother to her daughter Tammy, Anna worked a variety of jobs over the years, including in the Dietary Department at Borgess her senior year in high school. After school, she found work in factories like Kal-Equip and Allen Test. Her last job (and her favorite) was working at Life Care Center in Plainwell in the Dietary Department. Being the heartfelt person that she was, Anna loved the residents she served there. Generous to a fault, she willingly and lovingly gave of her time, her effort and her love because she felt that “there was someone else who needed it more than me.”

For Anna, family was the greatest source of happiness in her life. She poured so much love into her relationship with her daughter, and when her precious granddaughter, Telisha, was born, it was just the icing on the cake. Anna cherished every moment she spent with her granddaughter and wasted no time in spoiling her rotten. When her great grandson, Joshua, arrived, it was just another great blessing in her life, and double the spoiling. Also numbered to Anna’s family was the cats and dogs she shared her home with over the years; she was a true animal lover. Traditionally, the holidays were always spent together with family, where lots of love and laughter were shared.

Over the last 13 years, Anna had suffered with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). Then, in February of this year, she had a heart attack and this, coupled with her COPD, caused her to be put on life support for the next 7 months. In September, Anna was taken off life support and she fought hard to get back to an active life. On October 1st, she was finally able to go home and back to spoiling her grandchild – her greatest joy.

In her leisure time, Anna liked to play bingo, go bargain hunting at flea markets and garage sales. She was a good cook, especially when it came to her chocolate gravy and biscuits. A heartthrob since her teen years, Anna was a big fan of Elvis and even saw him in concert once “back in the day.”Anna and her sister would take the kids to the family property on Schnable Lake. The kids would look for tadpoles and frogs and swim while Anne and Barbara would relax. The girls were also known to visit the casinos and love every minute. Saturday's meant going out for breakfast, a tradition Anna and Barbara held for years. Traveling was also something Anna enjoyed when she could. She took several trips out west and wintered in the Florida Keys as well as in Las Vegas. Although Anna’s life was happy, it was also marked by great sorrow. In 1981, she lost her father and her paternal grandmother, Sylvania Younger, and in 1984, her maternal grandmother, Myrtie Greenway, died. Sadly, Anna herself passed away on her granddaughter’s birthday and although it is a day of sorrow for the family, it is the day Anna was set free. Telisha will not only celebrate her birthday but celebrate her Grandmother's day of peace.

What gave Ann the greatest joy was sharing herself with her family, offering them the most precious thing she possessed – her time. It is a treasured gift that they will carry in their hearts. She will be missed so very much but none of them will ever forget.

Anna L. (Younger) Marshall passed away on Saturday, December 17, 2011, at Borgess Medical Center after a long and courageous battle with C.O.P.D. Surviving is her mother, Mollie (Greenway); and stepfather, Chris Gillette of Kalamazoo; her dedicated daughter, Tammy (Thompson), and son-in-law, George Hill; her precious granddaughter, Telisha Thompson (David Peet); and her newest joy of life, great grandson, Joshua Peet; her loving sister and twin, Barbara, and brother-in-law, Bob Chapman; and her loving nephew, Skip Thompson, all of Plainwell.

Following her wishes, cremation has taken place. There will be no services. Please visit Anna’s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you may sign her online guest book and share condolences with her family.