HALIFAX • Anna Marie James, an extraordinarily kind, faithful and loving wife, mother and grandmother, passed away at the age of 71, Jan. 1, 2021, at home, after a brave battle with pancreatic cancer. She was born Feb. 25, 1949, to the late Norman P. and Roma V. (Maurer) Brown. Anna grew up on the family farm in Leck Kill, Pa., and attended Line Mountain High School. She met Robert A. James in Millersburg when he offered to dig out her Mustang after a snowstorm. They were married at Salem Church of Rough & Ready in Klingerstown April 3, 1971. They are the parents of three children: Mathew L. James, Jeffrey A. James and Sarah A. James; and three grandchildren: Brooklynn, Brandon and MaKenzie James. Anna was an incredibly hard worker in all that she labored. From her beginnings in the office of Brubaker Tool of Millersburg, to secretary for the U.S. Army General in Frankfurt, Germany, in the 1970s, to offering child care services out of her Halifax home throughout the 1980s and early ’90s, to her decades long career managing the delicatessen at Mutzabaugh’s Family Market in Duncannon. Anna was a passionate and master crafter, creating beautiful hand-made quilts, blankets, needlepoints and Christmas decorations to share with those she loved. She was also a prolific baker, cooking up dozens upon dozens of traditional and freshly inventive Christmas cookies each year to hand out to family, friends, coworkers and even the package delivery men and women. She enjoyed gardening and the cooking and canning of the fruits of her labor. Anna, with the help of her daughter, had cultivated a flower garden surrounding the house that was stunning to behold. Anna had a passion for travel, with yearly family vacations being a must. From whale watching off the coast of Maine, to exploring The Blue Ridge Parkway, to collecting shells along Myrtle Beach, she enjoyed it all. Anna was a woman of faith and a long- time congregant of the Calvary Wesleyan Church in Millersburg. Here she graciously served as a Sunday school teacher and care provider to numerous young children through the years. Anna is survived by three siblings, Paul L., Mark W. and Vivian E. Brown; her husband; children; and grandchildren. She was preceded in death by one brother, Ralph Brown in 1941. There was a drive-in memorial service at Calvary Wesleyan Church Jan. 9. Her wish for her ashes to be scattered at the Brown family farm and at her favorite vacation spot, Myrtle Beach, will be carried out by those closest to her. In lieu of flowers, Anna’s family requests that donations in her memory be directed to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. To give online, go to pan can.org/ Hoover-Boyer Funeral Home, Ltd. is handling the arrangements. To sign the guestbook, go to minnichfun eral.com Paid by funeral home
