Mrs. Anna Annie G. Kredell Gilliam Fadden

Quiet yet bold, strong yet gentle, Stoic but loving,The center of her children’s universe! Anna G brought eight children into this world, but her history starts long before this.Mother’s family was Irish immigrants settling in Kentucky and building up a productive farm. Her family believed in hard work and the power of education. Seven sisters and two brothers helping on the farm and going to school put their family on a path to success, prosperity and happiness. Lena, the oldest, led the sisters down a nursing career path with each helping the next. They may have grown up in the hills of Kentucky but they sure didn’t stay there. In fact, with each nursing degree, these girls started to look beyond the Kentucky border and indeed made their way to various points in the world. Lena and Margie went to Florida, Sylvia to Tennessee, Irene and Katie to Virginia, Lottie to Washington, Toni to France and Anna to Panama. Even though they were worlds apart, these women never let this keep them from supporting each other and their brother through thick and thin. As best they could they would visit and get the families together so that distant families could make family connections that would be there for the next generation. Anna met and married George Joseph Kredell in Memphis, Tennessee to begin a transforming life together. The biggest change was her conversion to Catholicism, how different could it be??? Well, married at 25 it was time to settle down. Eight children later (Steve, Mike, Mark, Tom, Marian, Sam, Kathleen and Robert), Anna, a pediatric nurse was living in Panama working for the Canal Zone Hospital in Coco Solo. Life is interesting and Anna’s was very interesting. George was 50 when he was called to the Lord leaving Anna with seven children at home and one going off to college. Being a working nurse she was able to stay in the Canal Zone and finish raising her kids. She worked nights so she could be home in the day. She did this for 6 years until most of the children were grown and off to college or trade school. It was time to look at living again so she shifted to days with weekends off. She bought a motorboat with Robert and Kathleen as crew and off she went. It wasn’t long until she met and married Capt Ralph Fadden. Ralph an avid sailor shared his love of the sea with Anna and her eight kids. Their adventures took them to exotic beaches and ports with beautiful sunsets. Anna and Ralph retired to Jacksonville but remained very active sailing and creating a home for the family. Holidays looked like a family reunion. Anna would out live Ralph and would carry on for another thirteen years staying very active in her church, Assumption Catholic Church and to see Grandkids and Great-Grand kids make their way into this earthly adventure. Anna was a loving sister, wife, mother and friend she will be sorely missed. God blessed us with her – thanks be to God.