Anne L. Campana

She is survived by her sons, Dr. Richard Campana (Galina), Skip Campana (Colleen), and JC Pierce; and her social liberator Ms. Georgeanna Poling and “newest daughter” Elena Ramos; grandchildren, Ron Jr. (Caley), Rachel (Dan Smith), Vincent III, Elise, Megan, Juliet, Richard, and Brittain; great-grandchildren, Nathan, Calvin, and Ada; and very special friend, Mrs. Betty Campbell. She was preceded in death by her husband, Vincent Campana Sr. and sons, Dr. Robert A. Campana and Ronald A. Campana.

Anne also leaves behind her sister, “Dr.” Francesca Hess (Wayne) of Laurens, NY; her brother, Leonard Zullo (Lee) of Naples, FL; a large extended family of nephews and nieces, including Donna and Bill, who stood the watch over her last days; and Tom, who supplied her with a plethora of lottery tickets. She was predeceased by two more brothers, Anthony and John Zullo, and her sister and brother-in-law, Marie and Edward Welch.

Anne was born in the small railroad town of Mechanicville, NY. Her father was an immigrant from Italy who left in order to make his American Dream come true. Just like her father, Anne was determined to make her own dreams come true, and she traveled all over the world, fulfilling her mantra of “the world is my oyster!” At age 18, following the declaration of WWII, she accepted a civil service position with the Treasury Department in Washington. In 1942 she went to the Panama Canal Zone with the Health Department and at the end of the war, she joined the Allied Military Government in Frankfurt, Germany, where her duties included taking notes from German officers awaiting trial for war crimes. Once an opening became available at the American Embassy in Rome, Italy, she joined the Treasury Representative there before transferring to the American Embassy in London. While at the Rome Embassy, she met her husband Vincent, an American from Brooklyn, NY, who fell in love with her quickly. They were married the following year in London, where their four sons were born. While there, they were especially close with Alan Ladd, and were on the set with him when he starred in the movie “Shane.”

Anne loved London, where there were menus to plan, shopping, nannies, housekeepers, gardeners, celebrities and work. She loved the work and the activity, but after 12 years there, she decided her fine young men needed to come home to America. In 1957, her time in London closed like a great chapter in a book while a new one awaited her in Williamsburg, VA. Anne was in her mid-30s by this time and ready to make the move to this sleepy little town. Here, Vincent joined the U.S. Government at Ft. Eustis as a technical transportation specialist while Anne worked as an administrative assistant in the Public Relations department of Colonial Williamsburg, retiring in 1986 after 28 years. There were all kinds of changes and adjustments to be made. With four active sons to educate and full-time work, she soon settled into a new rhythm. Life was full and Anne learned to be happy in her new surroundings. It was nothing like her life in London but it was now home and she would make the best of it. Following her retirement, she worked 20 years at First Med of Williamsburg in Dr. Richard Campana’s (she took such pride in “my son, the doctor!”) medical clinic.

Family was everything to Anne, and she viewed her four sons as “worth their weight in pure gold.” This was exemplified through the whole family’s involvement with the Boy Scout program. Her husband was the Scoutmaster of Troop 106, and all her sons achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Meanwhile, the entire troop enjoyed Anne’s incredible cakes. Later, the family scouting tradition continued, as Dr. Campana went on to become a Scout leader, and Anne's grandchildren all joined Troop 103 – all of them becoming Eagle Scouts.

Those who loved Anne appreciated the twinkle still in her eye after many years, the spring in her step, the openness to learn new things (such as – efficiently - using her iPad) and her desire to go, go, go and go some more. As old chapters closed, and new chapters began, she embraced them all the best she knew how. Anne was quite simply incredible.

Please join family and friends from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 6 at Nelsen Funeral Home, 3785 Strawberry Plains Rd., Williamsburg as we celebrate Anne Campana’s life with balloons and peanut brittle.

In keeping with Anne’s spirit, memorial contributions may be made to Boy Scout Troop 103, c/o Williamsburg United Methodist Church, 500 Jamestown Rd., Williamsburg, VA 23185, Heritage Humane Society, 430 Waller Mill Rd., Williamsburg, VA 23185, or to the charity of your choice.

Online memories may be shared with the family at www.nelsencares.com.