Anne Angela Kerr

Anne Angela Borsinou was born in Lefkada, Greece on November 8, 1930, the fourth daughter of Simeon and Kalliopi (Koretou-Arvenakis) Borsinou. When she was very young, her family moved to Thessaloniki, Greece, which she considered her hometown.

Anne’s childhood was interrupted by the terror of first the Italian (1940) and then the Nazi (1941) invasion and occupation of Greece. She was forever traumatized by the events of the war, including the loss of friends and neighbors to the brutality of the Holocaust, and spoke little of it for decades.

In 1948 during the Greek Civil War, her sister, Polixeni (Janie) introduced her to Don Kerr, an American airman stationed in Greece as a United Nations observer. Anne and Don married after a brief courtship and were passionately devoted to one another until Don’s death in 2010.

After marrying, the Kerrs relocated to the United States and soon had three children, Pamela, Michael and Theresa. While they moved all over for Don’s Air Force career, the Kerrs always returned to Northern Virginia, settling first in Arlington and then Vienna. Upon Don’s retirement from the Department of Defense in 1974, Anne and Don relocated to Williamsburg, Virginia, where they were the original owners of the Green Leafe Cafe.

Anne and Don traveled extensively and split their time between Greece and Williamsburg in the 1980s and 1990s. She was proud to have visited Turkey nine times, as well as the Holy Land and much of Europe. She loved to travel with friends and family and to visit her youngest daughter in California.

Devoutly Greek Orthodox, Anne along with Don were founding parishioners at two churches in Virginia, Saint Katherine in Falls Church, and St. Demetrios in Williamsburg.

A lifelong animal lover, Anne was owned by numerous dogs and cats, and had a great affection for orange cats, most recently BC (Bad Cat) the Second and Alex, who provided her with great comfort after Don’s death. Alex stayed in her bedroom, near her until the end.

Known to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren as “Mama Anna,” Anne was a proud matriarch, with three children, 10 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren, about whom she loved to tell stories.

Anne was an extraordinary cook. Her spanakopita, dolmades, kourambiethes, baklava, and koulourakia were a staple of holidays and events. Her avgolemono was the best part of holiday leftovers. She filled the homes of her loved ones with crocheted afghans.

Described as “like a character in a book,” Anne had a big heart and a bigger personality. She loved sequins and sparkles, jingly bangle bracelets and jewelry, bright colors, dressing up for parties, and to make an entrance. She was opinionated, independent, strong willed, and the kind of woman it was impossible to forget. She was deeply loved by her family and she will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

Anne was predeceased by her beloved husband, Don Kerr; in addition to her three sisters, Maria, Vasiliki (Betsy), and Polixeni (Janie). She is survived by her daughters, Pamela (John),Theresa (Michael); and her son, Michael (Diane); her grandchildren, Michelle (Mark), Todd (Rachel), James (Liane), John (Paige), Timothy (Sophie), Genevieve, Alexandra, Nicholas, Carson, and Dean; her great-grandchildren, Elizabeth, Thomas, John, Grace, Eleanor, Charles, Katherine, Robert, Penelope, and June; many nephews, nieces, and friends; and her beloved orange tabby cat, Alex.

Services will be held on Wednesday, January 3 at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church beginning at 9:30 AM. Interment will follow at Williamsburg Memorial Park, 130 King William Dr., Williamsburg.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in her honor to St. Demetrios Church, 4900 Mooretown Rd, Williamsburg, VA 23188.