Anna Preisinger

Anna was born in Perryville, Maryland, in 1945, the youngest child of Jeanette and Hubert Burke and baby sister to Charles and Harold. She graduated from the University of Delaware with high honors and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She received her master’s degree in education from Johns Hopkins University. She taught in the Maryland Public Schools before going on to teach around the world, including night classes, English as a second language, and a wide variety of other topics. She ultimately settled in the Midwest, where she was a beloved teacher of middle school students at LaVista Junior High before retiring.

During Anna’s extraordinary life, she attended the National Youth Conference on the Atom in 1962, saw the pyramids at Giza, lived in Germany when the Berlin Wall came down, and inspired at least hundreds of readers and learners. She knew the perfect word for any situation, appreciated beautiful dishes, and shared with friends the joy of an afternoon coffee. She was an avid bridge player, reader, quilter, and teller of wicked jokes. She loved her daughter and her grand-dogs with her whole heart, as they do in return.

Anna was predeceased by her parents, Jeanette and Hubert Burke as well as her brothers Charles and Harold. Anna is survived by her daughter Sarah (husband Tanner Powell), nieces Mary Boggs (Bill) and Betsy Vanderbeek (Rich) as well as a bevy of beloved friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed in Anna’s name to Basset and Beagle Rescue of the Heartland.

The best way to honor Anna is to raise a glass of your favorite beverage (or, let’s be honest, a whiskey) while gathered with friends and laughing.