Obituary of Anna Mae Connor

Anna Mae Connor (1930 - 2025) 

Anna Mae Connor lived a life devoted to family and friends. On May 1, at the age of 94, she passed away with her children by her side, leaving behind a legacy of warmth, hard work and cherished memories.

Anna Mae was born in Chester on October 5, 1930, to Clifford and Margaret Elizabeth (nee Saville) "Honey" Fuhrman. Anna Mae was raised by Honey in a single parent family. 

Anna Mae was predeceased by her husband William J. "Bill" Connor, Junior. Bill was a World War II veteran, junior high school teacher and football coach, and devotee of Ridley football. Bill passed on July 3, 2003.

Anna Mae's children are Patricia "Pati" Austin (William "Greg"), William J. "Bill" or "Bucky" Connor, III (Catherine nee Henderson) and the late Kevin Dale Connor. Grandchildren are Sara Anne Connor (Steve Grisanti) and Kevin Henderson Connor (Maura Jean O'Neill, PhD). Great-grandchildren are Grace Catherine Grisanti, Teddy Grisanti, Molly Jean Connor and Caoimhe Anne Connor. 

Anna Mae is survived by her cousins Phyllis (nee Hunter) Russell (William, deceased), Janet (nee Hunter) Russello (Joseph, deceased) and their children and grandchildren. Phyllis and Janet were ring bearer and flower girl in Anna Mae's wedding, and Anna Mae babysat them as they grew up.

Anna Mae was predeceased by cousin Wayne Hussey. Wayne was the 1957 West Chester "Ram", and he was an Anchorage University professor. 

Anna Mae's role models were her mother's siblings. Reba (nee Saville) Hussey was her Aunt Rebe. Frank Saville was her Uncle Frank; he gave Anna Mae away at her wedding. Mildred (nee Saville) Hunter was her Aunt Boda, and Aunt Boda's husband Irvin Hunter was her Uncle Obie. Uncle Obie carved the figure of a man Anna Mae most admired: quiet, resourceful and always there if you needed him. Aunt Boda provided a voice of reason for Anna Mae.

Anna Mae was the last survivor of the 6 Connor sisters. She was not born a Connor sister, but she earned that honor by marrying the sole Connor brother and by her friendship with her late, natural-born Connor sisters: Peggy, Tessi, Rosemarie, Bootsie and Joan. Anna Mae is survived by many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends on the Connor side of her family.

Among Anna Mae's surviving friends are Natalie Quinney and Peggy Eastburn. Natalie and Anna Mae were very close; they lived across the street from one another for over 3 decades. Peggy was an ever-present positive force in Anna Mae's life. Bob and Pat Suter were generous next-door-neighbors to Anna Mae (and her mother) on Concord Road. 

What follows are more details about Anna Mae and events in her life.

For the first 6 years of her life, Anna Mae was primarily raised by Annie Saville, her maternal grandmother. In February, 1937, Annie Saville suffered a stroke and passed shortly thereafter. This resulted in Anna Mae and Honey moving out on their own. 

Honey was a working mother. While Anna Mae was growing up, Honey worked in a textile mill. In the morning, Honey often had to leave for work before Anna Mae went to school. After Honey left for work, Anna Mae would sit on a kitchen chair and watch the clock. When the big hand hit a certain number, she started her walk to school. Later, Honey's workmates at the textile mill would look out a factory window to watch for Anna Mae and verify she was headed to school. 

During and after her high school years Anna Mae enjoyed jitterbugging at dances. Around the time of her graduation from Chester High School in 1948, she could attend a dance in Chester on any of the 7 days of the week.

In the early 1950s, Bill and Anna Mae met in an Eddystone bar that Bill was bartending in. Anna Mae was escorted to the bar by her mother and her mother's boyfriend. When it became clear that Anna Mae was smitten by Bill's good looks, the boyfriend introduced Bill to Anna Mae. The 2 were married on a snowy January 9, 1954, in St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Eddystone.

Anna Mae and Bill, members of the greatest generation, completed their contribution of 3 children to the baby boom generation in 1960. The Connor household was established in the new Bridgewater Farms development in Aston Township, Delaware County. Anna Mae worked very hard to provide a comfortable and stable household for her family.

Anna Mae endured immense grief when her son Kevin suddenly died as a result of a car accident. This occurred in March, 1979, when Kevin was a freshman at what is now the Penn State Brandywine campus. The only positive outcome of this event was Anna Mae became a prolific handcrafter. This enabled her to cope with her decades-long grief. She was a knitter, crocheter and needle pointer. She made booties and hats for premature babies at a local hospital, as well as blankets and other craftworks for herself and for friends and family members. If Anna Mae knew of a woman having a baby, that person was sure to get a crocheted or knitted blanket from Anna Mae. Anna Mae was always working on a craft project until the ravages of dementia took hold. 

Besides hosting her family, Anna Mae's favorite thing to do was to be with her friends. She and husband Bill founded the Bridgewater Gang, which was an informal group of neighbors living in Bridgewater Farms. The gang had parties and progressive dinners. 

Anna Mae and Bill's New Year's Eve parties sometimes ended as the sun came up. After a short rest, the men in the gang would resume the party with "bloody Mary's" in time for the start of the football bowl games. The Bridgewater Gang would also go to "away parties", such as the yearly Super Bowl Party at Hoot and Annie's house. And there was always the Christmas brunch hosted by Pat and Carl Brown. 

After her children had grown and moved out, Anna Mae spent much of her time taking care of her husband and mother. After Honey passed in February of 2003, and Bill passed in July of 2003, Anna Mae continued to live in Aston for 10 years. She then moved to the Glen Hardie Continuums to be near her grandchildren. 

Anna Mae went on many road trips with 2 in-laws: the late Danny Murray and the late Joan Owens. One trip involved going to Florida to see her niece Missy Murray-Lansing and to visit the Murray establishments in Florida. Anna Mae had many jobs throughout her life. Prior to becoming a mother, she worked as a babysitter, a cashier in a Chester 5&10 and as a secretary at Piasecki Helicopter Corporation. Anna Mae also worked for Bell Telephone in customer service and in testing.

After her children had grown to school-age and beyond, Anna Mae worked as a data analyst for the Franklin Mint, as a salesperson for Strawbridge's, as a cashier for JoAnn Fabrics, as a child caretaker for the Aston Presbyterian Church Daycare and as a clerk in the pension office for employees of the Chester-Upland School District.

Anna Mae's favorite job was at the Franklin Mint because of the fun group she worked with and because of the problem solving she had to do. She especially enjoyed interacting with the computer programmers to help track down bugs in the computer system. Her dear and talented friend Charlotte Day provided her with a myriad of fun memories. Anna Mae loved Charlotte and enjoyed her wit and creativity. Anna Mae and Bill also socialized with Charlotte and husband George outside the office.

One of Anna Mae's most cherished volunteer activities was working with friends at the Assisi House in Aston, a retirement convent serving the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia. 

Anna Mae's family extends heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Beck Soderberg and to the compassionate caregivers at Wayne Center for their unwavering care and support. 

Anna Mae's legacy is written in the hearts of those who knew her. She leaves behind a family forever grateful for her guidance, love and unwavering strength. Anna Mae lived a good life.

Visitation: Wednesday, May 7th after 10:00AM at the Minshall Shropshire-Bleyler Funeral Home, Middletown (Rte. #352) & Knowlton Rds., Middletown Twp., Media, PA 19063.

Funeral Service: Wednesday, May 7th at 11:00AM at the funeral home.

Interment: Mt. Hope Cemetery.