Anna attended school in Greenwood through the 6th grade and then graduated from Waverly High School in 1961. She attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and graduated in 1965 with a bachelor’s degree in German and minors in English and History. That summer she completed student teaching and received her teaching certificate. Anna went on to teach for six years at Elmwood, Ashland, Tri-County in De Witt and Centennial. She then went back to UNL for two years as a teaching assistant. After four years as a grad student Anna received her master’s degree in German in 1975. In 1980, she moved to Dalton and taught at Layton Public Schools for two years.
In 1982, Anna moved to Eagle and met Tom at Shirley’s restaurant in Waverly. They married on August 1, 1986, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Greenwood. During that time, Anna worked for a while at Ameritas and as a substitute teacher in the Lincoln and Omaha area. She spent her last year teaching at a middle school in Omaha during the 2000-2001 school year. Anna also spent her time raising chickens and peacocks, gardening, farming, selling produce and giving tours at the Bess Streeter Aldrich house in Elmwood. She then worked at Pioneers Park in Lincoln leading nature hikes and teaching kids about the environment.
Anna was a member of the Nebraska Chaparral Poets. During the last two and a half years, Anna was cared for by the compassionate staff members of High Plains who called her “Anna Banana”.
Family members include her beloved Cocker-Spaniel, Tonto; her children Barton (Karyn) Kroeger, Chicago, IL; Frazier (Deborah) Kroeger, Longmont, CO; and Tanya (Shawn) Powell, Lincoln, NE; grandchildren Colin, Lauren and Sean Kroeger, Kaizer and Matilda Kroeger and Alexis Korn Araya (Josué Araya Ugalde), Jade and Hayden Korn; and great-grandchildren María, Béllamy and Lénox Araya Korn; sister Meg King (Tim O’Connor), Custer, SD; sister-in-law Jan Marolf, Gothenburg, NE; aunt Darlene Marolf, Waverly, NE; as well as many cousins, nieces, nephews, friends, cats and dogs. Preceded in death by her husband Tom, parents, and brother Richard Marolf.
Visitation will be at 4:00 p.m. followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 5:00 pm on Saturday (9-28-24) at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 7 Oak Street, Greenwood, NE. Burial in Greenwood Memorial Cemetery, Greenwood, NE.
Memorials to the family for future designation.