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Born to Carl Neudert and Olga (Fritsch) Hannawald in Frohnau Czechoslovakia, on October 12, 1927, passed on to our Lord on Friday, January 29, 2021 in Wahiawa Heights, Oahu, in her home surrounded by those she loved.
Raised by her Oma and Opa on their village farm, young Anne helped take care of the family goats and milk the cows. Although she had plenty alone time walking her goats to forage in the surrounding hills, she also spent time with her cousins in the city.
During WW2, Anne was forced to leave Frohnau. She walked with a group of other villagers during the night, then hid in barns or haystacks in fields during the day, on their trek to Germany. During that walk, she experienced many of the war atrocities, being robbed of the few things she carried while she slept, being arrested and put on a train to Siberia, only to jump off the moving train and running for her life while being shot at. Once she reached Germany, she was taken in by her cousins. One evening Anne went to a carnival with her cousin and caught the attention of a group of American soldiers who were playing arcade games. The men started following the girls, making conversation and eventually agreed to meet again the next night at the carnival. The soldier that caught Anne's eye was Max (our Dad). Their romance continued to blossom from Furth to Nurnberg. They were married TWICE!! Once on October 13, 1948, by a judge in Furth, then, when their official papers arrived, they were remarried on October 16th on the military Post Catholic Chapel in Furth.
Dad's unit was being sent home and so in the Winter of 1948 they left Munich, Germany and flew to New York. They crossed the US by train to San Francisco and secured transport on the military ship the General Butner. Unfortunately, because it was a military ship, the men were bunked separate from the women and children. It was a five-day crossing before arriving in Pearl Harbor, Oahu. They were met by Max's dad, Eloy (Pop) and brother, Theodore (Dodo) Fernandez in his 1946 Chevrolet convertible! The drive out to Kunia Plantation Camp must have been a considerable culture shock to Anne, who spoke hardly any English. They lived in a two-bedroom home on Second Street. In 1954, they moved into their newly built home in Wahiawa. At the time, they were one of 5 homes on Dole Road surrounded by forest on three sides and the Peterson Farm with their cows and chickens across the road. It was an idyllic setting, raising five children and a menagerie of Pop's animals. To help make ends meet, Anne first tried working in the pineapple fields of C.P.C. (California Packing Corp, aka DelMonte), but immediately realized that was not for her. She then took in soldiers' uniforms to be ironed on a huge iron pressor in her kitchen, followed by a job at Navy 85 (now known as NCTAMS above Whitmore Village) in the snack shop and then a brief job as a waitress at the El Dorado Mexican Restaurant just outside of Wahiawa on the banks of Lake Wilson. Anne finally found her niche at Cornet Store in Wahiawa, where she formed friendships that lasted for years, even following the closing of the iconic Cornet. She worked her way up to assistant manager.
Anne was a self-taught woman. The rule in her home was for 'the kids' to only speak perfect English. This is how she learned to speak English, along with her subscription to the Illustrated Classics Magazine. She taught herself and later her 3 daughters, to sew their school dresses, shirts and pants. She loved working in her yard and being outdoors. Although she had a lifetime aversion to water (she didn't know how to swim), Anne would gladly pack up and go family camping for any 3 - 4 day weekend at the beach.
The travel bug was always in both Anne and Max, and they planted that love into their children. They would travel to Germany numerous times, to 'check-in' with cousins and introduce their growing family to them. They traveled throughout Europe, Japan, Korea, Australia, Canada, and Jamaica. They made numerous trips to all 11 western states along with Washington D.C., Virginia, Minnesota, Ohio, Florida and New York, checking in with all the National Parks along the way. And of course, there was always Las Vegas!
Being a member of a faith community was important to Anne. When she left the Catholic Church in the late 1950's she studied with the Jehovah Witness, Mormon Missionaries, sent her children to the Assembly of God and Church of the Nazarene. The family finally settled in with the United Methodist Church. Anne was an active member of the Women's Society of Christian Service, a Sunday School teacher, a den mother of a Cub Scout Pack, a Bible student and a faithful worshiper until her final days.
Preceded in death by her husband Max, Anne is survived by her children: Jeany (Doug) Wheeler, Maxine Wheeler, Rosie (Joey) Dowson, Joey (Yong Suk) Nonies, Max, Jr. (Loretta) Nonies; 10 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.
A private family Celebration of Life will be held at
Mililani Memorial Park on Monday, April 26, 2021 at 10:00 a.m.
Burial to follow at 11:30 a.m., at which time friends are welcomed.
(face masks and Covid 19 guidelines will be observed)
You will always be in our hearts, Mom.
"…And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23:6
