Memories of Anne Junko Marchessault

In memory of

Anne Junko Marchessault

Pittsburgh, PA, USA

December 26, 1967 - October 7, 2020

Dec 26, 1967 - Oct 7, 2020

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Linda Johnson

Shared a heart

Linda Johnson

My sweet remembrance of Anne, will always be of our conversations about food recipes. We'd always converse about the PBS show, the "The Chef and the Farmer". Vivian Howard in Kinston, North Carolina. ❤️❤️❤️

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Linda Johnson

Patricia Anne Kelly

I remember hiring Anne to teach at Bowen School. I pursued her at the recruitment site even though I wasn’t sure there would be an opening. She was always so positive always seeing the best in our children along with their potential. We enjoyed many laughs together. I especially enjoyed her spirit. What a loss!

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In lieu of flowers, consider a gift to Ally's Wish or Plant a Tree or a Fund for her Children.

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Judd Evans

2016, Connellsville, PA

Pictures at my Mom's

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Melissa Johnson

Linda Johnson

Comments:

Judd Evans

Holding Anne in my heart a little more tenderly today. "Wish things were different".
All my love 💓 to... Read more Holding Anne in my heart a little more tenderly today. "Wish things were different".
All my love 💓 to her, always. Holding Anne in my heart a little more tenderly today.... Read more

Melissa Johnson

Love these Judd! Thank you for sharing! Love these Judd! Thank you for sharing! Love these Judd! Thank you for sharing!

Linda Johnson

Judd I hope all is well with you and the kids. Judd I hope all is well with you and the kids. Judd I hope all is well with you and the kids.

Linda Johnson

I will always remember Ann's sweet smile and spirit. What beautiful soul. Gone, but never forgotten 💔 ❤. She never once complained to me, during her treatments. We talked about food, and different recipes. I'm so blessed to have known her.

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Judd Evans

Comments:

Judd Evans

It's so nice to hear you recall these qualities of Anne's. I remember you and several other nurses and staff... Read more It's so nice to hear you recall these qualities of Anne's. I remember you and several other nurses and staff who made those treatments... Read more It's so nice to hear you recall these qualities of ... Read more

Linda Johnson

I just want to thank you sincerely from my heart ❤️. I piece of her, I will carry close to my heart. ... Read more I just want to thank you sincerely from my heart ❤️. I piece of her, I will carry close to my heart. What an honor to have... Read more I just want to thank you sincerely from my heart ❤️.... Read more

Linda Johnson

Shared a heart

Barbara Lewis

Just found this sweet photo of Anne, Art, and Steven among my mother's old photos. Miss you, cousin!

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Linda Johnson

Judd Evans

I'm holding you forever, Anne.

https://youtu.be/nZLji1xy3Uw

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Holly Holliday

Phoebe Charlson

I know i’m a little late to the train but i thought i would shair how my mom ALWAYS had some sort of animal on her❤️

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Phoebe Charlson

Lisa Varnberg

Judd Evans

Holly Holliday

Barbara Lewis

Linda Johnson

Comments:

Randy Berger

Thanks for sharing Phoebe, Your Mom was special and very kind to all! Thanks for sharing Phoebe, Your Mom was special and very kind to all! Thanks for sharing Phoebe, Your Mom was special and... Read more

Lisa Varnberg

PHOEBE!! What a wonderful suprise to these pictures this morning. Your mother had tremendous love in her!... Read more PHOEBE!! What a wonderful suprise to these pictures this morning. Your mother had tremendous love in her! We love you!! Xxx PHOEBE!! What a wonderful suprise to these pictures... Read more

Judd Evans

Very nice Phoebs!! Very nice Phoebs!! Very nice Phoebs!!

Holly Holliday

So true Phoebe! So true. So true Phoebe! So true. So true Phoebe! So true.

Linda Johnson

Your mom was very special. When I think of her; I smile!😊 Your mom was very special. When I think of her; I smile!😊 Your mom was very special. When I think of her; I ... Read more

Judd Evans

Hathaway Point, St Albans, VT

Barbara Lewis

Phoebe Charlson

Linda Johnson

Judd Evans

2017, Spruce Hollow, near my Mom's

Natural Beauty

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Sarah Tuthill

Barbara Lewis

Holly Holliday

Linda Johnson

Comments:

Sarah Tuthill

Beautiful. Think of her - and you - every day. Beautiful. Think of her - and you - every day. Beautiful. Think of her - and you - every day.

Steven Marchessault

1976, St Albans City, VT, USA

At the beach... where time stands still.

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Barbara Lewis

Judd Evans

Tricia Meehan

Holly Holliday

Judd Evans

Linda Johnson

Comments:

Steven Marchessault

I have not shared anything on this site about my sister Anne because I could never formulate the words to... Read more I have not shared anything on this site about my sister Anne because I could never formulate the words to describe how much she... Read more I have not shared anything on this site about my sister... Read more

Annalise Marchessault

Couldn’t have said it better Couldn’t have said it better Couldn’t have said it better

Holly Holliday

Love that photo, Steven. I feel your pain. Love that photo, Steven. I feel your pain. Love that photo, Steven. I feel your pain.

Randy Berger

Steven, yes , Anne personified all of those characteristics..I miss her! Steven, yes , Anne personified all of those characteristics..I miss her! Steven, yes , Anne personified all of those characteristics..I... Read more

Martha McAward

Holly Holliday

Sarah Tuthill

Barbara Lewis

Linda Johnson

Comments:

Martha McAward

Anne was definitely the best of us. She was always smiling and so positive and loving. Just like she is... Read more Anne was definitely the best of us. She was always smiling and so positive and loving. Just like she is being in this picture... Read more Anne was definitely the best of us. She was always... Read more

Chelli R.

Ms. MC, as we called her, was a wonderful 2nd grade teacher. I remember her vividly, and stories about her dog Sachu! I’m so sad to hear that she passed. I feel lucky that I got to be her student.

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Judd Evans

2016

Anne's first treatment, four years ago.

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Holly Holliday

melissa Johnson

Barbara Lewis

Holly Holliday

Linda Johnson

Comments:

Randy Berger

Great stuff Judd, Anne was such a delight and will be greatly missed Great stuff Judd, Anne was such a delight and will be greatly missed Great stuff Judd, Anne was such a delight and will ... Read more

Holly Holliday

I hated to see how the cancer and the treatments ravaged such a beautiful woman I hated to see how the cancer and the treatments ravaged such a beautiful woman I hated to see how the cancer and the treatments ravaged... Read more

melissa Johnson

She was so strong and brave and you were her rock. She was so strong and brave and you were her rock. She was so strong and brave and you were her rock.

Linda Johnson

I remember this day. I remember this day. I remember this day.

Linda Johnson

It was truly an honor to have met Anne. She always had a smile on her cute face, even with the illness she was fighting. We'd often talk about food and cooking. I told her about a Chef show on PBS; called "The Chef". It was about a southern chef ; who left the big time, to move back to North Carolina and open a restaurant. Anne was so excited about. When she would come in we would talk about the show. She always want to get my mom's recipe for, Chicken and Dumplings". That never happened. I will forever remember her kind and sweet spirit. What a gift to this planet she was. My condolences to her family.

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Holly Holliday

Judd Evans

Holly Holliday

Comments:

Judd Evans

Anne loved that show, Linda. And food was such a wonderful passion for her. In the five years that I was... Read more Anne loved that show, Linda. And food was such a wonderful passion for her. In the five years that I was with her, rarely did... Read more Anne loved that show, Linda. And food was such a wonderful... Read more

Kim McAward

Shared a heart

Linda Johnson

Christy Schultz

2016, Chicago, IL, USA

My bestest sissy- (that’s how Anne signed everything to me)

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Kim McAward

Holly Holliday

Barbara Lewis

Judd Evans

Holly Holliday

Linda Johnson

Comments:

Holly Holliday

☹️ omg what a nice photo of you both 😀❤️ ☹️ omg what a nice photo of you both 😀❤️ ☹️ omg what a nice photo of you both 😀❤️

Barbara Lewis

Ohhhhh love this picture of you two SO much. Ohhhhh love this picture of you two SO much. Ohhhhh love this picture of you two SO much.

Holly Holliday

2012, Chicago

Anne and Holly - when life was easier

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Kristin Fox

Judd Evans

Holly Holliday

2012, Chicago

Anne and Holly - a friendship that mattered.

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Kristin Fox

Judd Evans

Holly Holliday

Thinking About What Matters
My Eulogy for Anne Marchessault
By Holly Holliday
Oct. 16, 2020

In 1983, Anne Marchessault walks into a classroom at Mt. St. Mary Seminary in Nashua, NH. She had just moved to NH with her family from MI and was starting a little late in the school year at this high school, and she was nervous. She was the “new kid.” It was a Catholic high school, and so the nuns who were the teachers there introduced Anne as the “new kid,” and she nervously looked around the classroom.

And then, she saw me waving her on. “Come sit next to me,” I said. I could sense the sigh of relief as she came to sit down next to me, and after some introductions, we started talking about boys!

And thus started our 37 year-long friendship.

When I think about the moments in my life that matter, Anne has always been there.

We had really fun times in high school together – being cheerleaders, going to the proms, going to the beach or Boston, or up to Anne’s family camp in St. Albans, VT. We were also lucky enough to go to college in the same state when Anne came to Pittsburgh to attend Duquesne University, and I went to Penn State. Thus we were not so far away and got to visit each other often, and had a lot of good times in college as well.

And then even after graduating – we never really worked or lived in the same state, but every time we’d get together, we’d find that we’d have the same hairstyle – or something else like that. We always had so much in common. However, we did not have the same sense of fashion. Oh no – Anne’s sense of fashion far surpassed mine! Her creativity and artistic approach in everything in life shone through in everything that she touched; whether it was just drawing a simple card, or designing jewelry or painting furniture, or cooking, or designing a room, and of course dressing herself --- Anne had a great sense of style.

And then we went on to have more moments that mattered in our lives, such as our weddings where we were each bridesmaids in each other’s weddings, and of course the birth of our children. Even before Anne had her own children, her love of children shone through in her years as a teacher – a 2nd grade teacher in Newton, MA. Her students loved her. She was a fantastic teacher. Highlights of her teaching career included teaching her students about history and important historical figures, about music, and even about themselves and how to be in touch with their own emotions.

And then she had her own children – Rye, Sammy, and Phoebe. And when I think about the moments that mattered when we would visit each other when our children were young, we had many good memories. Playing together with my son and her children, photography, going to the zoos, playing up at her camp again in St. Albans, VT. We had many, many good times. And when Anne cherished those moments with her children, it was because she devoted her full sense of self to loving her children and being a devoted mother. There were some little memories I have… I remember one time she was telling me that she took Phoebe to one of Phoebe’s soccer games and was watching the soccer coach have a hard time with the toddlers (it was a toddler soccer team). And Anne, with her usual confident self, walked up to the soccer coach and said “look, I may not know soccer, but I know kids. Let me help you coach this team.” And she went on to help Phoebe’s soccer team.

And when I think about other moments that matter, I also think about Anne’s family. Her family became like a second family to me – with her brother Art and Steven, sister Christy and brother Michael. And her stepmother Sharon, and her mother Junko, her father David, and her stepfather Hiroshi.

When I think about moments that mattered throughout these last few years, I wonder what mattered about our friendship? And what it really came down to was that Anne had this incredible ability to just really listen. She would listen with her full self, and then she would analyze and give me guidance. I would always think, “WWAD” – what would Anne do? Her insight and guidance really helped me through some of my hardest times in life, such as when my son was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. Anne was so upset, but she took charge again with her confident sense of self, and she called me with some of the names of the best doctors in town, had meals delivered, and really showed that she cared.

And I remember these past four years as well, as she battled pancreatic cancer. But I must say that I never once heard Anne complain. I never once saw Anne wallow in self-pity. She continued to enjoy life and exude her joy of living with her husband, Judd – not only her “husband” but her “angel” – her angel, Judd, and her children, and some dogs and cats, and about a dozen chickens and some ducks…she loved animals. She and Judd and her children set up a beautiful “gentle woman’s farm” at her cabin in Confluence, PA. So right up until the end, she embraced life and loved living.

So when I think about those moments that matter, I wonder – is it being remembered as a wonderful friend, a wonderful wife, mother, sister, daughter, cousin, aunt, teacher, cook, artist? Yes! Yes, all of those moments matter. But without love, it doesn’t matter.

And so when I think about my 37 year-long friendship with Anne Marchessault, I will think of LOVE above all else.

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Lisa Varnberg

Tricia Meehan

Melissa Johnson

Barbara Lewis

melissa Johnson

Judd Evans

Comments:

Lisa Varnberg

I so echo what you said, Holly. Anne had the uncanny ability to be related in all stages and ages of life.... Read more I so echo what you said, Holly. Anne had the uncanny ability to be related in all stages and ages of life. She was so thoughtful,... Read more I so echo what you said, Holly. Anne had the uncanny... Read more

Melissa Johnson

Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful tribute. Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful tribute. Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful tribute.... Read more

Randy Berger

What great stories, Holly..I also met Anne at a young age, around 17 or so, she worked with us as food concessionaires... Read more What great stories, Holly..I also met Anne at a young age, around 17 or so, she worked with us as food concessionaires throughout... Read more What great stories, Holly..I also met Anne at a young... Read more

Holly Holliday

@Lisa V - beautifully put. @Lisa V - beautifully put. @Lisa V - beautifully put.

Holly Holliday

@Randy - so lovely to read your messages. I long for those innocent times again! @Randy - so lovely to read your messages. I long for those innocent times again! @Randy - so lovely to read your messages. I long for... Read more

Tricia Meehan

Beautiful eulogy. Both of you were so lucky to have each other's friendship and love. Beautiful eulogy. Both of you were so lucky to have each other's friendship and love. Beautiful eulogy. Both of you were so lucky to have... Read more

Holly Holliday

Thank you, Tricia. We all were lucky. Thank you, Tricia. We all were lucky. Thank you, Tricia. We all were lucky.

Tricia Meehan

I was so sad to hear that Anne passed away. The world just won’t be as nice of a place without her in it. A true and loyal friend, I consider myself fortunate to have known her. I send my deepest condolences to her family and friends.

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