We mournfully announce the passing of Anna Hacker, 78, of Tucson, AZ. Anna passed away on 8/29/2022, in her home.
Anna, born to Jacob & Anna Hacker, took her first breath on 9/17/1943. Anna was a force to be reckoned with from the get go, graduating from Wallkill, NY in 1961 and SUNY New Paltz, NY in 1967. She pursued and was awarded a degree in Elementary Education.
After graduation, she taught at several international schools in Laos, Venezuela, Algeria, Brunei and Afghanistan. Later she became a publisher's representative for various American textbook companies and traveled all over the Middle East as well as Asia to the various schools who followed an American curriculum and used American books. During this phase of her lifer her home base was in Wiesbaden, Germany.
After retiring, Anna settled in Tucson, AZ. However, "retirement" was not in her vocabulary. During her teaching years in Afghanistan, she gained a love for the Afghan people who had been so hospitable to her. When visiting her Afghan family throughout the years she saw a real need for education for Afghan women. So, in the early 2000's, Anna developed and executed a plan to build an educational center for women and children in Kabul. She enlisted the aid of an American architect to draw up plans for the center and then worked diligently to raise funds to build and furnish the center. The Afghan Women's Education Center opened in 2014. Anna was the major force in staffing and keeping the center open until the Taliban took over in August 2021 and closed the center.
Anna loved to travel and learned tolerance and appreciation for other cultures, foods, experiences, and people - not so much languages. Her travels afforded her the opportunity to learn many life lessons. Among those she learned, she chose to spread kindness with her community at large.
While Anna never married, she lived a full and vibrant life with more friends than you could count. With a sparkle in her blue eyes and forever putting others first, she made an impact in so many peoples lives. Her strong personality will be remembered along with how she so easily made everyone laugh. She was one of a kind and will be missed dearly.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Colonial Verde Club House in Tucson, AZ on 11/05/2022 from 2-4pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to:
Casa Del Los Ninos:
https://casadelosninos.org/how-to-help/donate/
Sussman-Miller Educational Assistance Fund:
https://albuquerquecf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=1610
Southern Arizona Community Food Bank:
https://donate.communityfoodbank.org/give/111894/#!/donation/checkout