Anne Katherine

Having given so much of her heart to the world that there was simply no more to give, Anne Katherine, previously known as both Anne Tounge and Anne Kaszar, died surrounded by loved ones on September 18, 2017, in Portland, Maine. Anne was born in Cincinnati, OH, on March 11, 1956, the first daughter of Joy Ellen (Bulson) Tounge and the late Ralph Irving Tounge. She spent her formative years in Cincinnati, a devoted older sister to Terry (O'Kane), Tom, and Mary Beth. In her childhood days, she was a book reader, a Captain Kangaroo watcher, a Girl Scout trooper, a puzzle piece duster, a Catholic schooler, and a sibling caretaker. Her family was central to her lifea�"she relished her family trips to Michigan to visit her maternal grandparents, Gladys and Irving, and to Maine to visit her paternal grandmother, Margaret, all six family members squeezed into one small car.

As the years went by, her intellectual gifts and the great care she applied to every task were made clear. She attended McNicholas High School, where she played the bass drum in the marching band, sang in the chorus, performed in school musicals, and wrote beautiful papers in longhand. Upon graduating, she received the prestigious McNicholas Award for academic excellence, service to community, and strength of character. She attended Marietta College, earning a bachelor's degree in European History Pre- Age of Reason. During her college years she was a member of Sigma Kappa sorority.

After several post-college years in Boston, Anne returned to Ohio and started a family of her own. Her three childrena�"Francis, David, and Abigaela�"were the jewels of her life. As with all other pursuits, she approached motherhood with kindness, determination, care, intelligence, creativity, strength, warmth, and an indefatigable spirit. In the past few years she has also been the finest grandmother a child could ask for, offering love and laughter and stickers and songs to her grandchildren Tallulah and Carter.

Through everything else, Anne's true vocation was education. She touched the lives of countless students and parents as an English teacher at Magnificat High School, a religion and English teacher at Sts. Cosmas and Damian Catholic School, a religious education teacher at St. Mary Catholic Church, a substitute teacher of all subjects, and a private tutor. In recognition of her extraordinary natural gifts as an educator, Anne received the Plain Dealer's Crystal Apple Teaching Award in 2004 and was named to the National Honor Rolls Outstanding American Teachers in 2005. The lessons she taught, both academic and in how to lead a good and honorable life, will resonate in the world long after she is gone.

In her final years, Anne devoted herself more fully to volunteer work, spending innumerable hours at the Village of St. Edward, the Twinsburg Public Library, an Akron homeless shelter, and literacy programs in Cleveland. Service to community was nothing new to Anne. Over the course of her adult life she gave dozens of pints of blood, baked hundreds of treats for people going through rough times, and wrapped thousands of presents for the annual giving tree at St. Mary Catholic Church, among many other ways of giving of herself fully to the world. She was also proud to serve her Lord by becoming an associate of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary. In her spare time these last few years, she also dedicated herself to continuing education, working diligently towards a master's degree in Theology, for no reason other than personal fulfillment.

We will remember Anne's laughter, her faith, and her determination. We will remember her 25-year commitment to the choir at St. Mary Catholic Church, the most wonderful letters and thank-you notes anyone could write, the enjoyment she got from her book club, her interest in arcane bits of history, and her devotion to animals. We will remember her charming eccentricities, the genuine warmth she offered so freely, her unique taste in music, her dedication to protecting the environment, her fascination with etymology, and her green bean casserole. Anne Katherine was a beautiful soul, and she will be missed.

Visitation will be held at the Chapel at the Village of St. Edward (3131 Smith Rd, Fairlawn, OH 44333) on September 25 from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m., and a funeral Mass at St. Mary Catholic Church (340 N Main St, Hudson, OH 44236) will follow on September 26 at 11:00 a.m. Arrangements by Brown-Forward Funeral Home. The family requests that those who wish to honor her memory make donations to the Humane Society of Summit County or the Village of St. Edward in Fairlawn, or simply by volunteering your time at a location of your choice.