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BY ROZELLA HARDIN
Editorial Director
rozella.hardin@elizabethton.com
Anna Banner was one of those people, who it was a treat to know. She was a very caring and loving person, and had worked over half of her life as a nurse.
Anna was 102 years old when she died July 22 in Rapid City, S.D., where she had been living since 2017 with her only daughter, Ruth. Prior to that she lived for a time in Virginia with her son, Skip.
Alma was the widow of Herrmann Banner, who for many years was over the Selective Service Board in Carter County. Her daughter shared that Anna met Herrmann while she was working as a nurse at Fort Polk, La. He was being treated for a wound received during World War II, and she was his nurse. And, that’s how she ended up in Elizabethton.
Had she lived, Anna would have celebrated her 103rd birthday this past Sunday.
Anna was the oldest of nine children and grew up in Johnstown, Pa.
Anna began her nursing career during World War II as an Army nurse. She continued her career after moving to Elizabethton, working at the old Franklin Clinic and Carter County Memorial Hospital before retiring from the Veterans Administration at Mountain Home.
An associate and friend, Rita Fuerste Schuettler, wrote on the funeral home guestbook for Anna: “I can still remember when Mrs. Banner came to Elizabethton and became a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church. Much later, I was fortunate to have her as my nurse at Carter County Memorial Hospital and also the VA Hospital. She was the blueprint of a professional nurse! She was so focused, kind, and caring.”
Anna enjoyed being around people and being involved in community activities. She attended church at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Johnson City, where she was active in the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League. Her daughter said she seldom missed a church service or activity. “She was faithful, first to the Lord, and then to her church,” said Ruth.
In addition to her work and church activities, Anna in past years had been active in the Elizabethton B & PW Club, the Democrat Women, and the Elizabethton Senior Center. “When she was active in the Business and Professional Women, she had a long list of people she sold pecans to — a fundraiser for the club,” Ruth said.
One of her lesser-known talents was that of seamstress. “She enjoyed sewing and when I was growing up, she made many of my clothes, including a prom dress. She was a very good seamstress. And, she loved to crochet, too,” said Ruth.
“I also remember that she loved to gather vegetables from my Grandmother Banner’s garden and can them. When she would get off from work, we would often go to the garden and gather beans, tomatoes, and other vegetables to not only cook, but to can. She was a very good cook, and one of her favorite things to make for church social events was deviled eggs. Everyone loved her deviled eggs,” the daughter shared.
“Like my dad, my mother held to her beliefs and opinons, but she did it in a loving way. To people who knew her, she was a lot of fun and enjoyed her independence as she grew older,” Ruth said.
“Anna was able to live alone until she was 94 or 95 years of age, and she drove her car up until that time. She would drive to church, to the grocery store, to the doctor and places close by. She suffered a fall and was unable to get up and that is when we knew she could no longer live alone,” her daugher said.
Anna and Herrmann did a lot. They traveled to church conventions, and to many other places. “They went to Hawaii, Novia Scotia, and when my brother and I were younger, we always went somewhere every summer. They were good parents,” Ruth shared.
Friends will tell you that Anna enjoyed being with people and was a lot of fun. A fellow church member shared that she was fun to be around and added much to the occasion by just her presence. She was kind, loving, and spunky. She will not soon be forgotten,” the church member said.
Anna Banner was one of those people that set high standards for herself, and she gave much back to her community. It was a treat to have known her.