Anna-Marie Burgess Klein, 86, died Feb. 20, 2018.
She grew up in St. Anthony Park, the second of five children of Andrew and Constance Burgess. At Minnehaha Academy, she met her best friend, Jody LeVahn, a friendship that endured a lifetime.
She majored in religious studies and English at St. Olaf College (class of 1953), then headed west, working in Lutheran mission churches.
In 1955, she married Don Klein, wearing a blue brocade dress, a sign of her unique spirit. They first lived in Norfolk, Va., where she taught school while Don was in the U.S. Navy. They lived in Liverpool, England, and St. Paul, moving to Kirkland, Wash., in 1968, where they lived for the rest of their lives.
They have four children, John (Maria Pastoor), Andrew (Mary Gabriel), Joanne and Paul, and two grandchildren. Anna-Marie lived a life of faith. She brought her natural leadership skills to her work for Lutheran Home Missions as a young woman and again in her 60s. She served on ELCA mission committees, often as the only woman and layperson. When asked to act as secretary or make coffee, she politely declined.
Anna-Marie lwill be very much missed by her husband, Don; her children and grandchildren; her brothers, Andrew (Jan Schuetz) and Joseph; and her brother-in-law, Richard. A memorial service was held at Bothell, Wash., March 21.
