Anna M. Richard

Born in Fitchburg, MA on March 24, 1925 to the late Andrew M. Hawthorne and Annie (Sullivan) Hawthorne. She was the youngest of 7 children.

Anna attended the East Street School and graduated from St. Bernard’s High School as a member of the Class of 1944.

In 1944, Anna accepted a position with New England Telephone as a Telephone Operator. In 1978, after 34 years of service, Anna retired from New England Telephone.

She is predeceased by her husband of 72 years, Joseph G, Richard, who passed away on April 18, 2025. They spent the first 15 years of their marriage living in Fitchburg but as time went on, they moved to Shirley and Leominster, MA. After retirement and having the desire for a warmer climate, they moved to Bonita Springs, FL and subsequently moved to Brooksville, FL.

Anna loved to be on the go; whether it was a shopping trip to Boston or a jaunt through Europe. Whether by car, train, boat or plane, Anna and her husband were always ready to pack a bag and head off on an adventure. Their travels took them throughout the US, Latin American, Canada, the Caribbean, as well as Western and Eastern Europe and the Northern section of Africa, Greece and Turkey.

The youngest of seven children, Anna is predeceased by her sister, Eleanor (Hawthorne) Shea and her husband T. Harold Shea. She is also predeceased by her five brothers – Joseph “Buster” Hawthorne and his wife Anne (Dunleavy) Hawthorne, Francis Hawthorne and his wife Anne (Riordon) Hawthorne, Andrew Hawthorne and his wife Rita (Kittredge) Hawthorne, William Hawthorne and Donald Hawthorne and his wife Barbara (Charbonneau) Hawthorne.

Anna is survived by four generations of nieces and nephews.

For many years Anna suffered with a condition known as Spasmodic Dysphonic. This condition affected her larynx and voice box making speaking clearly and consistently difficult. For many years she was treated with Botox injection in her larynx and voice box which provided an improvement to her speaking ability. These injections had limited effectiveness and as she aged they became increasingly less effective.

To honor Anna’s memory, please consider a contribution to:

Dysphonia International

https://nsda.app.neoncrm.com/forms/donations

Cremation is being handled by the National Cremation Society. There are no Funeral Services planned at this time.