Obituary of Anna Henderson

September 1, 1919 – Gorizia, Italy

December 5, 2024 – Calgary, Alberta

Anna Henderson of Calgary, AB, passed away on Thursday, December 5, 2024, at the age of 105 years.

Anna was born on September 1, 1919, in Gorizia, Italy. Her father, Joseph Lorenzon was Austrian; her mother, Victoria, came from Yugoslavia. Anna was among the youngest of a large family (21 siblings and step-siblings). They all lived in Italy or Yugoslavia.

Anna spent her childhood in Gorizia, worked in Naples and Rome as a young adult, and moved to Scotland at the end of the war after marrying Walter Gordon Henderson. Walter, who was an engineer in the British Army during the Second World War, met Anna while stationed in Italy. They lived in a village near Edinburgh from 1945 to 1957 before relocating to Calgary with their two young children.

Although Anna had a good basic education, she left school in her early teens to work. Throughout her adult life, she was fluent in Italian, Yugoslavian, and English. As a young woman, Anna worked as a nursing assistant and a dental assistant in Naples and Rome. In Calgary, she was a professional cook at the Forest Lawn Hotel, and later housekeeper for a long-time client who became a family friend.

Anna was married to Walter for 36 years. They had two children,  son Frank, and daughter Ave. Walter passed away in 1979. Following his passing, Anna had a long-term relationship with her loving partner John Bruggeman.

During the prime of her life, Anna was a meticulous housekeeper, outstanding seamstress, talented cook, and avid gardener. She also travelled extensively with John, revisiting Italy and Yugoslavia and taking bus tours across Canada and through the United States. She lived independently in her Parkland condominium until the age of 95 when she moved to the Age-Care (Midnapore) facility.

A Celebration of Anna’s Life will be held privately by the family.

We will always remember Anna's bright spirit, sociable nature, many talents, and courage throughout her life. She loved her family, her Italian heritage, her garden, and her glass of red wine. We hope, like us, you will raise your glasses in a toast to Anna, and a long life well-lived.

Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed with Anna’s family here.

In living memory of Anna Henderson, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Fish Creek, 14441 Bannister Road SE, Calgary, Ab t2x 3j3, Telephone: 403-256-9575.