Anastasia Aken

Anastasia Aken, age 96, of New Philadelphia, passed away Friday afternoon, November 7, 2008 in Union Hospital at Dover.Anastasia will be deeply missed by her children Jane (husband, Robert) Merdes of Charlotte, North Carolina, Ellen (husband, Stein) Ohrstrom of Cypress, Texas, Kenneth (wife, Mary Ann) Aken of Knoxville, Tennessee, and John (wife, Kate) Aken of New Philadelphia; her nieces, Mary Lou (husband, Louis) Endres and Ann Persensky and her nephew, Tim Still; her grandchildren, Stasie (Eggleston) Ostow, Daniel Eggleston, Emily (Aken) Bidwell, Robert Merdes, K.C. Aken, Amalia (Eggleston) Hanley, Brian Merdes, Kent Merdes, William Eggleston, Jan Erik Ohrstrom, Jenny Ohrstrom, Lea Ohrstrom, Anna Ohrstrom, Per Kristian Ohrstrom and 15 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, Kenneth Aken whom she married September 24, 1934 in Sacred Heart Church. She was also preceded in death by her two beloved daughters, Deborah Ann (Aken) Eggleston and Mary Leatha Aken, and her granddaughter, Ellen Marie Aken.Born December 20, 1911 in New Philadelphia, she was the second of five children born to John and Mary (Rogers) Cox. Anastasia was a member of the first class to graduate from St. Joseph High School. Having been the mother and caregiver of a special needs child for 63 years, she completed additional education at Kent State University becoming one of the first Special Education teachers in Ohio. Anastasia was one of the founding teachers of Starlight School. In 1979, she was honored by Governor Rhodes and the Department of Mental Health and Retardation as the Woman of the Year.Her faith and commitment to Sacred Heart Church as a member was of significant importance to Anastasia throughout her lifetime. She served as a Deanery Chairwoman of the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women and was a member of the Sacred Heart Altar Society, the LCBA and the Sacred Heart Senior Citizens.Friends are invited to call Wednesday, November 12, 2008 from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Linn-Hert-Geib Funeral Home & Crematory at New Philadelphia where a Christian Wake Service will commence at 7:45 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday beginning at 11 a.m. in Sacred Heart Church. Burial, alongside her husband and daughter will follow in Calvary Cemetery at New Philadelphia. The ladies of Sacred Heart Church will host a reception for family and friends in St. Ambrose hall following the committal service.