Anna Maria (Ann) Cessarich-Veltri, 100, of Raton, New Mexico, passed away on August 21, 2015.
She was born to Anthony Cessarich and Mary (Kucich) Cessarich on September 21, 1914 in the Berwind Coal Camp, fifteen miles north of Trinidad, Colorado.
Ann was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Guy T. (Tony) Veltri, her sister Elizabeth Cooper, her brothers, Dan and Joseph, her son-in-law, Charles Paolino, and numerous sisters-in-law and brothers-in law.
Ann attended the Corwin School and Berwind High School until the Berwind Mine closed , and her family moved to Primero, Colorado. She graduated from Primero High School in 1932. The family moved on to Valdez, where Ann lived until she married Tony Veltri of Hoehne, Colorado.
Anna Maria Cessarich and Guy Tony Veltri were married at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Trinidad, Colorado on September 12, 1936. They farmed in Hoehne for fifty-seven years. Together Ann and Tony raised four children.
Like many women of her generation, Ann was happy to be farmer’s wife. She enjoyed cooking and baking. Her specialties were homemade bread and buns, along with special desserts such as apple strudel, potica, and Italian cookies. She canned vegetables from a large garden and made many different jams and jellies, especially from chokecherries and plums. She also liked raising chickens.
Ann was a gentle, kind, patient lady who welcomed everyone into her home with a warm smile and an invitation to enjoy a meal. She was always willing to lend a helping hand and saw the best in everyone.
As a child Ann learned the Serbo-Croation language from her parents, which she spoke throughout her life, and she especially enjoyed conversing with friend, George Yaksich.
When her husband passed away in 1993, Ann moved to Raton to live with her daughter and son-in-law Mary Ann and Charles Paolino, where she resided until her death..
Ann is survived by her four children: Mary Ann Paolino, Raton; Joe (Connie) Veltri, Hoehne, Colorado; Jim (Pat) Veltri, Raton; and Carolyn (Dan) Masero, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Also surviving are grandchildren Marla (Rick) Fellerhoff, Albuquerque; Jason Veltri, Hoehne, great grandson John Ryan Fellerhoff, Albuquerque, brother Frank (Marilyn), Oceanside, California; sister-in-law Louise Cessarich, Kansas; nephews David (Darleen) Cessarich, Missouri; John (Connie) Cessarich, South Carolina; Paul (Deanne) Cessarich, Kansas; Mark Cessarich, Santa Fe; niece Sandra (Jeff) McCluskey, Texas. She is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Ann was a member of St. Patrick-St. Joseph Catholic Church in Raton.
Recitation of the Holy Rosary for Ann will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 26 at St. Patrick-St. Joseph Catholic Church. The Mass of the Resurrection will follow at 10:00 a.m. with Reverend John Trambley as the celebrant. Internment will be in the Trinidad Catholic Cemetery.
The family respectfully requests the omission of food and flowers. If desired, donations in Ann’s memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1999, Memphis, TN 3801-9795.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Yaksich-Long Funeral Home.
