Obituary of Anna L. Caldwell

Anna Laura Connor Caldwell, 100, of Fayetteville, died at home on October 21, 2010. Mrs. Caldwell was born in Seneca Hills, NY on August 14, 1910. She was a graduate of Vocational High School and Central City Business Institute, Syracuse. During the Great Depression, she and her brothers and sister opened a successful messenger service, Quick Service Delivery, which they operated until joining the armed forces in WWII. She enlisted in the Women's Army Corps (WACs) in 1943, and served as a teletype operator in the 6718 WAC Headquarters Platoon in North Africa and Italy. Friendships formed in this service are chronicled to this day in the 6718 Grapevine newsletter. One week after returning to Syracuse at the end of the war, she married her fiancé, Nate Caldwell, on Thanksgiving Day, 1945. Mrs. Caldwell went on to work for the Onondaga County Savings Bank and the Onondaga County Health Department, from which she retired in 1975. After living in Fort Myers, Florida, where she was a daily communicant of St. Cecilia's Church for over thirty years, Mrs. Caldwell returned to the Syracuse area in 2007. She was member of St. James parish in Syracuse. A leading actress in community theater in the 1920's and 1930's, Mrs. Caldwell also earned a pilot's license in 1941. While raising her family, she enjoyed camping and fishing on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence, music, and travel. In retirement, she relished reading, walks on Florida beaches, and caring for her beautiful yard, Always, she cherished her large extended family. Mrs. Caldwell was preceded in death by her husband, Nathan F. Caldwell, her parents, Arthur B. and Helen Trainor Connor, her brothers Arthur M. and Arnold W. Connor, and her sister, Holly M. Connor. She is survived by her brother, Donald R. Connor; her daughters and sons-in-law, Natalie A. and Frederick W. Trump, of Fayetteville, and Annette H. and John T. Campbell of North Carolina; grandsons Donovan D. Campbell (Heather) and Cameron M. Campbell; and great-grandson Stephen D. Campbell. Also surviving are her nieces and nephews: Arthur C. Connor (Leanne), Eugene Connor, A. William Connor (Mary), Sister Kathleen Connor CSJ, Mary T. Sledziona (John); Timothy F. Connor (Terri); Ruthanne Connor-King (Charlie), Melanie Connor, Colleen Connor (Brian Kelahan); Marilyn Ligi (Tony), Earle Caldwell (Linda), and Carole Jallali (Sebti); and their families. Mrs. Caldwell's family wishes to express special gratitude for the compassionate care and support provided in her final days by Anna Sutton, Grace Chege, and the staff and volunteers of Hospice of Central New York. Services: 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, October 26 at Tindall Funeral Home and 10:00 a.m. at St. James Church 4845 S. Salina Street, Syracuse. Burial will be in St. Mary's Cemetery DeWitt. Calling hours will be held on Monday, October 25 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at the Tindall Funeral Home, 1921 W. Genesee Street, Syracuse., NY 13204. For those who prefer, donations may be made in Mrs. Caldwell's memory to Hospice of Central New York, 990 Seventh North Street, Liverpool NY 13088; to the Sisters of St. Joseph, Development Office, 385 Watervliet Shaker Rd, Latham, NY 12110 ; or to St. James Church 4845 S. Salina Street, Syracuse, NY 13205.