Jonathan Henry ANNER

ANNER - Jonathan Henry
of Buffalo, NY, was a loving father, avid sailor, talented musician and songwriter, videographer, inventor, craftsman and world traveler. He also was a Buffalo Marathon and fifty-year Turkey Trot runner and cyclist. He was born fifth of seven children to Ruth and Frederick Anner Sr. While the whole family was immersed in music, Jonathan played trombone in several bands but his knack for singing and songwriting shone through his under-appreciated '80's classics such as "Pam in the Yellow Trans-Am," ""Something Shiny," and "The Dirty Underwear Detector." When he wasn't writing, performing, or dancing in music videos for his own songs, he worked with the Billy Brite band and later toured for several years as a stage manager for Spyro Gyra. He married Susan Hodge, retired from the road and had two sons, Aarau and Zach, but never lost his thirst for adventure. Sailing the open seas of Lake Erie, he regularly competed in Wednesday night races with the Buffalo Harbor Sailing Club in his "Goat Boat" which he named in honor of the animals he affectionately raised in his childhood. He also won several regattas with his sailing prowess and only had to hurl slices of pizza at his competitors a handful of times. He not only sailed boats, but he also built them, competing in the annual Seika-flex Challenge at Tonawanda's Canal Fest with over a decade's worth of hastily caulked together iterations of his "Gastown Gopher." Half of them sank, but in 1996 he won the whole thing, and it was glorious! While he made his living as a bartender at the Scotch 'n" Sirloin, he made his life through travel with family and friends, cycling in The Rockies, hiking through New Zealand, and touring Africa, England, France, Italy, Japan, Costa Rica, and Portugal. He also appreciated a good backyard barbeque or relaxing afternoon in a hammock and recently he could be found enjoying the flowers and gardens from the porch on Little Summer Street.
He instilled his love of filmmaking in both his sons, first by making home movies with them and showing them classics like "The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly," and "A Clockwork Orange" at ages 10 and 11. Later he took them for many consecutive years to the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas and never missed the opportunity to tell someone in the industry that his sons made movies. He was a skilled builder and craftsman and there was no problem he couldn't solve with his ingenuity, especially when it meant helping his kids. The sliding bag and monopod camera dolly he outfitted Zach's wheelchair with are better than any adaptive technology on the market.
His silliness, sense of adventure, and irreverence for all things will be missed but carried on. Jonathan is survived by sons Aarau "Brad" Anner and Zach Anner and partner Catherine "Kitty" Herrick and Emma "Odie" Goldman. Also, sisters Gretchen (Robert) Segarra, Ann Thea (late Stephen) Beck, Kathy (Dale) Marriott and Naomi (Gareth) Newman and many loving relatives and friends. Jonathan, predeceased by siblings Bethany Anner and Frederick Anner Jr. A Celebration of Life will be held at a future date. Please share your memories and thoughts at www.facebook.com/jonanner22. Arrangements by BUFFALO NIAGARA CREMATION SERVICE
716-855-1411.