Anna Bortz

"> Anna Bortz
Anna Marshall Anne Bortz, of Allentown, died June 2, 2012 in the home she loved so much at the great age of 105 years and 6 months. The widow of Allentown coal dealer H. Donald Bortz, who died on January 22, 1962, she was born January 3, 1907 in Solvay, New York during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. Anne as she later came to be known, was the daughter of Mary Barbara (Warner) and John Marshall. She was particularly proud of her Scottish ancestry, derived from a father who emigrated from Glasgow as a young man and worked as a blacksmith at the time of her birth. As a 17-year-old, Anne helped to raise the very young son of New York State Senator Fred Slater in Rochester and Albany, New York, then went on to study cosmetology at the prestigious Harper Method School in Rochester. Upon graduation, she was given the opportunity to join the staff of a Harper Method salon in either Asheville, North Carolina-or Allentown, Pennsylvania. To the good fortune of so many in the years to come, this lovely, vivacious young woman chose Allentown, and shortly before her 19th birthday she and her best friend and fellow graduate trudged up the hill from the railroad station to begin their careers in a beauty shop at 8th and Hamilton Sts. During 9 fulfilling years there, she met and married Don Bortz, a gifted musician who played in local orchestras and the Allentown Band and went on to head the firm of Bortz Bros. founded by his father in 1903. Initially living with her husbands family in a stately home in South Allentown, the couple moved to 23rd and Tilghman Sts., where they raised two daughters, eventually relocating to her dream house near the Rose Garden. Widowed at the age of 54 and challenged by an ongoing health condition, she spent her later years mostly at home in her cottage. She was blessed with extraordinary vitality until her mid-nineties, and during the last years of her life, endured increasing pain and immobility and the indignities of age with great patience, frequent humor, and her characteristic Scottish spunk. Survivors: Predeceased by her husband and her daughter, Nancy Bortz Machlan, who died in 1986, and by a brother and two sisters, she is survived by her daughter, Brenda, and by a granddaughter and great-granddaughter. Others left behind include dearly-loved nephews, nieces, and their spouses, and great-nephews and great-nieces in whom she took a great interest. Anne will also be remembered by longtime friends and by a series of capable, compassionate--and deeply-appreciated--caregivers (including, most recently, staff from Extended Family Care and Sacred Heart Visiting Nurses and Hospice). These good good people brightened her life during her long years in bed and were truly valued friends. Services: Private services will take place at the convenience of the family. Arrangements are being made by the Robert C. Weir Funeral Home in Allentown. Contributions: In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Nancy Bortz Machlan Memorial Prize Endowment, established at the Main Campus of Penn State to honor outstanding graduate students committed to careers in speech language pathology in the schools, c/o Office of Annual Giving, The Pennsylvania State University, 27 Old Main, University Park, PA 16802-1500.