Celebrate The Life Of Anna Marie Wilson
On January 3rd, 1997 Anna Marie Wilson was born in Huntington Hospital in Pasadena California. She was born just a few hours after the birthday of her mom, Laurie Mead.
21 years later on March 28, 2018, Anna passed away in a car accident while on spring break with a best friend, Amanda Korbas, in Puerto Penasco / Rocky Point Mexico. This was the day after the 60th birthday of her dad, Kevin Wilson.
Anna was expecting to finish her undergraduate studies at University of California, San Diego (UCSD) a year early. She had nearly completed the requirements for her undergraduate bachelor of science degree in Pharmacological Chemistry at UCSD. UCSD awarded her (and Amanda) their degrees posthumously.
In addition to being an excellent student, Anna was a beautiful woman inside and out, and a kind soul who touched countless others wonderfully, many lives deeply, and some of us profoundly.
She attended Eagle Rock Montessori for day care, Ribet Academy for preschool and kindergarten, and then Marengo Elementary school in South Pasadena from 1st through 5th grade. From 6th grade through High School, she attended Westridge Girls School in Pasadena. She earned stellar grades, nailed many AP exams, and was active in extracurricular activities and leadership positions. She applied and was accepted to many fine universities, and ultimately chose UCSD for the academics and student life.
Anna loved being physically active including stints with team sports such as gymnastics, soccer, basketball, swimming, and golf. She was a co-captain of the Westridge Golf team. She also loved to ski, hike, sail, jog, and play tennis and racquetball and WII. She completed two sprint triathlons in Santa Barbara. Her senior project in high school was salsa dancing, and she developed a deep inspiring love of dancing most especially to reggaeton. Perhaps her greatest passion was yoga.
Anna was a musician. She played piano for over ten years performing regularly in recitals and guild competitions. She played the trombone in 5th grade, and switched to viola when she started at Westridge. The orchestra at Westridge was quite spectacular with regular concerts and traveling concerts in San Francisco and Chicago.
She elegantly married music to her singing and to her dancing right until her last moments. And no doubt beyond.
Anna loved to travel, and she picked up Spanish like a native. Her Mexico trips included 2 vacations to Club Med in Ixtapa in Zihuatanejo, a medical internship in Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca, and countless trips as the “ringleader” with her friends to Tijuana, Ensenada, and Rosarito Beach. She also had an internship and a bunch of vacations in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Spain. She also visited Paris and New York, and probably a few other amazing places that I can’t remember right now.
Anna’s soul’s purpose was (and is) to be a bridge of light and connection. She loved each and every one of her family members and especially loved all of her friends. From preschool mates to the people she met on her last day on earth, all were deeply touched and moved by her. Yes, she was kind and intelligent. But she was exceptionally present. She once said her life’s purpose was to listen. She wrote about, talked about, and thought about each person deeply and insightfully. It’s amazing that she was so connected to so many people and yet so low key about it all. I call her the Switzerland in our family bridging divides left and right. Some people thought she would become a diplomat.
Everyone loved her dearly. We still do.
She is an old soul with youthful energy.
Mucho Amor, Anna. Mucho Amor, Mi hija
