Anna Vernegaard

Anna Vernegaard lived the quintessential American dream. She was born on September 11, 1924 in Rode Kro Denmark, the oldest child of nine born to Niels and Anne Marie Pedersen. During her formative years she grew up on several farms on the island of Fyn. Learning to cook for a large family and workers tending the farm helped her develop the skills that served her so well in life. She had an incredible memory for people, places, phone numbers, and other details that the rest of us need our iPhone for.  She also was an amazing cook.  Friends and family would wait anxiously for the year’s Christmas cookies.  Of course, some of us didn’t wait and learned how to break into the cookie tins! Living through World War II in German-occupied Denmark made her tough. One of her favorite sayings was “this too shall pass.” After the war, she came to the United States on a visitor’s visa to help an aunt. Little did anyone know that one of the farm managers had fallen in love with her and chased her to the United States. Vagn and Anna were married in Brooklyn on April 25, 1948. Chasing the American dream had Anna and Vagn change careers from farming to manufacturing. Moves to various states included New York, Utah, New Jersey, and Florida. Along the way Anna managed to raise three children: Annette, Niels and Lisa.  After they had left the nest, she went to nursing school and started a 15-year career as an orthopedic nurse at the University of Utah. Vagn and Anna collected friends far and wide who remained close to both.  After Vagn’s death, she settled in Marlborough, Massachusetts where she remained until her death on November 16, 2019. She leaves behind her three children, four grandchildren and six great grandchildren, all of whom would be living very different lives if an adventurous young lady had not decided to take a leap of faith and become an American immigrant.  In lieu of flowers, please celebrate Anna’s love of nature by making a donation to Sudbury Valley Trustees, 18 Wolbach Rd, Sudbury, MA 01776; www.svtweb.org.  Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Collins Funeral Home, 378 Lincoln Street, Marlborough, MA. All are invited to sign Anna’s online guestbook at www.CollinsFuneral.com.