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100-year birthday: Anne Elizabeth Voech Richards Holzl

By Times Staff
Published November 27, 2005

Anne Elizabeth Voech Richards Holzl, was born in Thamesville, Norwich, Conn., on Nov. 17, 1905. She is the daughter of Stephen and Elizabeth (Schauffhauser) Voech.

Childhood memories of Christmas Eve are among those that Anne holds dear. The holiday is very important in Hungary, the place of her parents' birth, and Anne's family followed those traditions. She remembers that her brother went to the woods each year to cut down the cedar tree. The tree went in the parlor and the family gathered around it on Christmas eve. Her father would clip the candles on the tree - his water bucket handy. They woke up Christmas Day to find an orange in their stockings, a doll for Anne and a truck for her brother. Her mother made clothes for the doll.

As a young girl, she worked on the farm with her mother and graduated eighth grade. Her mother needed more help so she worked on the farm full time. At age 16 she went to work for International Silver, inspecting knives. She inspected an average of 1,000 knives each day. Her salary for a 45-hour week was $16.50. Her mother made her save $5 a week.

She married Michael Richards in 1923 in Norwich, Conn. They had two children, Rita Appell, of North Redington Beach, and Larry, of Safety Harbor and Uncasville, Conn.

After Michael's death in 1952, Anne worked for the State of Connecticut at Uncas on Thames Hospital. She retired from there in 1962. After retiring, Anne and a group of friends got interested in finding a building where seniors could gather. Once found, the women started the Senior Citizens Club of Uncasville. Anne is proud of having accomplished this. She still gets reports from the club; it is thriving.

Anne also joined the Travel Club of Uncasville after retiring. With them, she traveled to more than 20 countries.

It was while in Uncasville that Anne met Walter Holzl. They married in 1977 and shortly afterward moved to Pinellas Park. When Walter went to the beach to swim, Anne would comb the shore for shells. Her neighbors report that her shell collection - and the crafts she made from shells - is wonderfully immense. She and Walter enjoyed their home and friends until his death in 1982.

Anne was too "interested in life" to slow down too much after Walter's death. She voluntarily stopped driving at age 90. Arthritis eventually prohibited her from shelling. Those two things left her staying at home a bit more than before, so her mobile home park neighbors began to gather at her home each evening. She now enjoys working word search puzzles.

She is a member of Holy Cross Catholic Church.

When asked for life experiences that stand out in her memory, Anne reported that she and a cousin still living in Hungary have corresponded - with help from translators - for many years. Two years ago, the cousin, her husband and the translator came to Pinellas Park to visit. They had a wonderful time.

She has eight grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.

We think that living 100 years is worth our taking notice. If you or a family member is about to celebrate a 100th birthday or more, please let us know. Include the following information: the person's full name, date of birth, place of birth, parents' names (including mother's maiden name) if known, name of spouse (if applicable), marriage date, names of children and number of grandchildren (if applicable), length of time the person has lived in this area and a phone number in case we have questions. Also, please include a photo that doesn't need to be returned. We'll publish the information as close to the birthday as possible. Send the information to 100-year Birthdays, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731-1121 or fax to (727) 893-8675.

[Last modified November 27, 2005, 01:18:21]