Anna Quinn Harper

Anna Quinn Harper was born on February 25, 1921, the second of a set of fraternal twins born to Josephine and John Quinn of Baltimore, MD.  She grew up in Towson, MD in a family of three brothers and one sister.  As a young child growing up in the depression she developed a lifelong love for walking – “If you wanted to go some place you walked.  No money for car fare.”  From age twelve she showed a love and a talent for tap dancing, which she continued to do until she was almost 90 years old. 

In 1943 she married Samuel James Harper after a four-year courtship.  After their marriage, Samuel worked for the Martin Company (Martin Marietta/Lockheed Martin) while Anna stayed at home with her daughters Judy (born 1943) and Jeanne (born 1948).  In 1956 the Harpers moved to Littleton, Colorado, where Sam headed up the Plant Layout Division for Martin Marietta.  Anna quickly became involved in her local Catholic church (St. Mary’s of Littleton), Girl Scouts as a troop leader, and continued to dance and sew and quilt.  In 1961 Anna and Samuel welcomed their third daughter, Jo.

Anna was actively involved in her community and church for her entire life.  She continued to take tap classes until she was 90 years old.  Anna was the costumer for Littleton’s Town Hall Theatre for many years, as well as other community theater and church productions, including Magic Moments, in which she also often danced.

In 1998 Sam and Anna moved to Shalom Park in Aurora.  She was featured in a Denver Post article on active aging in 2009 for her dancing and the same year her family sponsored a quilt show of her and her family’s work.

Anna passed away on Monday, June 8, 2015 at Shalom Park, succumbing to dementia following a recent fall and hip surgery.  She is preceded in death by her husband, Samuel, her twin brother Patrick Quinn, and her other siblings John Quinn, William Quinn, and Marie Cooney.  She is survived by her three daughters, Judith Horose, Jeanne Crutchley, and Jo Sanburg, and her three grandchildren Zakarij Horose,  Caitlyn Davison, and Caisa Sanburg.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Shalom Cares of Aurora.

A memorial Mass will be celebrated in her honor at Our Lady of Loreto Catholic Church, 18000 East Arapahoe Road, Foxfield, Friday, June 12, 2015 at 10:00 am.

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