"I was born on January 18, 1944 in Wilmington, DE to Frank and Margaret Long. I was their only child, although both had grown children from previous marriages. My father had two children, Donald & Virginia, both of whom are now deceased. My mother had one daughter, Margery, who died last year. I was a premature baby (only weighing about 4 lbs at birth) and was not expected to live. By God's design and my parents' loving care (my mother fed me with a dropper and massaged the liquid down my throat), the doctors were proved wrong.

For a few years after I was born, we lived on The Strand in New Castle, DE, but soon moved to my father's home south of New Castle. We had 5 acres there and it was a wonderful place to grow up. My father always had a big garden and he allowed me to help him from a very early age, although I am sure he could have done everything much more quickly without my "help". He also raised chickens for eggs and meat, but we also had Bantams and I had my own pets among them. Theirs were the only eggs I would eat.

My mother did not feel that the schools in the area were doing a very good job of preparing their students for college, so she sent away for the Calvert School curriculum so that she could teach me at home. Some years, she also taught several of my cousins. She sent me to a public school in 2nd grade (but not to the local school) and I traveled to and fro to Wilmington each day on the public bus. I learned a great deal – but not much scholastically since Mother already had covered the curriculum they were teaching before that. She then taught me for several more years before enrolling in Wilmington Christian School in 5th grade. For 5th & 6th grades, I traveled by bus to that school each day. This was a much better experience and I enjoyed going to school with other children my age – although there wasn't much chance for relationships outside of school. In 7th grade, I was enrolled in the Tatnall School for Girls – again in Wilmington. My mother obtained her driver's license so she could drive me to school at Tatnall as it was not reachable by public transportation. I went there from 7th-12th grade and graduated in 1961.

When I was 10 years old, I accepted the Lord as my Savior while at Sandy Cove Bible Camp in Maryland. Although Mother & Daddy had made the need to make a personal decision very clear to me from an early age, I had just never taken the step. The day when I finally did so was one of those when we had a bit of free time and I went into the woods to a beautiful clearing I had found on a nature hike on an earlier day. That day the sun was coming through the trees to give a cathedral-like effect. I just knew it was time for me to let Jesus have control of my life, and so I did. Since the church to which we belonged (the Presbyterian) did not practice believer's baptism, I was not baptized until several years later when I left the Presbyterian church (with my parents' blessing) and joined the Baptist Church. My grandfather Long had been the pastor of the Greenhill Presbyterian Church near Wilmington Delaware, but had died long before. My parents felt I should follow as God led, rather than staying in the Presbyterian church just because of the association. They later both came to the Baptist church with me, feeling that the teachings there were more in line with their own beliefs than the ones being preached at our old church. Mother was even baptized when I was.

For college, I applied at both Wheaton College (in Illinois) and Moody Bible Institute, and finally decided on Wheaton College. I graduated from there in 1965 and decided to stay in Wheaton to begin my teaching career.

I taught 2nd grade at Benjamin School near West Chicago, IL, for the next 4 years. During that time I met (through the recommendation of a fellow teacher) my wonderful husband, Bob. After a short courtship, we married in 1968. We were blessed with a beautiful daughter, Christy, in 1970. My father died in March of that year.

We lived in Wheaton at 3 different locations until 1976. My mother visited frequently after my father died and finally came to make our home her base in 1976 when we moved to a home we built on 2 ½ acres just east of West Chicago (the land was perfect for owning horses and dogs, which we enjoyed for most of our years there). In 1998, it was time to down-size, so we sold our home and returned to Wheaton. My mother lived with us full time from then until her death in 2003 at age 100.

While we were in West Chicago, I did some substitute teaching and then began working at the West Chicago Public Library part-time in 1983. Late, I went back to school to get my Masters of Library Science degree, and worked full-time in the Reference department and as the Manager of the Technical Services Department until my retirement in February of 2007.

I have never been much of a "joiner", although I have loved being involved with Nursery and Children's Sunday School at church, and 4-H (when Christy was a member). I love to read and loved to ride horses whenever I got the chance. My greatest joys now are babysitting for our young grandsons, George and Henry, and working in my yard and garden.

God has been very good to me."

On January 20, 2011, after a 17-month struggle with brain cancer, Anne went peacefully to be with our Lord. She is survived by her husband, Robert, her son-in-law and daughter, Nat and Christy Truitt, and her grandsons, George and Henry Truitt.

A memorial service will be held Thursday, January 27, at 11:00 a.m., at College Church, 332 E. Seminary Ave, Wheaton, IL.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Assemblies of God World Missions, 1445 N. Boonville, Springfield, MO 65802, Account #891166(50) for Brazil, in memory of Martha L. Bergstrom.