Anne Silberman

Exit Stage Left.  Anne Louise Silberman took her final breath on June 21st, 2022, singing to classic soul tunes of the 1970’s and holding the hands of her twin sister Lisa Craze and younger sister and caregiver Linda Silberman.

And like so many moments of her life, the music led the way. In her final moments, all three sisters sang along to “We Are Family…I’ve got all my sisters and me”, “Never can say Goodbye” and “One Less Bell to Answer”.  As she fell into her final sleep, the strains of “On Broadway” rang through the room. 

Anne began her life as the firstborn of twins, in Baltimore, Maryland. The family then moved to Palmyra, Pennsylvania and later Decatur, Illinois and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It was in Harrisburg that Anne developed her singing talents and after graduating high school, toured the East Coast with several bands, as the lead and back-up singer. She also enjoyed her time performing in Montreal, Quebec and made profound and life-changing musical connections there.

In the 1980’s, Anne moved to Seattle, Washington and found two new joys; painting and radio. She was a much-sought-after traffic reporter for many stations, including KISW, KMPS, KOMO, KLSY and KUOW. Eventually, she also became “Avenging Annie” on KISW, and developed a large following with DJ Steve Slayton.

During these years, Anne found joy and passion in many styles of painting. First, it was acrylics. Then, she moved on to watercolors and colored pencils.  She has had several gallery art shows of her works in Seattle and later in North Carolina. Her eye for color and shapes was exceptional. Her abstract “Floating Heart” painting was duplicated and turned into a popular greeting card owned by hundreds. In her final months she turned to collage using fashion magazines for inspiration combining colors and textures.

Nobody loved animals quite like Anne. She wouldn’t just go on walks. Instead, she would take “cat walks”, and judged the success of each walk, by how many neighborhood cats instinctively came running to her to receive her patented “fuzz body rub”.  She seemed to psychically connect with each one, and shared special love and communications.  Her beloved cat Purrcy was by her bed on her final day of life.

Anne moved to Cleveland, Ohio for a brief time in 2000 to attend Baldwin Wallace College. She then finished her degree at UNC Greensboro in Greensboro, North Carolina. She graduated with a degree in Women’s Studies and was also accepted into the University of Washington School of Music’s graduate program in Ethnomusicology- where she began her studies.

Anne eventually left the U.W. and Seattle to find what was to become her final earthy home in New Mexico. Through a series of magical coincidences, she ended up moving to a very special casita in Arroyo Hondo, NM - where she made some of her greatest friends and special connections. She was a volunteer for Stray Hearts animal shelter, assigned (on request) to the cattery. Her job was to love up stray cats and help them feel safe and welcome. It brought her great joy.

She also enjoyed weekly music improvisations with a group of like-minded souls and once sang as the opening act of a performance of the Ukrainian musical quartet DakhaBrakha at the Taos Mesa Brewing Mothership.

Anne didn’t suffer fools and had an incredibly fine-tuned sense of truth and honesty. She could tell instantly if someone was trying to pull one over on her and didn’t waste time letting them know exactly how she felt.

She had many healthcare issues over the years, having been born with a defective heart valve. Anne endured two open heart valve-replacement surgeries as well as several bouts of cancer.  She steadfastly moved forward through each challenge.

Endometrial cancer took her life, far too young on the Solstice. It was a beautiful day to go. Now, free from pain, we can hear her angelic voice singing us onward as this tiny family of 3 becomes 2.

The family extends our deepest gratitude to Deirdre, Bonnie and Patrice with Hospice Mountain Home Healthcare under the supervision of Dr. Joanna Hooper, for their profoundly intuitive care.

Please remember Anne L. Silberman by making a donation to Stray Hearts Animal Shelter in Taos, NM.

Arrangements by Rivera Family Funeral Home. To share a memory, please visit our website at www.riverafuneralhome.com