Obituary of Anna L. Cothran Broadus

Anna L. Cothran Broadus (Ann), age 92, beloved wife of the late B. Jay Broadus, died peacefully on August 8, 2016 at Beechwood Nursing Home in New London, CT. Ann spent most of her life in the Moodus section of East Haddam, CT. Ann was born on March 1, 1924 in Newport, TN. She grew up on a farm and quickly learned the benefits of hard work. She married (Biser) Jay Broadus on October 6, 1944 at the famous, Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims in Brooklyn, New York. She went on to have four children, Kenneth Broadus of Chattanooga, TN; Carole Otto (Richard Otto, predeceased 2008) of Deep River, CT; Loretta Lemieux (predeceased 2005) (Fred Lemieux) of East Hampton, and Clay Broadus (Denise Broadus) of Chattanooga, TN. She is survived by her brother, Wilfred Cothran (Betty) of Newport, TN. and very close sister and brother in-law, Blondell and Wynon Bond of Waycross, GA. Ann was predeceased by her older sister, Barbara LaCedra of East Boston, MA. She leaves behind five wonderful grandchildren; Evan Bernstein (Heidi) of Stamford, CT, Tasha Collins (Trevor) of Essex, CT, Jay Lemieux (East Hampton, CT), Christine Dombroski (Jim) of Moodus, CT), and Marsha Hallowell ( Tom) of Moodus, CT and nine great-grandchildren. Ann also enjoyed the company of a special friend in her final years, Andy Janer, who predeceased her in 2016. Ann still has extensive family in the Newport, TN area as well as beloved in-laws in Waycross, GA: Gulfport, MS: and Boston, MA. Ann graduated from Cooke County High School in Newport, TN where she played basketball and focused on getting good grades. After graduating, she moved to East Boston to live with her older sister to experience city life. It was there that she met the love of her life, Jay, who at the time was a Mississippi born U.S. Navy sailor. She was a typical "Rosie the Riveter" during WWII working at GE. She moved to Moodus in 1956 where she was an active and devoted member of the Moodus Methodist Church for more than 55 years. She retired from the Moodus Post Office after 18 years of service. Ann loved competitive sports like golf and bowling until age 88, and tennis, basketball, and volleyball in her younger years. She was also an avid card player, loved to read, sew, garden, and cook. She was an active member of the Red Hats Women's Club and Birthday Club group, which she organized. Her favorite accomplishment, besides her family, was building her new home with all of her favorite design features in 1999 at the age of 75. As she got on in years, she enjoyed The East Haddam Senior Center activities on a daily basis. Ann was a very strong woman who was very proud of her long-term good health, her extended family, her church, and her loving friends and neighbors. The family would like to thank the staff at both The Saybrook at Haddam Assisted Living Residence in Haddam, CT and the Beechwood Nursing Home in New London, CT for their kind and compassionate care of our mother in her final years. Ann will be dearly missed by all her knew her. Ann lived by this motto: "Look back at your life, but do not stare at it. Look at today… and tomorrow …and plan something to do each day." Visitation will be held on Sunday, August 14th at Robinson, Wright and Weymer Funeral Home, 34 Main Street, Centerbrook, CT from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held on Monday, August 15th at 11:00 a.m. at The First Congregational Church of East Haddam, 499 Town Street, East Haddam, CT. Burial will follow in the First Church Cemetery adjacent to the church. Donations may be made in Ann's name to: Center for Hospice Care of Southeastern CT, 227 Dunham Street, Norwich, CT 06360. To share a memory of Ann or send a condolence to her family please visit www.rwwfh.com