Anna Lee (Tusing) Del Gallo

Anna Lee (Tusing) Del Gallo, age 98, of Lost River, W. Va., went to be with the Lord on Saturday, May 3, 2014.

Anna was born on top of Branch Mountain in Mathias, W. Va., on March 25, 1916. She is survived by her loving husband of 64 years, Deiro “Ben” Del Gallo; two children, Kathleen “Kathy” (Del Gallo) Sholl and husband Michael Victor “Mike” in Shepherdstown; son, Eugene “Gene” William and wife Sheilah Del Gallo in Woodstock, Va.; four grandchildren, Laura (Sholl) Huffman and husband Stacy, in Martinsburg; Michael Paul Sholl and wife, Kelly, in Martinsburg; William “Bill” Del Gallo, Jr., in Harrisonburg, Va.; and Sarah Lynn Del Gallo in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. Anna had four great grandchildren including Richard Paul and Kate Eleanor Huffman and Cameron Michael and Christian Lewis Sholl; two step-grandchildren; and eleven step-great grandchildren.

Anna was the youngest and last surviving child of William and Sarah Catherine “Kate” Funkhouser of Mathias. She was predeceased in death by her sisters and brothers: Lester, Leora “Ora,” Roy, John “Paul,” Raymond, Bertha “Lynn,” Millie, and Sally (Barthel) Tusing.

Anna and Sally were interviewed in the film, “The Texture of Life: The Tusing Sisters on Branch Mountain” produced by Ray and Judy Schmitt of Real Earth Productions. They spoke about their mother, Ora, and Lynn?s skills in spinning, weaving and quilting.

Anna attended the one-room Topsy school house on Branch Mountain. She graduated from Moorefield High School in the 1940s. She received a correspondence degree from Strayer Business College and during World War II, she left the farm to work in the District of Columbia for the Navy Department as a civilian. She met Ben in Sunnybrook, Md., riding the bus to and from work in D.C. She was a homemaker and raised a family in the Bladensburg, Md. area. In 1976, Anna worked part-time for Neal?s Auto Parts in Hyattsville, Md. In 1980, Anna and Ben retired to Lost River.

Anna made a loving home for her family. She took pride in her clean white sheets that she hung on a clothesline and ironed to a crisp. She was meticulous about making her bed with tight hospital corners. She continued to make her bed every day until near the end of her life. The family fondly remembers her baking talents that included homemade breads, date-nut pinwheel cookies, and aniseed cookies inlayed with designs from a carved rolling pin. Her specialties were fruit pies and lemon meringue pies. Her pie crusts were made from scratch and she had her own unique tree design for the top crust of her fruit pies. Anna specialty designed the edges of her pie crusts as well. One Valentine’s Day, she made her daughter?s second-grade class heart-shaped cookies, eloquently decorating each one.

Anna and Ben maintained large vegetable gardens in Bladensburg and Lost River for many years. She also enjoyed growing flowers inside and outside. She worked tirelessly raising lettuce, radicchio, radishes, tomatoes, green beans, cumbers, and zucchini. She picked apples and peaches from trees planted in the yard. She canned green beans, tomatoes, pickles and applesauce.

A viewing will be held tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. at the McKee Funeral Home, 17414 State Route (SR) 55, Baker, WV.

Services will be held on Saturday, May 10, at 10 a.m. at the Lost River United Methodist Church, 6636 State Route (SR) 259, Lost City, WV. Interment will be held later that day at the Funkhouser/Tusing cemetery.

Memorials may be made to the Lost River United Methodist Church, c/o Ms. Lana Sue Wilkins, 3241 State Route (SR) 259, Baker, WV. 26801.