Annabel Moore Quesnel died Wednesday, March 18, 2009, at 6.30pm, at VistaCare Hospice Inpatient Ward in Lovelace Hospital, Albuquerque, NM. Annabel was born in Wayland, MO, the daughter of Leonard Henry and Margaret Ahern Moore. The fifth of eight children she grew up on the family farm near St Patrick. She wrote her first poem at the age of 14, and would continue writing all her life. When she was 16 she graduated from the Catholic High School in St Patrick, at which time she received the offer of a full scholarship from a private college, where she hoped to study journalism and art. Because she knew her family could not help her raise the money required to pay for her books, supplies and basic living expenses, however, she turned down the scholarship and went to work in the private sector.
During World War II she served at the ordnance plant in Des Moines, IA, measuring azide powder for bomb detonator caps. After the war she worked for a time at Graham Hospital in Keokuk, IA, and then enlisted in the US Army in 1950 at the outbreak of the Korean war. She served first in the Cadet Hospital at the US Military Academy, West Point, NY, and then as a surgical nurse on the island of Okinawa, a base in full support of US troops in Korea. She remained in the Army several years after the war (including a stint at Letterman Hospital in San Francisco) and travelled extensively. Later she spent several years in France during which she wrote numerous newspaper articles, and after living in Colorado and Virginia, eventually settled in Albuquerque, NM.
She grew more serious about her writing in the 1990s, and adopted the pen name Ann Cragg. In 1999 a book of 200 of her poems was published under the title 'Ghost and Echoes', which garnered world-wide attention. She received numerous requests to have her poetry included in church worship services, in various anthologies, a cookbook, and one poem was used on the web-site of an English Minister of Parliament. A photograph and a short piece about her was featured alongside her poem 'Taps', in Richard H Schneider's 2002 book 'Taps: Notes From A Nation's Heart'. She collaborated on several musical works with her daughter, composer Jane Ellen, and had plans for two further books at the time of her death: a second volume of poetry and a book of short stories about her early life.
Ann was an extremely private person, yet was known for always being ready to give a helping hand in any way. She gave selflessly and tirelessly of herself and her resources throughout the years. Among her favourite causes were animal welfare, national wildlife, and the Dominican Sisters of Hope in Newburgh, NY, an order which cares for elderly religious who spent their lives teaching school. She made friends more easily with young people than her peers, and was a great source of encouragement to them. She was devoted to her only child and an unflagging supporter of her musical career. Although no longer able to attend Mass, she remained a life-long Catholic and was blessed to receive numerous visits from priests and Eucharistic ministers in her final days.
Her ashes were interred between the graves of her parents and two of her brothers in the parish cemetery, St Patrick, Missouri, May 28, 2010. The private memorial service was conducted by the Shrine's pastor Fr Paul M Hartley, assisted by her nephew Kenneth Krueger, Jr. Members of her family including her daughter Jane Ellen, her sister Ellen Krueger, and her niece Barbara (Bobbi) Krueger, were in attendance.
N.B. Because this memorial has received numerous genealogical requests, here is the information regarding Ann's marriages:
Ann was briefly married to Ross L McNally (1910-39), of Keokuk, IA, c.1935-38.
She was married to Emery Edgar Reisner (1909-88) of Keokuk, IA and later Cedar Rapids, IA, for eleven years, c.1939-1950.
Her last marriage was to Steven Gilbert Quesnel (1926-96) of Boise, Idaho, and later Memphis, TN, from December 1955-c.1972; separated, then divorced 1977.
During World War II she served at the ordnance plant in Des Moines, IA, measuring azide powder for bomb detonator caps. After the war she worked for a time at Graham Hospital in Keokuk, IA, and then enlisted in the US Army in 1950 at the outbreak of the Korean war. She served first in the Cadet Hospital at the US Military Academy, West Point, NY, and then as a surgical nurse on the island of Okinawa, a base in full support of US troops in Korea. She remained in the Army several years after the war (including a stint at Letterman Hospital in San Francisco) and travelled extensively. Later she spent several years in France during which she wrote numerous newspaper articles, and after living in Colorado and Virginia, eventually settled in Albuquerque, NM.
She grew more serious about her writing in the 1990s, and adopted the pen name Ann Cragg. In 1999 a book of 200 of her poems was published under the title 'Ghost and Echoes', which garnered world-wide attention. She received numerous requests to have her poetry included in church worship services, in various anthologies, a cookbook, and one poem was used on the web-site of an English Minister of Parliament. A photograph and a short piece about her was featured alongside her poem 'Taps', in Richard H Schneider's 2002 book 'Taps: Notes From A Nation's Heart'. She collaborated on several musical works with her daughter, composer Jane Ellen, and had plans for two further books at the time of her death: a second volume of poetry and a book of short stories about her early life.
Ann was an extremely private person, yet was known for always being ready to give a helping hand in any way. She gave selflessly and tirelessly of herself and her resources throughout the years. Among her favourite causes were animal welfare, national wildlife, and the Dominican Sisters of Hope in Newburgh, NY, an order which cares for elderly religious who spent their lives teaching school. She made friends more easily with young people than her peers, and was a great source of encouragement to them. She was devoted to her only child and an unflagging supporter of her musical career. Although no longer able to attend Mass, she remained a life-long Catholic and was blessed to receive numerous visits from priests and Eucharistic ministers in her final days.
Her ashes were interred between the graves of her parents and two of her brothers in the parish cemetery, St Patrick, Missouri, May 28, 2010. The private memorial service was conducted by the Shrine's pastor Fr Paul M Hartley, assisted by her nephew Kenneth Krueger, Jr. Members of her family including her daughter Jane Ellen, her sister Ellen Krueger, and her niece Barbara (Bobbi) Krueger, were in attendance.
N.B. Because this memorial has received numerous genealogical requests, here is the information regarding Ann's marriages:
Ann was briefly married to Ross L McNally (1910-39), of Keokuk, IA, c.1935-38.
She was married to Emery Edgar Reisner (1909-88) of Keokuk, IA and later Cedar Rapids, IA, for eleven years, c.1939-1950.
Her last marriage was to Steven Gilbert Quesnel (1926-96) of Boise, Idaho, and later Memphis, TN, from December 1955-c.1972; separated, then divorced 1977.
Annabel Moore Quesnel died Wednesday, March 18, 2009, at 6.30pm, at VistaCare Hospice Inpatient Ward in Lovelace Hospital, Albuquerque, NM. Annabel was born in Wayland, MO, the daughter of Leonard Henry and Margaret Ahern Moore. The fifth of eight children she grew up on the family farm near St Patrick. She wrote her first poem at the age of 14, and would continue writing all her life. When she was 16 she graduated from the Catholic High School in St Patrick, at which time she received the offer of a full scholarship from a private college, where she hoped to study journalism and art. Because she knew her family could not help her raise the money required to pay for her books, supplies and basic living expenses, however, she turned down the scholarship and went to work in the private sector.
During World War II she served at the ordnance plant in Des Moines, IA, measuring azide powder for bomb detonator caps. After the war she worked for a time at Graham Hospital in Keokuk, IA, and then enlisted in the US Army in 1950 at the outbreak of the Korean war. She served first in the Cadet Hospital at the US Military Academy, West Point, NY, and then as a surgical nurse on the island of Okinawa, a base in full support of US troops in Korea. She remained in the Army several years after the war (including a stint at Letterman Hospital in San Francisco) and travelled extensively. Later she spent several years in France during which she wrote numerous newspaper articles, and after living in Colorado and Virginia, eventually settled in Albuquerque, NM.
She grew more serious about her writing in the 1990s, and adopted the pen name Ann Cragg. In 1999 a book of 200 of her poems was published under the title 'Ghost and Echoes', which garnered world-wide attention. She received numerous requests to have her poetry included in church worship services, in various anthologies, a cookbook, and one poem was used on the web-site of an English Minister of Parliament. A photograph and a short piece about her was featured alongside her poem 'Taps', in Richard H Schneider's 2002 book 'Taps: Notes From A Nation's Heart'. She collaborated on several musical works with her daughter, composer Jane Ellen, and had plans for two further books at the time of her death: a second volume of poetry and a book of short stories about her early life.
Ann was an extremely private person, yet was known for always being ready to give a helping hand in any way. She gave selflessly and tirelessly of herself and her resources throughout the years. Among her favourite causes were animal welfare, national wildlife, and the Dominican Sisters of Hope in Newburgh, NY, an order which cares for elderly religious who spent their lives teaching school. She made friends more easily with young people than her peers, and was a great source of encouragement to them. She was devoted to her only child and an unflagging supporter of her musical career. Although no longer able to attend Mass, she remained a life-long Catholic and was blessed to receive numerous visits from priests and Eucharistic ministers in her final days.
Her ashes were interred between the graves of her parents and two of her brothers in the parish cemetery, St Patrick, Missouri, May 28, 2010. The private memorial service was conducted by the Shrine's pastor Fr Paul M Hartley, assisted by her nephew Kenneth Krueger, Jr. Members of her family including her daughter Jane Ellen, her sister Ellen Krueger, and her niece Barbara (Bobbi) Krueger, were in attendance.
N.B. Because this memorial has received numerous genealogical requests, here is the information regarding Ann's marriages:
Ann was briefly married to Ross L McNally (1910-39), of Keokuk, IA, c.1935-38.
She was married to Emery Edgar Reisner (1909-88) of Keokuk, IA and later Cedar Rapids, IA, for eleven years, c.1939-1950.
Her last marriage was to Steven Gilbert Quesnel (1926-96) of Boise, Idaho, and later Memphis, TN, from December 1955-c.1972; separated, then divorced 1977.
During World War II she served at the ordnance plant in Des Moines, IA, measuring azide powder for bomb detonator caps. After the war she worked for a time at Graham Hospital in Keokuk, IA, and then enlisted in the US Army in 1950 at the outbreak of the Korean war. She served first in the Cadet Hospital at the US Military Academy, West Point, NY, and then as a surgical nurse on the island of Okinawa, a base in full support of US troops in Korea. She remained in the Army several years after the war (including a stint at Letterman Hospital in San Francisco) and travelled extensively. Later she spent several years in France during which she wrote numerous newspaper articles, and after living in Colorado and Virginia, eventually settled in Albuquerque, NM.
She grew more serious about her writing in the 1990s, and adopted the pen name Ann Cragg. In 1999 a book of 200 of her poems was published under the title 'Ghost and Echoes', which garnered world-wide attention. She received numerous requests to have her poetry included in church worship services, in various anthologies, a cookbook, and one poem was used on the web-site of an English Minister of Parliament. A photograph and a short piece about her was featured alongside her poem 'Taps', in Richard H Schneider's 2002 book 'Taps: Notes From A Nation's Heart'. She collaborated on several musical works with her daughter, composer Jane Ellen, and had plans for two further books at the time of her death: a second volume of poetry and a book of short stories about her early life.
Ann was an extremely private person, yet was known for always being ready to give a helping hand in any way. She gave selflessly and tirelessly of herself and her resources throughout the years. Among her favourite causes were animal welfare, national wildlife, and the Dominican Sisters of Hope in Newburgh, NY, an order which cares for elderly religious who spent their lives teaching school. She made friends more easily with young people than her peers, and was a great source of encouragement to them. She was devoted to her only child and an unflagging supporter of her musical career. Although no longer able to attend Mass, she remained a life-long Catholic and was blessed to receive numerous visits from priests and Eucharistic ministers in her final days.
Her ashes were interred between the graves of her parents and two of her brothers in the parish cemetery, St Patrick, Missouri, May 28, 2010. The private memorial service was conducted by the Shrine's pastor Fr Paul M Hartley, assisted by her nephew Kenneth Krueger, Jr. Members of her family including her daughter Jane Ellen, her sister Ellen Krueger, and her niece Barbara (Bobbi) Krueger, were in attendance.
N.B. Because this memorial has received numerous genealogical requests, here is the information regarding Ann's marriages:
Ann was briefly married to Ross L McNally (1910-39), of Keokuk, IA, c.1935-38.
She was married to Emery Edgar Reisner (1909-88) of Keokuk, IA and later Cedar Rapids, IA, for eleven years, c.1939-1950.
Her last marriage was to Steven Gilbert Quesnel (1926-96) of Boise, Idaho, and later Memphis, TN, from December 1955-c.1972; separated, then divorced 1977.
Inscription
Annabel Moore Quesnel
SP2
U.S. Army
Korea
Mar 2 1916
Mar 18 2009
