Obituary

Anna Hoolihan, 81, died February 3, 2012, at her Dana Point home with her husband by her side.

Anna’s life was rooted in a deep faith. She was born in Fair Haven, Michigan, and was the oldest of five children. She spent her early years with 3 sisters and a brother in a home where the Catholic faith was emphasized. She attended 12 years at Catholic schools and went on to two more years at a Catholic University. It was at that time at one of the parish dances that she met her husband Patrick.

She married Patrick Hoolihan on November 20, 1954. They lived in East Detroit, Michigan until June, 1959 when they moved to sunny Orange, California with 4 children and one on the way. Five more children were born in Orange, California where they lived until 1979. They moved to Dana Point, California to build their dream home.

Anna and Patrick loved to entertain and the family home was always filled with family and friends. It was easy to find something to celebrate. Anna loved to cook fabulous recipes for all and she became famous with the family for her many signature dishes.

Early in life, Anna found she had a talent in painting and did several water colors. But her artistic endeavors were put aside to be a full time mother. During that time gardening became an advocation. She devoted much of her time and energy as a caregiver to family members, including her mother until she passed away at age 90. After raising nine children, Anna went back to college to get a degree in interior design at Saddleback College. Besides interior design, Anna was an accomplished quilter, seamstress, and dabbled in upholstery. One of her many projects was to make a quilt for each her grandchildren. These quilts have become treasured family heirlooms since each one tells the story of a child’s life.

Anna is survived by her husband Patrick; sisters Betty, Fran, and Patty; her children Kathleen, Maureen, Patrick, Eileen, Daniel, Michael, Timothy, Sheila, and Annie; her grandchildren Michelle, Rebecca, Shannon, Thomas, Kelly, Caitlin, Amy, Michael, Matthew, Brian, Connor, Sarah, Sean, Katherine, Liam, Madeline, Brendan, Cassandra, Kerri, Aidan, Jacob, and Bridgit.