Margaret Anne Westhafer, Anne, quietly slipped away from us on Thursday, January 30th, after a brief illness. Despite all she did for her loved ones and the community during her 87 years of life, her departure was still way too soon.
Born Margaret Anne Bragdon to Hoyt and Margaret (Laird) Bragdon on October 19, 1937, Anne grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. As a child, she enjoyed riding horses and spending her summers in Maggie Valley in North Carolina, where she liked to hike and play in the river and meadows. She attended Landon High School. There she was proud to be a member of the famous Landon Lionettes precision drill team. After graduation, she went to Florida State University, where she joined Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and served as the chapter’s treasurer. After graduating with a BS in Business in 1959, she went to work first as secretary to the Division Chief at Virginia Carolina in Richmond, VA, and then at American National Bank in Jacksonville.
She moved to Greensburg, Indiana in 1962 with the love of her life, Joseph Paul Westhafer. In Greensburg, Anne devoted her time to raising their four children and to serving her community. She was an active volunteer, giving her time to the hospital, Meals on Wheels, Bread of Life, the Cheer Fund, and many other organizations. A faithful member of the First Presbyterian Church in Greensburg, Anne worked as the church treasurer for three years before serving 13 years as the Clerk of Session. She was also a member of Psi Iota Psi and PEO.
Anne loved to read and was a die-hard Colts fan (even though it was often hard to be one). She was an avid bridge player and always seemed to have a game to go to. She loved doing puzzles, beating her daughters at Wordfeud, watching birds at her bird feeders, figuring out how to use new technology, and tending to her various flowers. She never met a board game she didn’t like and could defeat anyone in any game, even if she’d never played it before.
The most important part of her life was her family. Joe and Anne married in September 1959 at Southside Baptist Church in Jacksonville, FL and were together for 63 years until his passing in February of 2023. She was proud of her four children Mike (Robin) Westhafer, Kathy (Bill) Duncan, Pam (Clay) Smith, and Susan (Naoyuki) Furukawa, and always encouraged them to follow their dreams even when that sometimes took them far away from her. She loved spending time with her 9 grandchildren—Yukie, Jessica, Meghan, Allison, Audrey, Gabriel, Lucas, Clare, and Nicolas–and her three great grandchildren, Clover, Honey, and Sophie.
Besides her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, Anne is survived by her brother and sister-in-law James and Lue Bragdon, many loving in-laws, nieces, nephews, and her beloved cat, Joey. She is predeceased by her parents and her husband, Joe.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the First Presbyterian Church of Greensburg, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America, the Decatur County Library, the Decatur County Foundation, or a charity of your choice. There will be a graveside service for immediate family on February 7th at 11 am. A memorial service for all who knew and loved Anne will be held at a later date.