NORWICH – Anna Natoli Glisson, 78, of Kingsmill, passed away on July 8, 2010 at Hospice House of Williamsburg, Va.
She was born March 5, 1932 in Norwich, the daughter of Bartolomeo and Nunziata Biviano Natoli. Her parents immigrated to America from Lipari, located in the Aeolian Islands of Southern Italy. They arrived through Ellis Island, New York.
Anna spent her early life in New York, where she graduated from Norwich High School as valedictorian of her class. In 1954, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. She earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which later merged with Harvard University.
As a young professional, Anna moved to Washington, D.C. and worked in personnel for Woodward and Lothrop. She met her husband, Wallace Glisson, of Claxton, Georgia, while he was attending American University. They were married February 2, 1957 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Norristown, Pennsylvania. The couple spent their honeymoon in Williamsburg and after living in the Washington, D.C. suburbs, Richmond, Virginia, Charleston, West Virginia, and Baltimore, Maryland, they returned to the colonial capital in 1968 and made it their home.
Anna was a devoted wife and mother of two children. She had a successful career as a real estate agent, earning top awards for home sales on the Virginia Peninsula. She joined the sales team that established GSH Residential, where she worked for more than 20 years until her retirement in 2007. In addition, she served on the Board of Directors for the Williamsburg Area Association of Realtors and was an active recruiter and mentor for industry professionals.
Anna was a devout Catholic and a member of St. Bede Church. She was a leader in fundraising efforts to build the St. Bede Parish Center and also helped organize church camps for pre-school children.
Throughout her life, Anna was a strong supporter of education and a caring volunteer who believed in helping others. She served as one of the first language and reading tutors in the Rita Welsh Adult Skills Program, now known as Literacy for Life. She was a founding board member for Child Development Resources, Inc, which was organized by volunteers as the Williamsburg Pre-School for Special Children. For the past two years, a nursing scholarship established in her name has been awarded through Norwich Dollars for Scholars, a foundation affiliated with the national program of Scholarship for America.
Anna was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, Dr. Thomas J. Natoli of Norristown, Pennsylvania and Joseph B. Natoli of Norwich, New York.
Surviving are her husband of 53 years, Wallace Daniel Glisson; a son, Wallace Daniel “Chip” Glisson, Jr. and daughter-in-law Kim Skeen Glisson of Columbia, Maryland; a daughter, Nancy Glisson Lucy and son-in-law, Christopher Vernon Lucy of Richmond, Virginia; two grandchildren, Thomas Christopher Lucy and Lauren Adair Lucy of Richmond, Virginia.
Visitation hours were from 3 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 11 at Nelsen Funeral Home in Williamsburg. A memorial service and mass was conducted at 9 a.m. on Monday, July 12 at the Catholic Campus Ministry Chapel (Old St. Bede Catholic Church) on Richmond Road. Burial followed at Williamsburg Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Walsingham Academy, Child Development Resources, Inc., Norwich Dollars for Scholars, or Hospice House of Williamsburg.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.nelsencares.com.