Obituary for Anne Fox Greenbaum Anne Fox Greenbaum passed away on November 13, 2018, at the age of 92. Funeral services will be on Friday, November 16, 2018, at 1:30 p.m., at The Louis Memorial Chapel, 6830 Troost Ave. , Kansas City, MO, with burial to follow at Rose Hill Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Anne’s memory can be made to the charity of your choice. She was born in St. Louis, MO, in 1926, to her beloved parents, Clara Ida (Gorden) and Nathan Fox. She leaves behind her family, who adored her: Her sons, Frederick J. Greenbaum and wife Tina, Lawrence D. Greenbaum and partner Song Yang; her daughter, Susan G. Greenbaum and husband Chris Parker; her daughter-in-law, Laura Greenbaum; her grandchildren, Phil Greenbaum, Patti Greenbaum and husband Jordan Jurcyk, Jack Greenbaum, Katie Weiner and husband Joe, Joe Greenbaum, Aaron Greenbaum, and Gabe Greenbaum; great-granddaughter, Eloise “Lulu” Greenbaum, and great-grandson Winslow Jurcyk.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Louis; her son, Ronald S. Greenbaum; and her siblings, Rose Cohn and Phillip Fox. The two words that best describe Anne are, “tireless” and “loving”—which, in Anne’s case, are synonyms. She showed her love hour after hour, day after day, year after year, by doing everything she could for her parents, her siblings, and her children, husband, grandchildren, nephews, and nieces.
Her unconditional devotion and dedication are inspirations to every family member who survives her. Anne’s father, Nathan Fox, and his sister were orphans, living in then-Austro-Hungary. He was a soldier in the chaos of World War I and unexpectedly wound up in Ukraine, where he met the Gorden family and married their daughter, Clara Ida.
Clara Ida and Nathan left Ukraine to join eldest Gorden brother, Harry, in Mississippi; daughter Rose was born there. They moved to St. Louis to join other family members. Anne, named Anna at birth, was born in St. Louis in 1926.
The family soon moved to KC, MO, and eventually bought a stone-front bungalow with a shaded porch and swing on Benton Blvd. Anne’s brother, Phillip, was born with Down Syndrome, and he and Anne would sit together contentedly on the porch swing as children. Phillip would rejoice excitedly on that porch swing when Anne would come home from college.
Anne was brilliant academically, multi-talented artistically, and humble uniformly. She had an excellent singing voice and was a very good pianist. Her surviving high school friends still marvel at how she was so smart, friendly, talented, and involved in so many school activities.
She graduated from Paseo High School in 1943 and attended Kansas City Junior College before transferring to the University of Missouri and graduating with a degree in journalism. Anne’s intelligence came directly from her parents, who recognized her gifts and supported her higher education goals at a time when college was not a given for most women. She was a loving and attentive daughter, especially helpful to her visually-impaired mother and caring tirelessly for her younger brother, Phillip; she and Phillip loved each other deeply.
Anne met Louis at Mizzou, and they married shortly after she graduated; she worked in Columbia while Lou finished his degree. After Lou’s graduation, they returned to Kansas City and started their family. Anne later completed her Master’s in education and taught in area schools as a substitute teacher; she also continued to write freelance pieces for the KC Star, the Overland Park Sun, the KC Jewish Chronicle, and other publications.
But for all of her many gifts, she considered her greatest accomplishment raising four loving, independent children. Anne dedicated her life to family, working tirelessly from morning til night to keep everyone well-fed, clothed (in the latest styles), and above all, supported and encouraged in their every pursuit. She was always an extraordinary and attentive caregiver any time the kids were sick.
When their son, Ron, was diagnosed with a brain tumor, she and Lou were at his side, ready to attend to his every need. She was also an extraordinary caregiver to Lou. He and the family attributed his extraordinary longevity to her love and excellent care throughout his adult life.
Anne’s father inspired her musical interests; he played violin, as did she, along with her piano-playing. She was also a capable athlete, which her daughter discovered one year on a hotel tennis court. She encouraged her children’s love of music and sports, and she tirelessly schlepped them to baseball and basketball practices and games, rehearsals, shows, and concerts, and all manner of extracurricular activities.
Her parenting was sensibly strict, and she and Lou gave their children an excellent foundation of discipline and respect. It was a given in the family that education was always a top priority, so much so that the kids never had to be told to study or work hard in school. That foundation allowed all four kids to become successful adults.
Anne’s sense of humor was extremely clever, dry, and always at the ready. She had an irrepressible giggle. When the family would watch TV in the evenings, Anne would sometimes retreat to the kitchen overlooking the family room, usually (and ostensibly) to clean up from dinner.
On one such evening, Anne’s secret was discovered: She was sitting at the table, enjoying a bowl of ice cream. When the clink of her spoon revealed the truth, she giggled for over an hour, and many times thereafter when the ice cream story was recounted. Anne loved ice cream.
Anne was always there for her family, and she was always all-in for her family. In her later years, though struggling with chronic pain, she still delighted in spending time with her kids and grandkids, and most recently, her two precious great-grandchildren. She was an archetypal mom, but she was also a trailblazer professionally and a role model for her children.
Her sons grew up recognizing women as equals because of how she and Lou worked together as equal partners on everything, in an era when such equality was far from the norm. Her daughter never saw limitations for her own future, thanks to Anne’s extraordinary example as a superwoman who really did it all and did it all beautifully and impressively. Anne always made her family her top priority.
There was no limit to what she could have achieved professionally and personally, but she had no regrets about her lifelong focus of her energy: Being the best daughter, sister, mom, wife, and grandmother she could be. Anne leaves a legacy of love, strength, and tireless hard work for her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to admire and emulate. She instilled compassion, particularly for people with special needs, in all of us.
She will always be in our hearts and heads in all we do, and we will tell her every day how much we love, appreciate, and miss her. Upcoming Events Funeral , NOV 16.
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