Anna Helen Rich, age 36, of Riverside died Thursday, May 19, 2011 at University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City following a sudden illness.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Monday, May 23, 2011 at the United Presbyterian Church in Washington with Rev. Bob Wollenberg officiating. Visitation will begin 11:00 a.m. Sunday at the Jones & Eden Funeral Home where the family will receive friends from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Interment will take place at the Sandy Hook Cemetery in rural Brighton, Iowa. Memorials have been established for Hospice of Washington County and the Kalona Public Library. Online condolences may be sent for Anna's family through the web at www.jonesfh.com .

Anna was born January 5, 1975 in Washington, Iowa the daughter of Robert and Kathryn (George) McCormick. She attended school in Washington, Iowa and Keota, Iowa graduating from Keota High School in 1993. Anna attended Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri for one year and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Iowa State University in 1997. She later received her Masters of Library Science Degree from Texas Women's University. She was united in marriage to Jamie Rich on June 13, 1998 in Ames, Iowa. They have made their home in Riverside since 2007.

As a child, Anna was baptized in the Richland United Methodist Church. Dr. Gene (Doc) Hoy and his wife, Linda of Richland have been her loving Godparents throughout life. While she was a student in Ames, she joined the First United Methodist Church and lived at the Koinonia House. She transferred her membership to the United Methodist Church in McHenry, Illinois where she was active in United Methodist Women and the Stephens Ministry. Since returning to Riverside, she became a member of the Richland American Legion Auxiliary to which her grandmother, Erma McCormick, and her late grandmother, Clara George, were/are active members. The Legion Auxiliary supports the men and women who serve in the armed forces around the world. Both deceased grandfathers, Andrew George and George McCormick, served in WW II, and her father, Robert McCormick, was a recipient of two Purple Hearts during his service in Vietnam. Anna joined the United Presbyterian Church of Washington where she served as a Deacon and took part in Tuesday Morning Moms. This past year, Anna was named the Washington County Hospice Volunteer of the Year. She was a strong supporter of the Roots & Wings Montessori Pre-School in Kalona where both children have attended. She unselfishly volunteered many hours, most notably raising funds and developing a website. She found joy in doing for others, celebrating with family and friends, adding a personal touch to making gifts for others. Anna was an avid reader and lover of books.

During college at ISU, she participated in Americorp in the Ames Public Library in the YA Reader Department and delivered books to nursing homes on the bookmobile. She also worked for B.R.A.V.E. (Be Ready Against Violence Everywhere) in Des Moines and worked at the Des Moines YWCA Women's Shelter. While in Texas, she was employed by the University of Texas in Dallas. Anna worked as a Young Adult Librarian in Illinois at the McHenry Public Library and the Barrington Public Library. Since 2000, she has continued her profession by reviewing audio-books for Booklist; she recently submitted her first free-lance article for a local women's magazine. The role that gave her the most satisfaction, however, was that of being Katie and Aaron's mommy and Jamie's wife.

Anna (McCormick) Rich is survived by her husband Jamie Rich of Riverside, Iowa; children Kathryn (Katie), age 7, and Aaron, age 4, both at home; parents Kathryn and Paul Kuhlman of Keota, Iowa; uncle Fred George and wife, Dianne (Conger) of Edmonds, Washington. Anna is also survived by her father Robert McCormick of Welch, Oklahoma; uncle Richard McCormick and wife Jane (Davis) of Vici, Oklahoma; uncle Michael McCormick and wife Nancy (Dunaway) of Wilmington, Ohio; aunt Bev (McCormick) and husband Jim Yule of Packwood, Iowa; brother Seth McCormick and wife MaRanda (Mercer) of Miami, Oklahoma. Other survivors include: father and mother-in-law Melvin and Cathy (Walker) Rich of Brighton, Iowa; sister-in-law Becky Rich of Washington, Iowa; sister-in-law Amy (Rich) Vetter and husband Jeff of Washington, Iowa; sister-in-law Abbe (Rich) Watson and husband J.B. of Bondurant, Iowa. She is also survived by a great aunt Martha (Smith) White of Marion, Iowa; a grandmother Erma (Haines) McCormick of Packwood, Iowa; a grandmother-in-law Martha (Hahn) Walker of Washington, Iowa; as well as by numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

She is preceded in death by grandparents Andrew and Clara (Smith) George formerly of Richland, Iowa; George McCormick formerly of Packwood, Iowa; and grandparents (by marriage) Grant Walker formerly of Washington and W.A. and Hazel Marshall formerly of Brighton, Iowa.