Anna Marie Ruso
Obituary
Anna Marie Ruso passed away peacefully at the age of 89 on March 3, 2023 after a short illness. She was a beloved wife, mother and "Nani" to 21 grandchildren. Anna Marie was a devout Catholic throughout her life and she helped to instill that faith in her family.
She was born on April 7, 1933, in Watsonville to Anna and John Konsuo, immigrants from Croatia.
Anna Marie graduated from Moreland Notre Dame High School in 1952. She met and married her first husband, Nick Scurich, in 1961. They had two daughters, Patricia and Mary Beth.
She worked at Pajaro Valley National Bank and was active in the Venture Club, Young Ladies Institute, the Croatian Fraternal Union, and the Jadran Kolo Club, where she met many lifelong friends.
In 1970, she married Tony Ruso, and had two more children, Catherine and David. They were married for forty years before Tony's passing in 2010.
She was happiest when entertaining family and friends. She never had an empty table and welcomed everyone in her home. A fabulous cook, her signature dish was "Nani's pasta". She also enjoyed carrying on Croatian traditions by making krustule with her grandchildren during the holidays. In her later years, she and Tony worked in the office of OLHC (Valley) Church.
Devoted to family, she moved in with daughter Catherine to help raise her young grandchildren when her son-in-law Nathan passed away. She took many trips to Disneyland and San Diego with them. She also loved Mexican food and was known to enjoy the occasional icy margarita.
She is survived by her children, Patricia (Jeff) Lester, Mary Beth (John) Macedo, Catherine Ruso, David (Blossom) Ruso; step-daughter Kristy Ruso-Kennedy; grandchildren Joseph, Clare, Katie, Paul, Mark, Nick, Anna, Peter, Luke, Skyler, Caleb, Joshua, Hayden, Andrew, Marie, Rachel, Anastasia, Colette, Isabella, Elijah, Emily; niece, Pamela Arbanas.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Tony; brothers, Charlie and Martin Arbanas and son-in-law Nathan Weber.
Visitation will be held at Mehl's Colonial Chapel on Wednesday, March 15th from 5pm to 7pm with the Rosary at 7pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, March 16th at 12pm at Our Lady Help of Christians (Valley) Church. The family requests Mass Intentions for Anna Marie. Donations in her memory may be made to Salesian Elementary School, 605 Enos Lane, Watsonville CA 95076. Mehl's Colonial Chapel was entrusted in the Funeral Services.
Published in The Pajaronian · March 9, 2023