Services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 12, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Lost Nation, with the Rev. William Kneemiller officiating. Burial will be in Sacred Heart Cemetery, Lost Nation. Friends may call from 3 to 8 p.m. today at the church. Lahey Funeral & Cremation Services, Lost Nation, is in charge of arrangements.

Annemarie von Essen was born in Dagebull, Schleswig Holstein, Germany, October 15, 1911, to August and Theodora Von Essen, the youngest of eight brothers and sisters.

She immigrated to the United States in 1936 and settled in Lost Nation to operate the Von Essen Hotel owned by her brother, Claus. She was joined the next year by her brother Alfred, his wife Frida, and daughter, Haidi, and all continued to run the popular restaurant and hotel until 1945.

During this period, she lived a short time with the Sisters of the Divine Shepard in Omaha, Neb. While there, she gained a real appreciation for the Catholic faith and established a close relationship with the Mother Superior that lasted many years.

She married John Raymond Scanlan on February 14, 1946, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Lost Nation; he preceded in death in 1977 and Anne Marie continued living on the farm until her death.

They farmed on several farms near Welton, Grand Mound, and Lost Nation before retiring on the farm west of Lost Nation in 1975.

After raising a family, Anne Marie resumed her career in the restaurant business and retired as the dining room manager of the Maquoketa Country Club in 1998. She had a unique energy for serving and relating to people that allowed her to accrue a large following of friends and admirers over the years.

She was a member of long-standing of the Sacred Heart Altar and Rosary Society, and Menzo Widle Post 381 Legion Auxiliary.

Surviving are her three children, Marsha (Bruce) England, of Merrimac, Wisconsin; John (Suzanne) Scanlan, of Canton, Mississippi; and Kathleen Scanlan, of Minneapolis, Minnesota; four grandchildren, Conan (Katrina) Scanlan, of Auburn, Alabama; Cory (Mary) Scanlan, of Madison, Wisconsin; Ann Marie England, of Washington, and Tim England, of Eau Claire, Wisconsin; nieces, Irene Moeller, of Rodding, Denmark; Christa Jensen, of Wyk auf Fohr, Germany; Hadi (Virgil) Burmeister, of Lost Nation, Iowa; Rosie Bennett, of Marion, Iowa; Jeanne (Paul) Dwyer, of Waukee, Iowa; and Marla Rae (Jerry) Moore, of Bettendorf, Iowa; and an extensive list of grandnieces and nephews, with a special thanks to Scott (Chris) Burmeister, of Oxford Junction, for all of the day to day help they have given her over the years.

She also was preceded in death by her parents; two sisters, and five brothers.