Ana Grace Marquez-Greene

Ana Grace Marquez-Greene, 6, born April 4, 2006, died December 14, one of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

Ana is survived by her father, Jimmy Greene, a jazz saxophonist and an assistant professor of music at Western Connecticut State University. Her mother, Nelba Marquez-Greene is program coordinator for the Family Therapy Institute at Klingberg Family Centers and Central Connecticut State University adjunct faculty. Her brother Isaiah is a happy, intelligent, and musical boy who loves hockey and very much misses his sister. She will be missed dearly by her grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and scores of friends.

Ana’s love for singing was evident before she was able to talk. Her gift for melody, pitch, and rhythm stood out. She never walked; her mode of transportation was dance, from room to room and place to place. She danced to all the music she heard, in the air or in her head.

Ana loved her God, loved to read the Bible, and loved to sing and dance as acts of worship.

Nelba Marquez Green said she hopes the tragedy of the school shooting will bring a greater awareness to mental health issues and to reduce the stigma attached to those with mental illness, perhaps preventing tragedies like the one that took Ana’s life. The family asks prayers for the legions of people left behind to cherish Ana’s memory.

A Homegoing Celebration for Ana will begin at noon, Saturday, December 22, at First Cathedral, 1151 Blue Hills Avenue, Bloomfield, Conn. Visitation will be from 10 am to noon, Saturday. Burial will be private. These events are for friends and family only.

Memorial donations may be made to The Ana Grace Marquez-Greene Therapy Fund, c/o Outpatient Clinic/Family Therapy Institute, Klingberg Family Centers, 370 Linwood Street, New Britain CT 06052, or The Artists’ Collective, 1200 Albany Avenue, Hartford CT 06112, or The Ana Grace Marquez-Green Scholarship Fund, c/o Western Connecticut State University, Office of Institutional Advancement, 181 White Street, Danbury CT 06810. A fund to support the family has been set up at www.Anagracefund.com.

Direct cards c/o WCSU, Department of Music, 181 White Street, Danbury CT or Klingberg Family Centers.

On-line condolences may be made at www.carmonfuneralhome.com .

The Newtown Bee Posted December 20, 2012

This is Ana's obituary as it appeared in The Newtown Bee