Anna Beatrice Haskell

Services: A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, October 29 in Holy Face Catholic Church, Great Mills, MD at 10:00 AM with Father Raymond Schmidt officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. Visitation: Public Viewing will be held in the funeral home from 5 - 8 PM with prayers being said at 7 PM. Anna Beatrice Gasparovic Haskell, 83, of St. Mary's City, MD died on October 26, 2004 in INOVA Hospital, Fairfax, VA. Born March 29, 1921 in Great Mills, MD she was the daughter of the late Martin and Anna Gasparovic. She is survived by four children; Linda Leigh Shaklee, Elizabeth Ann Haskell Czarra and Lawrence Steven Haskell all of St. Mary's City, MD and Martin Douglas Haskell of Berkley Springs, WV; seven grandchildren: Brian Shaklee, Jason Mills, Shelley Shaklee Rainey, Laura Shaklee, Christopher Haskell, Michael Bruce Haskell and Tiffany Haskell; and six great-grandchildren: Joshua Haushnecht, Ethan Mills, Alisha Mimay, Aiden Mimay, Gabriel Mimay and Grace Ann Rainey. Mrs. Haskell is also survived by her sister, Pauline Gasparovic and her cousin, Anna Vicera both of St. Mary's City. She was preceded in death by her oldest son Bruce Bailey; her husband Warren Bailey Haskell and her sister and brother in-law Helen and Pete Peteus. She was a graduate of Mercy Hospital in Baltimore where she earned her Degree as a Registered Nurse. She then enlisted in the Army Nurse Corps on 6 April 1943 and was assigned to the 45th Evacuation Hospital. Capt. Anna Gasparovic spent 9 months in England preparing for the Invasion and had the distinction of landing with the 45th Evacuation Hospital on Omaha Beach on June 16th "D+10" and remained in the European theater until the First Army Headquarters departed in May 1945. The campaign and service medals received during her tour included: The American Defense Medal; The American Campaign Medal; The European Campaign â?? 5 Battle Stars; The Victory Medal World War II; and, The Occupation Medal, Germany. With the cessation of hostilities, the 45th Evacuation Hospital was awarded the Meritorious Streamer for the European Theater. Her Unit's final assignment was the evacuation of the inmates of the Buchenwold Concentration Camp in Weimar, Germany on April 12, 1945. She was discharged from the service 19 January 1946. Travelmaster International, under the direction of Major General Ernest T. Cragg, USAF (Ret), the Department of the Army and the World War II Commemoration Committee invited Captain Gasparovic to participate in the 50th Anniversary of the Normandy "D-Day" Landings in 1994. She was invited to attend Guildhall State Dinner at Portsmouth City hosted by Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip. Also in attendance were President and Mrs. Clinton, 14 Heads of the State and 500 distinguished guests. The dinner was in commemoration of all those who contributed to the D-Day operation. A Commemorative Medal created by the French for the returning veterans and participants in the D-Day Landings in Normandy was presented individually to a large group at the Abbay-aux-Dames, Regional Council of Normandy in Caen by the Mayor of Caen. Mrs. Haskell was honored to be one of the recipients of the Medal. She was also honored in October 1994 at a special ceremony by Capt. Roger Hill, Commanding Officer, Naval Air Station, Patuxent River in recognition of her service to her country. She was presented with the Defense Commemorative WWII Pin and a lovely bouquet of flowers on behalf of the Command. She was also presented with a Commemorative Silver Medallion from the Women in Military Service Association by Cmdr. Trish Beckman, Senior Systems Instructor, U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. Mrs. Haskell truly leaves a legacy of honor to her family and friends. The family will receive friends on Thursday, October 28 from 5 â?? 8 PM in the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home where prayers will be said at 7 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, October 29 at 10 AM in Holy Face Catholic Church with Father Raymond Schmidt officiating. Interment will follow in church cemetery. Pallbearers will be her seven grandchildren Brian Shaklee, Jason Mills, Shelley Shaklee, Laura Shaklee, Christopher Haskell, Michael Bruce Haskell and Tiffany Haskell. Contributions maybe made to World War II Memorial, American Battle Monuments Commission, P.O. Box 96766, Washington, DC 20090-6766, Woman in Military Service, American Memorial Foundation, Dept. 560, Washington, DC 20042-0560 and/or Hospice of St. Mary's, P.O. Box 625, Leonardtown, MD 20650. Arrangements provided by Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, P.A.