Anne L. Berger passed away peacefully on February 4, 2026 at the age of 106. She was an inspiration to all who knew her including her many friends and extended family members and those who met her at more recently at the Jewish Home of Rochester.
Born Anneliese Seldis in Cologne, Germany on April 16, 1919 to parents Amalia (Mally) and William, she left her country to escape persecution and was able to make a home first in New York City and then in Rochester. She married Hanon R. Berger on January 9, 1944 where she built a life as a mother, friend, and homemaker. She traveled to the Middle East in the 1970s with a group of interfaith women and was for a time active in Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester. In April of 2025 the town of Brighton, NY honored Anne as their oldest resident.
She was a wonderful friend, mother, grandma, great-grandma, and wife. She had a talent for flower arranging and set a great example for how to be healthy and balanced in her life. She stayed close to family and was always there for her children and many who adopted her as a mother figure. She accepted life as it came — with grace and very little resistance when it was time to let go of loved ones or give up various aspects of her independence. She was practical and easy going, awakening with a smile each day. She will live on as a role model to many.
She is survived by her three children Robert (Dorothy) of Denver, CO, Jim (Grace) of Rochester, NY and Lisa (Robert) of South Deerfield, MA. She leaves her grandchildren: Jillian, Molly and Lilly Berger, her step grandchildren Nicholas, Kimberly, Jack and Amy Lindner and Henry, Ariel and Sam Huang along with their children and partners. She was fortunate to meet her biological great grandson Eli in June of 2025. She is also survived by her nieces Harriet, Eve, Susan, Abbey, Nancy and Karen and nephew, Gary along with their spouses and children.
She is predeceased by her parents and husband, her sister, Ellen, and her brothers and sisters-in-law and a great many dear friends.
Anne’s family would like to thank the staff at the Jewish Home who cared for her so kindly as well as the 6th floor residents who shared each day with her there.
