Anita Perrone grew up in England and attended college outside of London where she studied the teaching profession. This led her to a position at a school where she and other new teachers brought fresh perspective into their programs by developing new curricula. Anita’s specialty was the art and theater classes, which had her guiding students in painting murals on school walls and attending theater performances and fashion shows. After teaching in London, she had opportunities to pursue work in Australia, Russia, or the United States. She chose the latter.
After moving to the United States in 1962, Anita worked as a governess on a one-year contract and kept going from there. Her next moves were to Massachusetts and then Connecticut, where she worked at the Yale University Library circulation desk before becoming the manager at a Plaid Stamps store. Later, she would enter the banking industry and worked her way up to the position of Assistant Treasurer. During that time, she played a crucial role in introducing computers to the workplace. Eventually, in the late 1970s, Anita moved to Pennsylvania and has stayed here ever since.
While in the Keystone State, Anita pivoted to work in the garment industry with Kahn Lucas Lancaster, a children’s clothing manufacturer. There, she would work for 26 years as the manager of Customer Service and Order Processing. After retiring from that position, she continued to work seasonally on special projects that included handling a hijacking of a shipment in Honduras, and issues with the computerization of the Piece Goods Department.
When she wasn’t working, Anita enjoyed taking care of her Labradors, pet ducks, hunting birds, fish, and other animals with her husband, Louis. Additionally, she enjoyed traveling to European destinations including Barcelona, Riga, Warsaw, Florence, Rome, and Scotland. In the United States, she has also traveled extensively, including to Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Florida, Texas, Idaho, and Illinois. One of her favorite destinations was a beachside cottage on the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, Canada. Whilst there, she was a volunteer with the Children’s School Program at The Fundy Geological Museum. She and her late husband loved to hunt for fossils and have an impressive collection of items from their various adventures that includes fossils from the Carboniferous Period, dinosaur tracks, and other trophies.
Since moving to St. John’s Herr Estates, a Luthercare Community in Columbia, in 2018, Anita has kept active, and enjoys the friendly atmosphere that makes it easy to get involved. “I think it’s fantastic. Everybody knows everybody,” she said. Currently, Anita is a member of the campus’ Bowling League, Dart League, Shuffleboard League, Chime Choir, and Actors Group. She also volunteers around the campus, arranging floral decorations in the dining room, and working for the annual Fall Fest. Previously, Anita served for three years as the President of the St. John’s Herr Estates Residents’ Council. Under her leadership, the council was guided through the pandemic with an organized grocery drop-off service, fundraisers, and creative socially-distanced activities like hallway Bingo.
In between her other activities, Anita manages the campus Library. This involves handling tasks such as shelving, ordering and marking new books, working with local libraries, and weeding out lesser-read titles. In the year that she has managed the library, the collection has grown by 12-24 books a month, browsing has become easier, and reading has been made more accessible. While most of the readers prefer fiction, Anita is happy to give a recommendation for any genre.
St. John’s Herr Estates has many opportunities for its residents like Anita to be socially, physically, and mentally active. To learn more about the many benefits and opportunities available at St. John’s Herr Estates, contact us today!”