Anna Marie Herrick

Anna Marie Herrick, 85, of Massillon, passed away on November 18, 2023, following a brief illness.

She was born on July 4, 1938 to the late Mark and Mary (Barick) Turkal of Massillon, OH.

Anna’s life was a life of service.

She graduated Washington High School in the class of 1956 and served on their reunion committee for many years.

Upon marrying Roger, Anna began a life-time service dedicated to her family. She served, among so many things, as a band mother, softball mom and little league mother. Many hours were spent keeping score of those games. She often joked, Roger only married her because she could keep score of a baseball game.

A life-long member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Anna was a founding member of the Folk Choir, a member of Christian Mothers Altar Rosary Society and served as a Eucharistic minister and lector. She served both as school, then church secretary for over 36 years, retiring in 2018.

She enjoyed braiding Easter palm for the church, priests and anyone who wanted one, even held “braiding class” in the back of the church for the many who wanted to learn the skill. Anna also was responsible for making the sacramental candles for the altar, spending many hours melting recycled candle wax on her kitchen stove.

Anna served as president of The Croatian Fraternal Union Lodge 600. She enjoyed puzzle books, loved crocheting afghans then donating them to those in need, as well as, organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club of Massillon and the Massillon SAM (Serving Area Military) Center.

Anna was probably most widely known as the “Cookie lady.” To supplement household income at Christmas time, she would annually bake and sell batches in excess of 1200 dozen SALEABLE cookies. These do not include “rejects” and those her children sneaked from the table before she counted them. Although she did not keep records of her peak years in the 1960's & 1970's, her records from 1982 through 2022 show she baked over two million saleable cookies in her small home oven.

Anna is survived by her loving children, Joseph (Dana) Herrick, Elizabeth (Michael) Taylor, Catherine (Robert) Gustafson, Thomas Herrick, and Susan Connor; grandchildren, Nicole, Zachary, Nathan, Chelsea, Kylee, Alicia, Andrew, Philip, and John; great-grandchildren, Bentley and Payton; and a brother, Rudy (Bobbie) Turkal.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 29 years, Roger A. Herrick; son, Michael Herrick; brothers, George, Frank, and Joe Turkal and sister, Katie Haubert.

Visitation will be held Friday, November 24, 2023 from 6 pm -8 pm at Paquelet Funeral Home, Massillon, with a Croatian Fraternal Union Service at 7 pm.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, November 25, 2023, 10:30 am in St Joseph's Catholic Church Massillon, by Fr. Raymond Paul. Interment will follow at St. Joseph's Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests contributions to The Roger Herrick Scholarship Fund at St. Joseph's Church.

Messages of condolence and support may be sent to the family at www.paquelet.com