Hannah Vetterlein, mother of state Rep. Sherry Appleton of Poulsbo, died peacefully in her Cocoa Beach, Fla., home Feb. 10, 2011. She was 94.

She is survived by her daughter; granddaughter, Maura Roberts; great-granddaughter, Rachel Roberts; brother, Marshall Rakusin; six nieces and nephews; and her best friend, Mildred Johnson. 

She was predeceased by her husband, Ted Vetterlein, in 1972.

Hannah was born in Providence, R.I., in 1916 to Edith and Max Rakusin, Jewish immigrants from Romania and Latvia. She was the youngest of three children. As a young girl, she loved to dance and read. Her ambition was to be a professional dancer, but it was not to be. Instead, she married and started a family. Although she didn’t continue dancing on toe shoes, she did continue to read voraciously. Her nightstand was never bare for a book.
 
Hannah lived in Cocoa Beach for the last 32 years of her life, and she loved her adopted home state. She enjoyed traveling, spending time with family and friends, entertaining and discovering good restaurants. She was a fiercely independent spirit and lived on her own into her 90s. Hannah stayed close to her family all her life, and she will be missed by family and friends.

Memorial service is March 26, 11 a.m.,  in the Four Seasons Recreation Room. Visit www.Beckman-Williamson.com for updates.
 
Memorials may be made to Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, or a hospice of your choice.

— Family of Hannah Vetterlein