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We are very sad to announce the passing of Anita Zia, which occurred October 4, 2020 at the age of 92 years. A life so beautifully lived deserves to be beautifully remembered. Please contribute your memories and photos to this timeline of her life. To share a memory, comment on any of the memories below, or create a post with the rough date (just year is fine) to add it to the timeline.
Family and friends
Eila Anita Solveig Norback, born to Hilja Alexandra Rosback and Hilmer Olaf Norback, in Helsinki, Finland.
Rezan Zia Probably her first family photo
Rezan Zia Sisters Brita and Anita
Rezan Zia
Brother Kaj is born.
Rezan Zia Brita, Kaj and Anita
Clara Olin She loved ballet and here she is with Brita and a friend
Rezan Zia As a teenager
Clara Olin I think some of her first works at Ateneum 🤔Horse candlekeeper in porcalaine
Anita graduates from the Ateneum Art School in Helsinki
Anita marries her high school sweetheart Olav Nordgren Jensen
Clara Olin First marriage Anita&Olav Jensen
Clara Olin Her architecture! The summerplace on Horse island Finland
Anna Sandstrom Anita with Anna in Kotka Finland
Anita gives birth to her first child, Anna Margerita Jensen Sandstrom
Clara Olin Anita & baby Clara
Clara Olin Ant Anna& Anitas mother Hilja& daughter Clara
Anita gives birth to her second daughter, Clara Anita Jensen Olin
Rezan Zia
Rezan Zia Anita learns dressage.
Dear Rezan, Anita was a living legend in as i grew up. For my parents Rita and Claes she represented the “Happy Kotka Time” (Den Glada Kotka-tiden). Together with Anita, Olle, Viggo and Jukka Koskinen my parents rebounded from the WWII. The late 1940’s was a time of recovery that brought them very close. Claës specialized in surgery, Olle was pract...
Nina Olin New years eve in Kotka 1956, signed Anita Jensen - 56 You never understood what I saw in this painting, you were always so critical about your past work.
Anita starts working for a Finnish glass company as a designer for glassware.
Clara Olin Anita with her daughters Anna & Clara
Anita and Olav divorce, and Anita moves to Helsinki and takes a job with a dress manufacturing company, as well as studying music and dance.
Clara Olin Anitas driverslicence She was the first women in Finland to drive a light motorbike👍🏻
Anita receives an apprentice scholarship to work in the United States as a knitwear designer for Banff Ltd. in New York City.
Rezan Zia Anita arrives in New York
Rezan Zia Anita and Suha
Anita and Suha Nourredin Zia fall in love and marry on April 12, his 30th birthday.
Gave birth to Rezan on Christmas, 1961.
Rezan Zia Rezan and Anita at Christmas I dont know what I was so unhappy about but I also know I will never forget those red shoes!
Clara Olin Anita & Jupiter
Rezan Zia Tambur and his beloved Anita
Rezan Zia Rezan, Anita and Tambur
Clara Olin Rezan&Clara one summer in Armonk
Anna Sandstrom Anita with her first grandchild Tommy, in Helsinki
Sema Gurun I think my late sister Seba took these pictures in the early 70's. Anita's love of horses, dogs and cats were a delight to watch. I remember her feeding her horse through the kitchen window which was in front of the kitchen sink in that wonderful old house in Armonk that she and Suha lived in. Rezan's paternal grandmother and my maternal grandmother were cousins.
Rezan Zia
Sema Gurun Wish I knew the name of the horse. A late fall picture probably circa 1973.
L P New York Times review of Anita's performance (I absolutely remember it!!!) at Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City. You can read the article here: https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/20/archives/musicians-enhance-miss-zias-fine-voice.html
I met Anita in 1975, when we became doubles tennis partners for the team and I taught her how to play doubles strategy since she was a singles player. From then on our families became close through all the years. We shared a lifetime of experiences with our children, our husbands and our friends. And I loved her dearly.
Clara Olin Anitas 50-years bitthday
Clara Olin Three sisters
Gail Hans I’m going to guess this was 1979 when I was visiting you from CA. Anita, you and I were having lunch and your beautiful horse came to join us! What a day. Your little trio mugging for the camera that same trip?
Clara Olin Bunch of grandchildren🤗
Clara Olin Rami& Ole&Anita&Suha
Anita gave me riding lessons at her beautiful home on her wonderful horse in 1986 or so. She was so patient and beautiful. My mother Eva was a good friend at that time and recently their friendship was rekindled with many phone calls. Thank you Anita for sharing your precious time with Eva and I think you both had pleasure from these times. You wil...
Clara Olin Grandchild Rami flew alone over the Atlantic Ocean to spend a summer with granny🥰
Rezan Zia
Clara Olin Grandchild Rami & Annabella pony in Armonk
Gail Hand I was having lunch w you and mom circa 1989 when her horse decided to join us. Rezan, you took this photo! I still eat pumpernickel bread thanks to Anita What a day! Love, G
Denise Baliotti Memorable trip to Sante Fe with Rezan & Anita. Anita never forgot the terrible bruises I got from a rigorous horseback ride in Taos (my riding skills were nowhere near as skilled as hers)!!
I net Anita in 1990 at the Armonk Tennis Club and we played tennis and worked at the desk together. I soon discovered that Anita was the most unusual person I ever met - an artist, a singer, a musician, a horsewoman, a dog lover, and a beauty inside and out. She lit up the world around her and was a joy to be with. I think of her often when I m...
Rezan Zia Anita and Rezan Girls trip to Cancun Mexico
Denise Baliotti Wonderful memories of our mother/daughter trip to Cancun in February 1994. Anita & Rezan, Donna & Marie Filippone & Denise Baliotti. The Chichén-Itza ruins in the background.
Clara Olin Once Upon a time in Armonk with Annika& Raimo🤗
Anna Sandstrom Anita visiting Pellinge in summer of 1995. Her grandson Niklas is with her. The other picture in Armonk, Usa in 1996. Anita giving piano lesson to Niklas
Clara Olin On Hästholmen she spent all summers since 1996
Anita becomes a citizen of the United States
Sophie Graf Nini and Conrad
Sophie Graf Nini and Sophie
Rezan Zia This is one of her favorite pictures of herself, taken in 2001. When she saw it she said she wanted this photo to be on her Memorial Program.
Rezan Zia Grandchildren Kiara and Damon
Clara Olin Summer! Jeff propoused to granddaughter Micki 💫🍾
Clara Olin Do not know where or when but she Looks mighty Happy 🥰
Clara Olin Mickis&Jeffs wedding in New Yourk
Clara Olin Anita & grandgrandchild Dante
Sophie Graf Rezan, Sophie, and Conrad's summer 2008 trip to Finland.
Rezan Zia Charlotte and Anita looking fabulous
Rezan Zia One year birthday party for great grand children twins, Max and Jake
Clara Olin Grandgrandchildren Liam&twins Max&Jake
Rezan Zia Sophie's graduation
Rezan Zia Anita, Clara, Rezan, Anna (Leroy?), Micki
Anna Sandstrom Anita on one of her annual visits to Finland. Here she is visiting Koppholm in the Finnish archipelago, giving one of her great grandchildren, Oliver, a lesson in woodwork.
Cindy Bussiere Sheehy Anita enjoyed life to the fullest. I will have many wonderful memories of her to keep with me always.
Rezan Zia With Louis as a pup
Diane Briggs Anita with Quinnie the cat at John J's birthday dinner
Nicholas French Carole and I met Anita in 1995 when we emigrated to the USA. We lived in North Greenwich in a beautiful cottage on a hill. After an extensive search for a tennis club we came across Armonk Tennis Club where we found the most amazing staff and members. We met Anita at the tennis club and immediately we had an amazing connection. My work is in the hair and beauty industry and demanded extensive global travel. Carole in a new country and on her own most of the time Anita took it upon herself to take Carole under her wing and to teach Carole tennis. She became a second mother to her. Anita was a great tennis teacher and player. She was also an amazing artist. She was one of the most generous, kind and loving person that we met in the USA. She was so supportive during our transitional period. She will never be forgotten and will be in our hearts forever. We will miss her terribly. Carole and Nicholas French xxxxx
Diane Briggs Halloween visit, Louis is the treat❤️
Diane Briggs Bike ride in Scotts Corners on July 4
Rezan Zia Ready for ride around town!
Rezan Zia Finnish sauna evening
L P I remember sitting across the table from her in her beautiful apartment as she spoke on the phone to her brother Kai in Italy. I always loved talking with Anita about all of the family.
Anita was an inspiration to us she was always positive and gentle Her presence a long while ago at OG Tennis where she greeted everyone with a smile is still fresh in my mind as well as teaching me how to hit a drop shot Susi Orbanowski Old Greenwich Tennis Academy
The service can be live streamed here at 11:00 on October 24:https://www.talmadgehill.org/sunday-morning-live?fbclid=IwAR2lJIEkkPeWyKb4dxpzgeg1dpB7UFanBZFlY0yL-lHR4e8-PcxgRy-kDhk
I remember your Mom and the sound of her voice when she said your name, like it was yesterday... From a elementary school classmate...
Rezan Zia I lieu of flowers, please consider sending a donation to Anita's favorite cause: https://www.keysmusic.org/ KEYS’ Mission is to bring one-to-one instrument lessons and group music instruction to underserved inner-city children in Bridgeport, CT who have no other access to this empowering life experience.
Rezan Zia Louis Love She LOVED this photo and asked me to post it on the FB Rottweiler page, where it received over 1500 likes!
Clara Olin Flowers and flowers droping in from every corner🌺🙏🏻
Denise LeVan Anita and I sang together for many years starting with the Ogden Booker Chorale in the 1980s, then later soloists at the Lutheran Church in Greenwich with organist Gertrude Riska, and, most importantly, singing at Rezan's annual holiday party where Anita and I always sang a duet of Purcell's "Sound the Trumpet" (just thinking of it makes me smile). Anita was a loving person with a deep concern for family and friends. I will always treasure her as a friend. Denise LeVan
Memorial ceremony at the Talmadge Hill Community Church on October 24th, at 11am.
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