Anonna Perkins Hubbard Obituary (1925 - 2018)

Anonna Perkins, the ninth of ten children born to Reuben Josiah Perkins, Jr. and Zina Kartchner, was born 26 February 1925 in their home in Mesa, Arizona, in the shadow of the Arizona Temple. She passed on 3 July 2018 at the age of 93. Nona loved her early childhood,but lost her father at the tender age of seven. He died in 1932, in the depths of the Great Depression, leaving her mother with eight living children to support. Her mother went to work and Nona was largely on her own with brother, Bruce, to tend. Growing up poor and fatherless left its mark. Nona attended Mesa, Arizona schools and graduated from Mesa High School. She loved learning and dreamed of college, but never thought it would be possible. The second great shift in her life came with the attack on Pearl Harbor on her mother’s birthday. Soon after graduating high school, Nona began working as a file clerk at Williams Field, the air base outside of town. By the time she was 19, she was in charge of records for the entire base. Her war savings paid for her first years in college. In the spring of 1949, while at home to earn enough money to return, Nona began singing in a young adult choir. There she met Anthen Hugh Hubbard and was surprised to learn he was her next-door neighbor. His family had moved in while he was away in the war. The couple married in the Mesa Temple on September 9, 1949 and returned to Brigham Young University to complete their education. Nona and Hugh eventually welcomed five children. As the children came, Nona sometimes taught in the classroom and sometimes in a home-based preschool she created. Whether gainfully employed or not, she was always teaching. In the fall of 1963, Hugh accepted an administrative position and the family moved to Joseph City, Arizona. Anonna began teaching in nearby Holbrook. Over more than 25 years as a teacher, she taught hundreds of students, most of them in first grade. Many adults can read today because they were in Mrs. Hubbard’s class. The family moved to Atascadero, California in the summer of 1968 where both continued teaching. Anonna ended her career there as a reading specialist, assisting other first grade teachers throughout the district. Nona was a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Over the years, she served as ward president of every LDS church auxiliary and as the bishop’s wife. She and Hugh served a full-time mission in Evansville, Indiana. As a service, they worked in adult literacy programs in the local library. Nona loved handicrafts. She both knitted and crocheted beautifully and made dozens of hand-quilted blankets in bright, elaborate patterns. She loved baking and made her daughters’ wedding cakes, loved making jelly and jam, and enjoyed experimenting with different recipes. During their retirement years, she and Hugh traveled widely, enjoying varied landscapes, sights, and experiences. She always returned home to teach her family about everything she had learned. Hugh Hubbard passed in September of 2012, one week short of their 63rd wedding anniversary. During the six years since, Nona also lost her sight. She lived for most of the past six years in the Cedarwood Retirement Community. Nona is survived by two daughters, Susan and Patricia; three sons, Michael, Steven and Barry; 18 grandchildren and 41 great-grandchildren, two more due this summer. She leaves behind many friends and neighbors who remember her hard work ethic, her willingness to serve, and her constant desire to learn and teach. Funeral services on the morning of 6 July 2018 were held at Jenkins-Soffe. Speakers were Anonna’s children with special musical numbers offered by her grandchildren. Burial followed in the South Jordan Cemetery beside her husband, Hugh. Casketbearers included her sons, Steven and Barry; grandsons Sean Kimsey, John Aylworth, Paul Aylworth, Stephen Hubbard, Brian Hubbard. Granddaughters Lauren and Rachel Kimsey assisted.