Anella A. Belisle

ANELLA A. BELISLE
BELISLE, ANELLA ANNA, 95, passed away February 14, 2018, at a Westminster, CA, senior living center. Born March 2, 1922, in Philadelphia, PA, she was a long-time resident of Oceanside, CA.
Anella was the daughter of Anthony and Catherine Naudziunas, who had emigrated from Lithuania in 1913 and had planned to make the USA their home. But by 1933 they returned to Lithuania, along with daughter Anella and her brother, Alphonse. Speaking only English, Anella went to school near the city of Kaunas. Nicknamed by her classmates as “the American,” she missed our country but learned the language, gaining friends and acceptance. In 1939, however, WWII had started in Europe, and by 1940 Russia completed plans to annex Lithuania. Being an American citizen, Anella’s parents arranged for her return to the USA. At age 18, she traveled by herself through Germany, Holland, Sweden, and Finland, boarding the US Army transport ship American Legion for the trip to NYC. Anella would never see her parents or her brother again.
Staying with an aunt in Philadelphia during WWII, Anella, or Nell to her friends, worked in the electronics industry as part of the war effort. Nell eventually met her husband of 51 years, Joseph P. Belisle, while he was a Shipfitter at the Navy Yard. Nell married Joe in California after the war, and for many years they lived in Manchester, NH, and Shrewsbury, MA. They enjoyed traveling, sailing, gardening, and especially visiting friends and family. Besides being a homemaker, Nell loved sewing, and for many years, she was a professional seamstress. In 1988 Nell and Joe Belisle retired to Oceanside, CA. Each morning Nell would read the newspaper and do the daily crossword puzzle. She loved playing cards with her friends. Joe, the love of her life, passed away in January 1997. Nell moved to Westminster, CA, recently.
Anella is survived by her loving son and daughter in law, William and Belinda Belisle, two grandchildren Michael and Steven, and great grandson Noah. She also is survived by distant cousins in Lithuania.
No service at her request. She will rest next to her husband at the Old Mission San Luis Rey Cemetery in Oceanside, CA.