Anna E. Best

Anna Elizabeth Best, age 99, of Chambersburg, passed away Wednesday, March 30, 2022 at Shook Nursing Home. She was born August 23, 1922 in Wilmington, DE to the late William T. and Lydia G. (Rhoads) Best. Anna was never married as she came to the personal knowledge of Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior at the age of 22. Anna was a 1940 graduate of Henry C. Conrad High School, 1942 graduate of Bridgewater College, 1946 graduate of Delaware Hospital School of Nursing, where she passed her state board with an 89.7% score and received her Registered Nurse certification. She graduated in 1949 from Wheaton College, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Bible in 1951 and received her certificate from the Institut de Medicine Tropicale in Antwerp, Belgium. Anna has been a faithful member of the King Street United Brethren Church since 1994. She resided at the Towers at the Falling Spring from 2005 to 2021. She spent her final eight months in the Shook Nursing Home. Anna enjoyed interacting with people, making them smile, going to church and reading her bible. She served as a missionary nurse and church planter in Africa for 42 years. Her work consisted of serving as a nurse in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 1951 to 1961 involved in all departments of the mission hospital. She supervised the leprosy colony and week-long evangelical trips into rural areas, served as guest missionary with the North African Mission in Tangier, Morocco as both a teacher and house mother of Arab student nurses from 1961 to 1962. She provided general missionary work in Senegal, West Africa including evangelistic and administrative duties with casual medical help given to co-workers and African friends from 1963 to 1988 and served as Business Manager and Accountant at the Bangui Evangelical School of Theology, Bangui, Central African Republic. She was in charge of handling the finances of the entire institution from 1988 to 1993. Upon retiring in 1993, she returned to the states, living in Gettysburg and then moved to Chambersburg while readjusting to American life. From 1995 to 1998, she served as a part-time CAN at the Piney Mountain Retirement Community in Fayetteville. She was preceded in death by her brothers; Lewis, Olois and Wilbur Best and sisters, Rhoda Mae Bosserman and Matilda Mayer. Professional services have been entrusted to Dugan Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., 51 Asper Drive, Shippensburg. Friends will be received from 10:00 AM until the time of Funeral Service at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, April 6 at the King Street United Church of Brethren, 162 E. King Street, Chambersburg. Pastor Ron Cook and Pastor Steve Flint will be officiating the service. Anna will be laid to rest at Riverview Cemetery in Lancaster. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Anna’s memory to World Venture-Missionary Pension, 20 Inverness PL. E Englewood, CO 80112 or the King Street Church 56 North Second Street Chambersburg, PA 17201.