Anna Marie Laeger

Anna Marie Laeger (née Strickland), devoted wife, loving mother, and doting grandmother, entered into her Savior’s rest on August 8th, 2026, at the Kate B. Reynolds (KBR) Hospice Home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Born in New Bern, North Carolina, January 9th, 1944, she was 82 years of age at the time of her Promotion to Glory.

One of eight children, Anna was introduced to The Salvation Army by her older brother Charles. She started attending the corps in New Bern at age 6, and shortly thereafter accepted Jesus as her Savior, enrolling as a junior soldier. A naturally gifted musician from a young age, she participated in band and songsters, as well as her high school choir and a girls’ trio group. She played piano and organ beautifully.

In 1964 she entered The Salvation Army School for Officers’ Training in Atlanta, Georgia, part of the Defenders of the Faith session. It was there that she met the love of her life, David Laeger. In 1967, a year after completing their training, David and Anna married; they would stay faithfully devoted to each other through their nearly 60 years of life together, during which they ministered throughout the Southern United States, as well as Mexico City. They both spoke fluent Spanish, and their ministry amongst the Hispanic community was a staple of each appointment in which they served.

Anna was a strong woman in more ways than one. She was resilient through a tough childhood full of experiences that no doubt shaped her compassionate heart. Her friends and fellow Salvation Army officers speak often of her ability to make them laugh. Her beautiful smile and kindness were a source of strength and comfort to the many people that she and David mentored and led through the years. She and David often sang duets together in ministry. When she became a Salvation Army officer, she wrote that she wanted to witness for Jesus “every chance I get and tell others of His love and care for them”. During her 33 years of Salvation Army officership and long afterwards, she did just that.

She loved her family well. She is loved dearly by the husband and children she leaves behind, as well as her siblings and all those she touched along the way.

Anna is survived by her husband David, her children Suzanne, Timothy (Charity), Phillip (Sarah), and Kristin (Trey); her grandchildren Alexander, Harrison, Olivia, Caleb, Joshua, Faith, Samuel, Aiden, Hope, and Kynlee; and her siblings Ron (Pam), and Connie (Bob). She is preceded in death by her parents, Ransom Roscoe and Annie Bell Strickland, and her siblings Maebette (Hildred), Jimmie (Judy), Charles (April), Judy, and Bobbie (Wendy).

A funeral service will be held at 1:00 PM, Saturday, August 22, 2026, at Salvation Army Winston-Salem Citadel. Interment will follow at Forsyth Memorial Park.