Franklin County native to mark 100th birthday

Ann Kallios — affectionately known throughout her childhood as Annie Laurie Kennedy — is set to mark a major life milestone next week in reaching her 100th birthday.

She was born in Franklin County’s Lucien community on Dec. 26, 1922, and spent her happy childhood years growing up in the Meadville, Bude and Hattiesburg areas.
A 1940 graduate who attended high school in Meadville, Ann is also remembered as serving as a drum major while in school.

She and her family left Mississippi and relocated to Little Rock, Ark., in 1941.

Eventually, she ended up in Stockton, Calif., where she and her first husband, Ike Eigenberger, started their family.
She had a successful career working for the government, and did an amazing job of balancing that career with raising a family — in a time when most women stayed at home.

Additionally, she was characterized as a very independent woman, who served as a real role model and trailblazer for mothers wishing to have a professional career.

In 1971, Ann married her second husband, George Kallios, and they traveled the world — visiting locales such as Egypt, China, Russia, Israel, Greece and many European countries.
These were places she had always dreamed of traveling to, and yet her travels back to her beloved Mississippi were some of her fondest vacations.
Ann made her last trek to Franklin County in 2009 when she was 86. It was bittersweet as she realized it would probably be her last trip “home.”

Through her 100 years, she has always shared — with her family and many friends — her heartfelt memories of her days in the Magnolia State.

Ann has always kept ties with Franklin County, and had her family story published in the “Franklin County Remembers 1809 – 2009 Bicentennial Project Book, Volume 2.”

Birthday wishes will be coming Ann’s way from her two children — Trish and Frank, her step-son Joe along with their partners and spouses, as well as her 13 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren with one more on the way, all of whom love her dearly.