Anna Ivanovna Saworotnow, musician, beloved daughter, sister, aunt and great-aunt, passed away on June 12, 2021 at the age of 64. Anna, a lifetime resident of Norwalk, California, and the oldest of four daughters, was born on September 17, 1956 in Los Angeles, California to Ivan and Lidia Saworotnow. She began her life-long love of music after her parents purchased a piano and she began piano lessons at the age of 7 years old. Her love of music lead to a career in teaching, copying and composing music and having a song published. She graduated from Richard Gahr High School with High Honors in 1974 and later attended Cerritos College, earning an Associate in Arts in Music before transferring as a Junior to California State University where she earned a Bachelor of Music in 1981. A few years later she earned a Master of Music in Composition from CSULB, fulfilling her dream of composing music. She wrote many pieces for piano and other instruments, including a whimsical 20th Century piece written for Clarinets entitled "Cootie for Clarinet" that was performed at the University. One of her best loved vocal pieces, "S.A.I. Roses" was published in the Sigma Alpha Iota (A Women's Professional Music Fraternity) Songbook after she won a contest held for new composers. She enjoyed writing and performing music as well as attending concerts, especially musical performances of her nieces and nephews in their school band programs. She accompanied many musical groups on piano and also played the guitar and later the mandolin in a Russian Balalaika Orchestra in Los Angeles during her youth. In addition to her music, Anna worked as a substitute teacher in the same school district she grew up in, ABC Unified in Cerritos. She was well loved by students and staff during her 30 years of service before she recently retired last fall. Anna was dearly loved by her family and will be remembered by her sweet smile, her faith, her love of family, and especially her love of music. Anna is preceded in death by her mother, grandmother and uncle. She is survived by her father and her three sisters, Katarina (Larry), Margareta, Lidia, her two nieces, Natalia (Andrew) and Tatiana, her nephew, Alexander (Sarah) and her great-niece Lucy, and twin great-nephews Samuel and Wyatt. Services will be held at Holy Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Los Angeles. A special evening "Panikhida" service will be held on Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m. Funeral service will be held on Thursday morning, July 15 at 11:00 a.m. She will be laid to rest at Forest Lawn Cypress.
