Ana Ille, born Clanda, known as Anuța, Mămica, Buna, Mătușa, sister Anuța or sister Ille, was born on September 12, 1932 in Tărcăița, a small village in Bihor county, Romania. She was the third child of Saveta and Vasile Clanda. Ana’s father, Vasile (his children and grandchildren called him ‘Tata’), fought in World War I, and while in a labor camp in Russia as a prisoner of war, he met some “brothers from Buteni” who shared the gospel with him and gave him a bible. Upon his return home, Vasile joined the Baptist movement that had begun in their village (movement started by ‘Brother Todorica’, a Neo-protestant missionary who brought the gospel to those lands). As Anuța would later recount, her parents’ decision to join the small ‘community of repentants’ would prompt a wave of persecution by Antonescu’s fascist regime which was in power at the time.
When Anuta was born, no one expected her to live, because she was underweight and she could barely eat. Because it was quite common at the time for children to die at birth, her parents decided to take her to church for a blessing while she was still alive. After the blessing service, however, Anuta’s situation improved dramatically: surprisingly, she began to eat and recover.
The turbulent period that followed, the horrors of the Second World War, as well as the Communist rise to power in Romania, did not affect in any way the tenacity and perseverance of the small community of believers in Tărcăița. At a fairly young age, Anuta, along with other young people from her church, decides to give her life to Christ and get baptized. She was supremely aware, of course, that such a decision may well bring about persecution, and in the context of the draconian conditions imposed by the new Communist regime, even a possible deportation to Siberia. In the Tărcăița local church, Ana is initiated into the mystery of the Gospel and learns to live by faith, getting ready to face difficulties and adverse situations with courage and stoicism. If Anuta had not experienced the love of Christ, present in the kind warmth and faithful support of her family and her church community, such an attachment to a faith that presented so many risks would have been unimaginable.
On August 15, 1954, Ana marries Gheorghe Ille, a local evangelist from Mizies, who would regularly preach the Gospel in Tărcăița and the surrounding villages. After marriage, the young couple settles in Mizieș for a few years, where they have two daughters: Eunice and Lidia. Shortly afterwards, as Ana’s parents had moved to Vinga, in Arad County, they decide to join them there, as life seemed more promising in the beautiful plains of the Western Romania, and the ‘colectiv’ (Agricultural Cooperative), recently established by the Communist regime, was promising jobs and prosperity to the working class. At Vinga, they have 2 more children; Ghiță and Ani, so sister Anuța would be now busy raising children, working at ‘colectiv’ and living her life as part of the local church of Baptist believers that was formed there, a vibrant community with many young families and many children.
Anuta was a ‘suitable helper’ for Brother Ille, who served as a deacon at the Vinga Baptist church. Her reserved and ‘serious’ personality counterbalanced her husband’s extroverted, exuberant, (and at times troublesome) demeaner. The joy and fulfillment of Anuta has always been with her family, in the community, and in the local church. She always strived to live a ‘holy and pure life in the midst of a perverted and corrupt nation'(Philippians 2:15), to raise her children ‘in the fear of the Lord’ and to take care and protect her household. Gardening was one of her passions. When her children would loudly express their lack of enthusiasm for ‘cultivating the land’ (especially when it was ‘for the communists’, as they would complain in disgust), she would promptly reply: “We must do everything as for the Lord!”
Gardening for Anuta, however, was not only a duty but also a delight. The ritual of ‘planting of the seed’ in the Fall, the cycle of the seasons, the miracle of nature’s resurrection in the spring and the gift of a bountiful harvest in the autumn, all resonated in Anuta’s universe with the mystery of the gospel, bespeaking as it did, the providence and goodness of God and his miraculous presence in creation.
A major and probably traumatic change for Anuta was the decision to come to the United States. Although such a decision seemed normal, as all her children had relocated to America in the meantime, it was not easy for her to leave friends, neighbors, and all her belongings behind and move to a country whose language she did not speak. “I didn’t want to come,” Anuta would later confess, “but I was aware it was better to be with our children.” “Besides,” she would say, smiling, ‘I had to obey my husband, right?’
Yet, sister Ille never really integrated into the American way of life and the homeland nostalgia and the places where she spent her youth remained with her until her death.
Everything was better and more beautiful in Romania: the land, the fruits, the bread, the vegetables, the greens … “Nothing is sweet in America!” Anuta would conclude at times! Nonetheless, Sister Ana continued to enjoy going out in the wild, walking in the woods, and visiting Helen or northern Georgia. “How come the trees are so tall here?” Anuta would often wonder! ” In addition to appreciating nature, some of ‘the little joys’ of sister Ana in America were her fellowship with her children and family, serving in the kitchen, preparing food, preparing rolls and ‘langosi’ (a type of Romanian pastry), crocheting tablecloths, and most recently, knitting socks ‘for poor children in Moldova.’ She was excited when her children would drive her through the suburbs of Atlanta, when her grandchildren would take her to a restaurant, or when she would have relatives visiting from other American cities.
The last 2 years have been harder for her not only because she had to live without her husband, of 65 years, but also because the meetings at the local church were restricted due to the pandemic situation. However, despite the pain and the unfavorable circumstances, her pathos for prayer and singing remained the same. In the last 2 weeks of her life, sister Ille began to experience hearing and vision problems as well as confusion in conversations with her family. Her faith and hope in Christ, however stayed with her until the very end.
There is no doubt that our mother could not offer her children many of the material things and opportunities we offer our children today. But she instilled in those around her something much more valuable: a number of spiritual disciplines and precious habits such as prayer, worship, Scripture reading, honoring ‘the Lord’s day’ and regular church attendance.
Mommy, we’ll miss you very much! It was an immense blessing to have her among us as a sister, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt …
Brother Ioan, children Ani Ille, George and Mihaela Ille, Lidia and Virgil Titarenco, Eunice and Traian Iștoc, grandchildren Beni and Eunice Iștoc, Eugen and Ana Iștoc, David Titarenco, Noemi and Iago de la Fuente, Dorothea Ille and fiancé Pierce Rigney, Paul Ille, Michael Ille, great-grandchildren Seth and Olivia, and the youngest addition of the family, Nina De La Feunte-Titarenco, who will know her only from our pictures and stories…
We look forward to the day when we will be together again, at His table, when ‘all things will be new’ …