Anni Moller Obituary

Anni Moller was born on July 18, 1938 in Horsens, Denmark. Her parents Jep and Johanne Moller owned a butcher shop. Despite small beginnings; she believed that she could do anything she dreamed. She struggled to convince everyone that a woman could be both a successful painter and a thriving homemaker at the same time. She flourished in her studies and traveled throughout Europe on a scooter carrying her guitar. That same spirit of adventure brought her away from Denmark to America. With strength and courage, she and her husband Henry Poulsen packed up their two sons and started a new life in the United States in 1968. Anni's passion and dedication to painting magnified and her work excelled. She opened an art studio in Fernandina Beach and attracted a loyal following to her paintings of shrimp boats, light houses, sea birds and island landmarks. Later, after she moved her studio to Kennesaw, GA her art continued to flourish. She painted many southeastern colleges and universities, portrayed sights of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, and brought to life the important views and buildings of the Atlanta area. Anni often came back to Fernandina over the years. She had been an early exhibitor of the first Shrimp Festival events and she continued to have a booth and judge the Festival's student art. She often generously donated her talents to local projects, like painting angels and nuns to help St. Michaels or doing a backdrop for the community theater. Anni's paintings, as well as her life, were based upon commitment to excellence. She was a firm believer that true excellence comes only from going beyond limiting boundaries. And though it is a daily struggle to go beyond- and be better today than yesterday- that is how she lived her life. Anni believed in dreams and was certain that if you can think it, you can do it. The possibilities and potentials are endless, as long as imagination leads the way and persistence goes beyond fear. Anni was a dreamer, crusader, believer, and artist. Anni died September 12, 2014; preceded in death by her parents and her son Soren Moller Poulsen. She is survived by her son Jacob (Christine) Poulsen, her brother Poul (Inge) Moller and her grandchildren Grant, Brooke, Johanne “Josie”, and Kate Poulsen, and extended family still residing in Denmark. Services will be held Friday September 19, 2014 at 11:00 am in the Burgess Chapel of Oxley Heard Funeral Home. A reception will follow at Sliders Seaside Grill. Her family will receive friends on Friday, at the funeral home, from 10:00 am until the hour of service. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Island Art Association 18 N. 2nd Street, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034 and note on the memo that you are supporting the student scholarship fund in memory of Anni.