Anna Znachko

Anna "Annabelle" Mary Znachko passed away peacefully in her home in Indianapolis, Indiana on August 21, 2024. Anna died of complications from Refractory Anorexia. She was not blessed with an easy road, but she lived with fierce love and abiding adoration, which she gave and received with freedom and abundance. Her heart stood wide open to everyone and everything in her world.

Anna was born on January 22, 1992 in Indianapolis. In the course of her life she walked countless trails and paths through the parks and woods of her hometown and beyond, always looking for hidden waterfalls, first blooms, secret gardens, and small bridges over creeks and rivers. Her enthusiasm for beauty-flowers, art, poetry, photography-fueled her generosity. She invited everyone to experience the magic that she saw in every bloom, animal, color, and person she encountered.

Anna always preferred the long way. She took the scenic route to every destination and told every story without sparing a single detail. There was no short way through, shortcut around, or short version of the story for Anna. She even took the long way through her disease, and she leaves a legacy of beauty, hope, and healing to all those who loved her.

Anna was preceded in death by her namesake and grandmother, Ann Scanlan, whose generosity, love of flowers, and unflinching honesty inspired Anna. She is also preceded by her adoring grandfather, Robert Scanlan, and her sweet uncle Scott Scanlan. Anna is laid to rest next to Abigail Elise Znachko. She is survived by the following people who will hold her memory dear:

First and foremost Anna will be remembered as an imaginative, beautiful, and uncompromising daughter to Steve and Linda Znachko, who fought and advocated for her healing, dignity, and peace, and ultimately surrendered her to Jesus in her final rest.

Anna will be remembered as a playful, dedicated, and courageous sister to Lauren Znachko, Andrew (Heather) Znachko, and Caroline (Clay) Thompson. Anna's love and life taught them that any person, no matter their journey, deserves our unwavering grace.

Her memory will be preserved in sweetness by her nieces and nephews-Rose, Smith, and Esme Znachko, and Arthur Thompson-who knew her as "Aunt Nina," and will be blessed by knowing that they were her deepest source of joy and uncompromising kindness.  

Anna will be remembered by her loving grandparents: Gail and Michael Znachko  

She will be remembered as chosen family by Sean Mills, the love of her life, and by his daughter Peyton Mills, who invited Anna to be a part of their family and received the bounty of her adventurous and caring heart.

She will always be Annabelle to dear friends, colleagues, and countless others to whom she gifted a poem, a painting, a letter, or a plate of cookies in a moment of heartache or celebration.

To an untold number of people who sat in her chair, Annabelle will be remembered as their favorite stylist and confidant, who offered her heart as a deep listener.

And she will be remembered, in part, as a girl who lived with and died from anorexia, a disease that remains poorly understood by the medical community and the public at large. Anna Mary Znachko, along with everyone who loved her, walked 18 years on a difficult journey of questions without answers and hope without promise. Her family hopes that no one else will ever experience the suffering that Anna did. To support funding, research, and education about this disease, Anna's family requests that those who celebrate and grieve her life and death consider making a donation to the Academy for Eating Disorders.

Visitation will be held at East 91st Street Christian Church from 1-3pm on Saturday, August 24. Funeral service will begin at 3pm followed by a private family burial.