Ann Marie Nader, née Knops, 64, left this world from home on May 7, 2022, surrounded by and held in the arms of her husband, son, daughter and siblings to be with the Lord. She was born to parents Fred and Anna Knops in Mt. Holly, NJ on October 2, 1957.
Ann Marie is survived by her beloved husband of 43 years, Joe, her two children and their spouses, her mother, brother and sister, four grandchildren, six in-laws and their spouses, and eight nieces and nine nephews. Children: John Nader (Eliza Nader) and Jacqueline Kumar (Sachin Kumar), Mother: Anna Knops, Sister: Lisa Burkhardt, Brother: Fred Knops (Jane Knops), Grandchildren: Josephine Juliana, Adeline Ruth (a tribute to Ann Marie’s legal hero, RBG), Noelle Elise, and Samaya Annamarie, Goddaughter: Hayden DeMarici, In-Laws Tina Nader (Walter Brownridge), Tim Nader (Anastasia Borichevsky), Paul Nader (Sue Lintelman), Jeanne Nader (Pat Lynch), and Beth Nader (Lou Gerics).
In 1975, the first year in which Morehead Scholarships were accessible to women, Ann Marie was one of the inaugural twelve selected at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating with a BS with Honors in Business, 1979, studying as a Fulbright Scholar in Germany in 1980, and serving as an editor of Law Review and graduating with a Juris Doctorate from Duke Law School, 1989.
In her professional career, Ann Marie was a corporate attorney and a partner at the law firm Moore & Van Allen in Raleigh, N.C., and served as Chair of the N.C. Bar Association’s International Law section. Earlier, she worked in market research at Gilmore Research Group and then as a program manager with the Weyerhaeuser Foundation in Seattle (1980 – 1983).
Growing up as the eldest daughter of an Air Force pilot, Ann Marie’s family moved almost annually over her first 13 years of life, including three years in Germany, such that she learned to readily make friends.
Given her travels, and her German and Austrian grandparents and parents, she became fluent in German, and cherished her family's heritage and traditions. It also sparked her love of literature and books, which were always at her side.
As a daughter, wife, mother and grandmother, Ann Marie showered unconditional love on her family, always putting them before all else – and, when necessary, seamlessly balancing that support with professional career demands.
Ann Marie had an enormous heart and believed fully in God and his/her love. As such, whether it be a dear friend, an acquaintance, or someone she just met for the first time, her nature was to engage with people with grace and kindness, provide support and empathy, or simply offer a compliment to make their day brighter.
In her free time, she especially loved to travel, read, bake, sketch, paint, garden and simply relax and admire the beauty of nature (which resonated with her as an example of God’s presence in our lives). Ann Marie’s family would like to express their admiration and gratitude to UNC Hospital professionals (Dr. Hyman Muss, Nurse Amy Depue, Dr. Jan Busby-Whitehead), UNC Home Health Physical Therapist Jeanne Guilliams and Transitions Life Care for their tremendous medical guidance and care, as well as equally important emotional support during Ann Marie’s illness.
A Funeral Mass will be held at 12 pm Saturday, May 14, 2022 at Saint Joseph Catholic Church, 2811 Poole Rd, Raleigh, NC 27610. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to either the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
