Annie Mae (Moore) Cole was born in Ridgeway, South Carolina on April 27, 1932, to Eliot Brown and Bennie Mae MacMillan. Her mom passed away 3 days later and she moved to Jacksonville, Florida where she was raised by her grandmother Annie MacMillan and her stepfather, Robert Moore. After they both passed away when she was eight, she moved to Boston to live with her great aunt and uncle, Rachel Mae and Eddie Jones on Lenox Street in the South End. She reconnected with her father, Eliot Brown, in 1980, to find that she had 7 younger siblings. She met and married Charles Landrum and as a result of this union Carl and Michael were born. After their divorce she met Frank Powell and as a result of their long-term relationship, Tracey, Stephen and Kent were born.

After watching and admiring the construction of Bromley Heath from the roof of her Lenox Street apartment, she was blessed by being accepted and moving into Bromley Heath in September 1954. She was a stay-at-home mom, but she never did. Anna was always out with her children at parks and exploring the historic sites of Boston. Her activism began in the late 1950's when Bromley residents successfully picketed the local police station in a brutality case involving a young resident. The success of this venture empowered her and other residents to embark on a journey to establish programs that would improve the quality of life for all residents.

Some of these early successes included the creation of a group called Mothers for Action, which was instrumental in getting the city to permanently close segments of Parker and Bickford Streets after the deaths of 2 children. They tackled women's issues, health issues, and the heroin epidemic. This led to the creation of the Bromley-Heath Health Unit which later became the Martha Eliot Health Center.

It was during this time she met a handsome guy named Milton Cole, Sr. and they were married on September 4, 1965. Milton had a son from a previous marriage, Milton "Milty" Cole, Jr., who Anna welcomed into her family as one of her own. After six boys they were happy to welcome daughters Loren and Shari. Anna and Milt complemented each other's passion for helping people. They advocated for others who were underserved not only in Bromley-Heath but throughout the country.

Mrs. Cole, as she was known in the community was a pivotal founding Board Member of the Bromley-Heath Tenant Management Corporation, which was the first tenant group to manage their public housing development in this hemisphere. As long-term Chairperson of the Board she received numerous awards and accolades for the development's many initiatives and achievements. Although a major influencer she avoided the limelight and preferred to stay in the background providing guidance and direction. Her recommendation that families needed a dining room to eat and spend time together was worked into the design of future renovation projects. She also taught cooking classes and created a recipe book for residents. People raved about her homemade rolls and everything she cooked.

Anna's main focus was always on strengthening Bromley Heath TMC, even when she took a job as the first female head cook for the main kitchen Children's Hospital. She was a member of the Boston School Committee for multiple years. Anna proudly sat on the BHA's 1st Resident Advisory Board (RAB) continuing to fight for public housing and low-income families. She was proud to have received her GED in 1987 and completed the Housing Manager Program at Boston University. With these achievements under her belt, she began her career at the Boston Housing Authority as a manager at Whittier Street and then Franklin Hill.

Her sense of humor and her humility made residents and staff fall in love with her. Although "retired", she became a crossing guard at the corner of Dimock and Columbus Avenue. When you'd ride by, watch out for cars pulled over as she's chatting with someone whose life she touched. She was always a spiritual person, kind and caring. Anna was a member of the Morning Star Baptist Church in Mattapan, MA until her death.

If you knew her, you knew one of her obsessions was to get everyone registered to vote and to get folks to the polls. She frequently wrote letters to legislators including U.S. Representative Barney Frank & U. S. Congressman Ted Kennedy and many others over the years. In these letters she voiced her support or opposition to various bills and programs impacting families. It wasn't unusual for her to receive a response. She encouraged residents to write as well. She would say there's power in numbers!

Family was important to her, she looked forward to her annual apple picking trips with her family. She loved to garden and enjoyed cooking and sharing stories about her children and grandchildren.

Preceding her in death are her grandmother Annie MacMillan, parents Elliot Brown & Bennie Mae MacMillan, stepfather Robert Moore, Great-Aunt Rachel Mae Jones and great-uncle Eddie Jones, her beloved husband Milton E. Cole, two sons Tracey Landrum and Milton Cole, Jr.

Our beloved Anna Mae Cole leaves to cherish her legacy and life; her children; four sons, Carl Landrum, Michael Landrum (Betty), Stephen Landrum and Kent Landrum, and two daughters; Lorenzee Cole and Shari Cole. Twenty-One grandchildren; Troy Landrum, Paul Landrum, Monica Landrum, Chris Cotton, Geoffrey Landrum, Malisa Landrum, Tameka Palmer, Tarihya Jackson, Tracey Landrum, Jr., Tranae Landrum, Diana Rosa, Steffen Amun Ra, Jessinia Velasquez-Landrum, Geanna Landrum, Keira Lewis, Tamika Maloof, Shana Cole, Aolani Cole, Kent KC Landrum Cole, Naylana Campbell, and Nathan Hart, 30 great-grandchildren, three great-great grandchildren and a host of other loving relatives and friends.

Anna will be deeply missed by her Bromley-Heath Family.

"WE ARE FAMILY"!