Her sparkling burgundy accordion showcased 41 keys – round and straight, treble and bass, cheerful and somber. The music stopped, both literally and figuratively, for Annemarie Timmons on August 20. She was 87.

To Plaza shoppers, she was a known entity: the accordionist at Emile's, the German deli that occupied the corner of Nichols Road from the 1970s to the 1990s. Her glass tip boot, suitcase of cassettes, and internalized setlist were – for more than twenty years – as integral to the delicatessen's character as its wursts and spaetzle.

Learned and performed across border walls, oceans, and eras, conflicting melodies scored her life. Oompahs amidst triumph, waltzes despite heartbreak.

Born in 1937 in Hamburg, Germany, she quickly became a ward of the state after being removed from her mother. Separated from her brothers, Egon and Reinhold, she moved from foster home to foster home, learning to steal from one and heal from another.

Her teen years were marked by adversity and perseverance. Escapes from communist Germany were plotted and foiled four times over until a fifth scheme – a bouquet of flowers and a fib about a brother's wedding – saw the border guards wave her through.

In 1958, Annemarie met an American soldier named John Timmons. He spoke no German; she, no English. They wed in Heidelberg in 1957 and landed in America a year later. Captain Kangaroo taught her English, while tips from diner patrons kept the lights on for her growing family of seven.

Despite every excuse to live otherwise, her adopted mindset was decidedly carefree. She commuted for a season by moped, her leg in a cast and back adorned with an orange vest inscribed with a plea: "Please don't hit me. I have five kids." Her daughter's future in-laws were greeted while in a red tutu, her birthday commemorated with a tandem rip-cord ride in Las Vegas. In her later years, she would take her laughter, wisdom, and polkas to elementary schools, nursing homes, and German festivals, eventually concluding her act before fellow residents at Kingswood and Meadowbrook Senior Living Centers.

To many of them, she cited her favorite quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: "What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us."

Annemarie was preceded in death by her beloved John, and is survived by her daughter, Simone Wolford and granddaughter, Jenna Wolford, Nashville,TN.

In honor of their Oma, the family suggests a donation to the Hillcrest Benevolent Fund, which has identified two local families in need. Or – simply hug a musician or offer a smile to a stranger.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 7 at 4pm at Hillcrest Covenant Church at 8801 Nall Avenue in Overland Park KS.

Also live streamed at https://www.youtube.com/live/UFvom0mgoaQ