Anne M. Baccari | Language teacher, 102

Anne Marzucco Baccari, 102, formerly of Wynnewood, a language teacher at South Philadelphia High School for more than 40 years, died Thursday at Dunwoody Village, a retirement community in Newtown Square.

Mrs. Baccari grew up in South Philadelphia and graduated from Philadelphia High School for Girls. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master's degree in modern languages from Middlebury (Vt.) College.

She spent her career at South Philadelphia High School and in 1947 married Frank Baccari, head of the school's language department. Together they published a booklet and an audio tape for use for all the Italian-language students in the Philadelphia school system. Mrs. Baccari also produced an Italian operetta her students performed, accompanied by three musicians from the Philadelphia Orchestra.

She had no children, and the students and faculty became her family, said a friend, Geri Magenheimer.

Mrs. Baccari was past president of the American Association of Teachers of Italian for Philadelphia and Vicinity, and served on the boards of the Modern Language Association and the American Institute for Italian Culture.

She and her husband often traveled and spent three months in Florence, Italy, after they retired in 1970. They were honored by the Italian government for fostering Italian culture. He died in 1986.

Mrs. Baccari is survived by nieces.

A Funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, 204 Haverford Rd., Wynnewood. Friends may call at 9 a.m. Mrs. Baccari was past president of the church's Fifty Plus Club. Burial will be in SS. Peter and Paul Cemetery, Marple Township.