Anne F. Beiler

Anne F. Beiler (born January 16, 1949) is an American businesswoman who founded Auntie Anne's pretzels.

Early life Anne was born on January 16, 1949 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to an Old Order Amish family. She grew up on a 100 acre farm with seven siblings. At age three, her family converted to the Amish Mennonite faith and were allowed limited access to modern amenities like electricity and cars, although there was no television or radio in the home. Anne received no more than an eighth grade education.

Marriage Anne married Jonas Z. Beiler in 1968 when they were respectively 19 and 21. He was raised Old Order Amish. They had three daughters: LaWonna (born 1971), Angela Joy (1974–1975), and Joy LaVale (born 1976). Angela died at 19 months old, in a farming accident involving a Bobcat tractor driven by one of Beiler's sisters on the family's property in Pennsylvania. Anne was overcome with grief and sought grief counseling from a pastor. In 1989, the first Auntie Anne's franchises opened throughout Central Pennsylvania.

Written works In 2002, Beiler wrote a story book style autobiography entitled Auntie Anne: My Story in collaboration with illustrator Frieman Stoltzfus. In 2008, Beiler wrote a memoir with her nephew, Shawn Smucker, entitled Twist of Faith: The Story of Anne Beiler, Founder of Auntie Anne's Pretzels, which was published by Thomas Nelson Inc. Her third book, co-authored with Emily Sutherland, entitled, The Secret Lies Within: An Inside Out Look at Overcoming Trauma and Finding Purpose in the Pain was released by Morgan James Publishing in 2018. In 2021, she released Overcome & Lead, which she also co-authored with Emily Sutherland, detailing the leadership lessons learned while building the international Auntie Anne's Pretzel franchise. Personal life By LaWonna, she has three grandchildren, and through her seven siblings, she has more than thirty nieces and nephews. Dyslexia affects several members of her family.

Beiler describes in her memoir that her church's pastor had maintained secret sexual relationships with her and her sisters, and that he had also molested her daughter LaWonna.

Beiler holds two honorary doctorates, one from Elizabethtown College and another from the Eastern University. She obtained her GED at the age of 50. She served on the board of directors for the Museum of the Bible, which opened in 2017 with support from Hobby Lobby's founder, David Green.

Beiler delivered a speech at the 2008 Republican National Convention on September 3, 2008.