Ann Oliver

Mrs. Ann Oliver, age 78, currently of Lake Limestone, and a former longtime resident of Pasadena, Texas, passed from this life into the arms of Jesus, on Saturday, March 21, 2020, in Houston, Texas, after a short illness.

Mrs. Oliver was born to the late Helen Louise (Bartlett) Rhodes and Olin Rhodes on March 11, 1942, in Columbus, Georgia.  She married the love of her life, Winford Oliver on March 29, 1958, in Houston, Texas, and would be celebrating 62 years of marriage on Sunday, March 29, 2020

At the age of 11,  Ann was in a car accident that left her hospitalized, in a coma and without a mother. Her fractured family bounced around different homes until finally settling in a Houston duplex when she was 13.  There, she met and became friends with Margie Oliver. When she met Margie’s brother Winford, the rest was history.  The Olivers loved her like one of their own and just two weeks after her 16th birthday, she and Winford got married.

Between job changes and moves to and from California, after just a year and a half of marriage, they welcomed their son, Glenn into the world. Life didn’t slow down and three years later came their daughter, Brenda.  Ann always said they were just a couple of kids raising kids.

While Winford settled into a steady welding career, Ann stayed home with the kids but never missed a good opportunity to start a small business.  She loved to sew and sold welding caps to Winford’s co-workers.  She and her Uncle Sonny ran a successful upholstery business and she and Winford had a custom cabinetry shop for years just to name a few. She always let her passions guide her ventures so she was always happy in her work.

Ann was a woman of many hobbies and whatever she decided to pursue, she pursued wholeheartedly. She was a talented woman and accomplished whatever task she set her mind to.  She enjoyed creating, in any capacity, and among her favorites were sewing, jewelry making, and quilting. She enjoyed collecting various items from all the flea markets they frequented. She loved the thrill of the hunt and a good bargain. She enjoyed sharing her hobbies and in recent years her joy of collecting cast iron became a passion she and Glenn shared. She loved mind puzzles of any kind-especially crosswords and cryptograms.

After Winford retired, they moved to their house on Lake Limestone full-time and began to prioritize traveling. They loved to travel together and took big trips like their trip to Canada as well as annual trips to their favorite places like Branson and bluegrass festivals in Glen Rose, Mountain View, and Grapeland.

She surrounded herself with family and loved making sure everyone had their favorite snacks whether it was cornbread, waffles, skittles or grits no one was ever hungry for long at Granny’s house.  She instilled a deep love of ice cream with magic shell as well as an appreciation for RC Cola.

Above all else, she always put God first. After being saved in 1979, her life was radically changed, and she never looked back. She became a pillar of strength and faith in her family and she prayed relentlessly for them. She left a lasting legacy of what it is to be a powerful, praying woman of God and was a shining example of what truly being hungry for a relationship with Him looks like. True to her personality, in all of her pursuits, she dove into her relationship with God and read through the entire Bible several times and was not only knowledgeable but passionate about her Savior. This passion for God seeped into all her relationships and she and Winford led an active nursing home ministry for many years called The Victory Singers.

There will never be enough words to describe everything she is to all of us. We’ll miss her in so many ways – both big and small. We’ll miss her big on holidays and birthdays and in the small everyday ways like calling just to talk, her hugs, shopping together, playing games or just sitting together working on a puzzle.  We’ll miss all the things she wants to teach us or the new tips and tricks she learned and wants to share. We’ll just miss her, in every way imaginable. We will cherish the time we had, the memories we have and look forward to the day we see her again. We will love her forever.

Those left to cherish her memory include her wonderful husband of 62 years, Winford Oliver of Lake Limestone, Texas; son, Glenn Oliver and his wife, Barbara of Katy, Texas; daughter, Brenda Hallaron and her husband, Teddy of Houston; her loving grandchildren, Michael Oliver and his wife, Marisa of Port Neches, Texas; Ferrick Hallaron of Houston; Katie Schmitt and her husband, Tristan of Houston and Amy Hallaron of Houston; her precious great-grandchildren, Jude, Finnick, and Penny Schmitt, all of Houston, along with a host of other family members, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Helen and Olin Rhodes; and a brother, Virgil Rhodes.

A Private Funeral Service will be held in San Augustine, Texas and burial following in the Rosevine Cemetery in Sabine County, with Bro. Randy Ayres officiating, who is Pastor of the Word of Life Church in Groesbeck, Texas, where Ann and Winford attend. A public Memorial Service will be held there at a later date.

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