Ann was born in Rolla, Missouri on March 6, 1943. An army brat, she had the fortunate experience of living in a number of different places and attending a number of different schools. She lived in Florida, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, and England. Ann spent time traveling Europe as a teenager, visiting France, Germany, and Italy. She finished her last 2 years of high school in Jackson, Mississippi at Provine High where she met the love of her life, Mike Thames. Known for her brains and beauty, she easily caught the eye and attention of Mike. Upon the insistence of her father, she attended college and enrolled in Michigan State University. However, as they say, love conquers all. Even her military father’s strict rules couldn’t keep Ann and Mike apart. She married Mike in Lansing, Michigan in September of 1960 and after attending 1 year at Michigan State she moved back to Mississippi while Mike attended Mississippi State University. Moving wasn’t over yet for her. She moved with her husband to Louisiana, Texas, and back to Louisiana. During this time she started a family and began her journey as a loving wife, a wonderful mother, a doting grandmother and great grandmother, and friend. She dabbled in working, as a secretary to put Mike through college and for a short time as a real estate agent. She ultimately left working to return to what made her happiest, being an amazing homemaker and mother.
Ann loved to spend her time encouraging and supporting her three children in any way she could. She became a Girl Scout leader, gymnastics judge, seamstress of many dance team uniforms, and a baseball team mom. Ann was accomplished at any artistic endeavor she became interested in. She was amazing at painting portraits, knitting, quilting, sewing and she also had a green thumb. Left to raise her children alone due to the untimely death of her husband, she returned to Jackson, Mississippi to be with Mike’s family. She entered the workforce where she was a medical transcriptionist and worked her way up to become operations manager of a truck and tire center. Always an avid reader, Ann spent any spare moment she could reading. Ann enjoyed spending time with her children, grand-kids and also enjoyed antiques, both collecting and selling. She maintained an antique consignment booth, with her sister and sister-in-law, for many years.
Ann was known as a soft-spoken, kind, and strong person. She had a sarcastic wit with unintentionally funny one liners. Ann was extremely proud of her three children, her grandchildren, and adored her great grand-kids, all of whom were extremely proud of and adored her. She will be sorely missed and will always be remembered.
Ann was preceded in death by her husband, Mike, her parents Morris and Wilma Tague, and her in-laws, Charlie and Ezell Thames. She is survived by her three children, Meg Spatz and husband Ken, Jamie Monaghan and husband Steve, Matt Thames and wife Shea, grandchildren Dallas Spatz and wife Amelia, Dawn Roe and husband James, Caroline, Kate, and Sarah Monaghan, Eden and Addison Thames, great grandchildren, Lincoln Roe and Rozalind Spatz, sister Pat Nichols, brother Sam Tague, and sister-in-law Janet Bailey.
Ann loved flowers but would also love for donations in lieu of to be sent to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, the American Diabetes Association, or the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention.
A special thank you to the caring and wonderful doctors and staff at University Mississippi Medical Center, the caring and kind staff at Brandon Nursing and Rehabilitation and Compassus Hospice Care.
Please visit lakewoodfuneralhomes.com for online guestbook.
