Frances Audrey Ann Tatum

Frances Audrey "Ann" Tatum, a beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, loving aunty and friend to all, passed away on June 21, 2024, at the age of 82. She was born on June 18, 1942, in Austin, TX, to Ali Lee and Jonnie Mae Alexander as the oldest girl of six (Ethanal Holmes, Mary Carol Anderson, Etta Stewart, William Edward Alexander and Bobby Lynn Alexander.) Mom had most recently resided in Houston, Texas.

Mom had a zest for life and enjoyed pursuing various hobbies such as ceramics, bowling, solving crossword puzzles, and visiting game rooms. Believe it or not, she used to have a CB radio and loved talking on it when we traveled. Her handle was “Sweet Annie.” She used to drive a diamond blue Ford TByrd. Her favorite destination was Houston; we would go almost every weekend. No trip would be without us, going to Galveston to catch Crabs; crabbing is what they called it. We would have to stop by the store to get turkey necks, string ice, and a cooler and we would be on our way.

Mom had an adventurous palate and took pleasure in cooking her favorite foods including catfish, crab, seafood gumbo, salmon croquette, menudo pecan pie, key lime pie, and potato salad. We rarely ate out as children because Mom could cook whatever you would want at a restaurant.

Mom loved her snacks, mints, Pepsi, Snickers, Butterfinger, and peanut brittle. She loved Schlotzsky's
and Chinese food. Every weekend, Mom used to meet her sisters, ”The Golden Girls”, at Golden corral for breakfast. Mom had one spot where she would get her Korean Bulgogi in Killeen, Texas.

Music brought joy to mom’s life, and she particularly loved listening to bands like Earth, Wind and Fire, the Gap band, and Maze. She loved "In da Club" by 50 Cent. She had a unique talent for handling animals and was often sought after as the family animal wrangler fearlessly dealing with snakes, bats, and other creatures. She had a green thumb and loved plants; ivies and aloe vera were some of her favorites, but we used to have a jungle of different types of plants growing up.

Above all, mom cherished the time spent with her grandsons, finding great happiness in their presence. My friends became her adopted kids.

Germany held a special place in her heart, and she considered it her favorite destination. In her leisure time, she enjoyed watching the TV show, COPS, and was an avid baseball fan. How bout dem Boyz she was a true Dallas cowboy fan. Spades was her game of choice. I’m sure that's where I get my love for the game.

Throughout her life, Mom held various professions including working as a line Manager at IBM, selling insurance, working in the commissary, being a nanny and serving as the head of the Arts & Crafts Department in the military in Germany. Animals held a special place in her heart, as she was known for bringing pets home all the time. I can remember as a child having over 5 dogs at one time. Growing up, we had gerbils, guinea pigs, birds, a goat, rabbits, fish, and a pony. And no, we did not live on a farm!

Mom had a strong spiritual side, finding solace in reading her bible and the daily bread, as well as attending church at Abundantly LIFE Church to witness her grandson and nephew mime. Her personality was marked by her boldness and honesty, never hesitating to speak her mind. Frances had a genuine love for people and always made sure they knew where they stood with her.

Known affectionately as "Ann," Frances is survived by her daughters, Melissa and Cheryl; grandsons, Jamal, Malik, and TyKell; granddaughter, Sanaija; and great-grandson, Zeke. She is also survived by her sisters, Mary Anderson Etta Stewart (Cookie), and a host of cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Moms opinionated nature and warm presence will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

Rest in everlasting peace, Mom……

A visitation for family and friends will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., Saturday, July 13, 2024 at The Abundant LIFE Church in Pflugerville, Texas 78660 followed by a Celebration of Life beginning at 10:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family is accepting monetary donations. You can donate in moms name in Loving memory of Frances Ann Tatum to:

1) Dementia Society of America, https://www.dementiasociety.org/memorials

2) Zelle, Cheryl Hill, [email protected]

3) Cashapp, $CHillBlkpearl