She was born in Searsport, Maine, the fourth child of Hume W. Thistle and Shirley I. Thistle. Her family moved from Maine to a farm purchase by her father located in Lynn, Massachusetts. The majority of the farm land would later be sold to the City for development of residential home sites. The original farm house remains on the City Street named after her father, Thistle Street. Annette and her two twin brothers built their family homes beside the original farm house they grew up in to be close to their parents and each other.
Annette was a caregiver to her grandmother and her parents as they aged. A compassionate and caring wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, family meant all to Annette. She loved most having extended family to gather for cookouts on the 4th of July in her backyard, sometimes upwards of 30 – 40 family members at a time, along with neighbors and friends. Her creative abilities in knitting, crocheting and skills with a sewing machine meant many beautiful, heartfelt handmade gifts for members of her immediate and extended family and chosen friends. Each new baby was welcomed into the family with a handmade layette set, including a baby blanket, sweater, cap and booties. Her children and grandchildren still have the many beautiful sweaters, hats, scarves, mittens, and afghans she made for them over the years. Annette loved flowers and enjoyed her daughters’ creative decorations both inside and outside her home for each holiday season. Spring and Summer, she would walk through her yard enjoying the many flowers and flowering bushes planted for her by her two daughters. Every weekend meant a new bouquet of flowers personally chosen and arranged by her youngest daughter – just to brighten her home and lift her heart.
Annette loved all animals and spent many hours sitting at her front picture window just to watch the many native songbirds that would come to her feeders. She and her late husband, would marvel at the many animals that would make their way down from Lynn Woods Reservation into their back yard, often waking to find visitors to their yard to include foxes, racoons, skunks, morning doves, cardinals, blue jays, chickadees, bright yellow finches, red robins, even wild turkeys and a herd of deer on occasion and once a baby black bear with Mama standing just at the edge of the woods at their property line. She truly enjoyed her home, her family and neighborhood friends.
Annette is survived by her children, Herbert G. Phinney, III and his wife, Neidra of Vaughn, MT, daughters Donna M. Phinney and Theresa A. Phinney of Lynn, MA; sister Mary Rogers; sister-in-law Susan Palata of Lynn, MA; her 6 grandchildren, Herbert G. Phinney, IV and his wife, Joey of Holladay, Utah, Patricia Fuentes, Christopher Phinney and his wife, Lori of Anchorage, AK, Katie Matz and her husband, Brandon and Jonathan Phinney and his wife, Rosi all of Great Falls, MT, and Nathaniel Phinney and his wife, Aubrey of Idaho Falls, ID, and 17, soon to be 18 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Hume W. Thistle and Shirley I. Thistle (Salisbury) and her husband, Herbert G. Phinney, Jr., and her siblings, Hume D. Thistle, Harvard Thistle, and Irene Davis.
Visiting Hours will be held at Cuffe-McGinn Funeral Home, 157 Maple St., Lynn, MA 01904 on Wednesday, April 28th from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Her funeral will be held from the funeral home on Thursday, April 29th at 9:00 a.m. followed at 10:00 a.m. by a Funeral Mass at St. Mary Church, Lynn. Burial will follow in Pine Grove Cemetery, Lynn. The family requests all floral arrangements without Lilly, due to allergy. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory to Catholic Charities, 117 N. Common St., Lynn, MA 01902 or via www.ccab.org.
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