Annette Marie Currah

Annette Marie Campbell Currah passed away peacefully on April 26, surrounded by family. Born on August 18, 1946, she was the first of James and Verna Campbell’s three children. She spent her early years in Ellsworth, Wisconsin, and always fondly recalled her time there, where she developed an especially strong connection with her grandfather, Henry Campbell.

The family later relocated to Casper, Wyoming. During her senior year at Natrona County High School, Annette asked Mitch Currah on a date. They graduated high school in 1964, and both enrolled at Casper College where Annette served on numerous student organizations and ran the campaign to get Mitch elected president of the Men’s Association.

Her creativity, flair for design and organizational skills were evident early on through college events she helmed, like the “Christmas Carousel” holiday dance. She led construction of a five-horse carousel, the poles for which were tubes provided by a classmate whose father owned a carpet store. Annette even made Christmas trees from a locally abundant natural resource by stacking tumbleweeds together, painting them white and adorning them with glitter and ornaments.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, she was named the college’s Outstanding Woman in 1966.

After earning their associate degrees, the couple left to attend the University of Texas. They eloped on New Year’s Eve in 1966, getting married in a ceremony on the Mexican side of the Texas border witnessed by the officiant’s chickens. In November 1967, their son Tom was born. Upon Mitch’s graduation from UT, they moved to Clear Lake, Texas, where Mitch worked as an engineer at NASA during the Apollo program while Annette did community volunteer work. In January 1971, Annette gave birth to their daughter Jennifer.

In 1972, Annette and Mitch returned to Wyoming, where Annette dedicated herself to raising their children. She also participated in numerous volunteer roles, including a position on a district water board through which she helped get the Paradise Valley District annexed by the City of Casper. She also joined and eventually led her children’s elementary school Parent Teacher Association.

Annette’s design talents blossomed professionally in the 1980s. The “Christmas in July” program she created in Casper was quite impressive, helping to launch her personal design career. Annette turned her own home into a holiday design center featuring dozens of custom trimmed trees, along with other holiday specialties, and opened it to the public each year. Clients could purchase items to replicate her designs or hire her to bring her holiday magic to their own homes. Annette was still providing custom Christmas design services in clients’ homes this past Christmas. No one could trim a Christmas tree like Annette, her own being absolutely stunning year after year.

She deployed her design skills in a variety of jobs in Casper, culminating as the visual merchandising manager at the Bon Marchè in Casper. In 1988, Annette and Mitch moved back to Austin, where she took a job as the visual merchandising manager at Dillard’s in Highland Mall. Beyond her regular duties at Dillard’s, she frequently coordinated design for special events like new product launches, working directly with Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Adrien Arpel, Delta Burke, Joan Collins and others.

After retiring from Dillard’s, Annette worked as an interior decorator, consulting on client projects until her final days. She enjoyed this work immensely and formed warm, lasting friendships with her clients.

In 1996, she became “Granny” to twin grandsons, joined by a granddaughter in 2001. Doting Granny was a role she cherished. She hosted Easter Sunday treasure hunts and birthday parties in her picture-perfect backyard garden. She was a frequent carpool driver - and her grandkids’ favorite - always arriving at pickup with some of her irresistible chocolate chip cookies.

Annette touched countless lives, evident by the many who came to visit her before she passed. She is profoundly missed by family and friends.

Surviving Annette are her husband Mitch; son Tom (Raquel); daughter Jennifer Kelley (Steve); grandchildren Hugh, Mason and Campbell Currah; brother Jim Campbell (Mary) and sister Nelda Currah (Dan).

The family wishes to express their deepest gratitude to Dr. Allison Gorrebeeck and the treatment team at Texas Oncology for their many years of exceptional care.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in honor of Annette to a charity dedicated to the fight against cancer. This link has been established to make donations in her honor to the Texas 4000, for which her granddaughter rode in 2022: https://bit.ly/Texas4000InHonorOf

A memorial service will be held May 31 at 2:00pm at Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Funeral Home and Cemetery, 14501 North IH-35, Pflugerville, TX 78660.