Hester Anne McMillan Johnson

Hester Anne Hollis, known to most as Anne, was born on April 16, 1939, in Alexandria, Louisiana. She attended Bolton High School, where she played on the girls’ basketball team, and later graduated from Louisiana Tech University.

If there was one thing about Anne, it was that she could do just about anything she set her mind to. Throughout her life, she wore many hats. She worked as a schoolteacher, taught sewing lessons at a department store, worked in advertising, and even had her own catering company.

But Anne also had a heart for helping people. She created and led a volunteer Trauma Assistance Group at Hermann Hospital, giving her time and talents to people during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

She was incredibly creative and talented. Anne was one of those people who could look at something and figure out how to make it herself—and usually make it better. If she imagined it, chances were she could design it, sew it, build it, decorate it, cook it, or somehow bring it to life.

But as remarkable as all of those things were, they weren’t the most important part of her life.

Her family was.

Anne was the mother of two children, Mark McMillan and Melinda Hughes, and mother-in-law to Allison McMillan. She was the proud grandmother of Bryce Gracey, Erin Gracey, and Mark Douglas McMillan, and the great-grandmother of Harbor Anne and Brooks Warren. She was also an aunt to four nephews and one niece.

Anne was a very kind and generous person. If anyone—whether family, friend, or even a stranger—needed help, she would give it without hesitation. She had a giving heart and never seemed to think twice about putting someone else’s needs before her own.

She was also funny and a little bit silly at times. One of the things we all loved about her was that she never took herself too seriously. If she did something a little “dingy” or made a mistake, she was always the first to laugh at herself. That ability to find humor in everyday life made being around her such a joy.

More than anything, Anne brought warmth into every room she entered. She had a way of making people feel cared for, welcomed, and at ease. And that is something her family and friends will carry with them always.