Ann was born on 15 June 1936 to William Lee Roy Pendergrass and Verdant Ima McAnally Pendergrass in Sweetwater, Texas.
William served in the United States Army Air Forces for WWII which began Ann’s sojourning, instilling a desire to travel and experience our planet Earth. She would lead the family on “short” hikes which tended to be hours long. With limited notice, she would load her kids in the car for an impromptu road trip, teaching them through backseat adventure. Ann ventured sometimes just to find a new path, a new expediency, but always with the respect of a seasoned wayfarer. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” This was Ann’s approach.
As a child survivor of polio, Ann spent months in the care of nurses which ultimately informed her of who she wanted to become. She completed nursing education at Shannon School of Nursing and earned her Associate Degree in Applied Arts from San Angelo Junior College in May 1957. She acquired her title as a Registered Nurse from both the Texas Board of Nursing and, in 1960, the South Carolina Board of Nursing. She matriculated at The University of South Carolina in June 1961 gaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing.
As a nurse at Shannon Hospital, she worked multiple disciplines, comforted many people during their worst moments, and rejoiced with people during their best. She was a hero to some as she breathed life back into their loved ones. She was a bane to some when patient care trumped patient comfort. In every way, Ann got the job done. She had grit and determination and persevered through some of life’s toughest challenges. She was a nursing instructor in her youth and, as a patient in the latter years of her life, continued to informally teach patient care and inspired many of her caretakers to follow their education towards Registered Nurse. She took great pride in Shannon Hospital and her work there. After her retirement from Shannon Hospital in 2002, Ann became assistant and practitioner to aging relatives and was always the first through the door when anyone needed anything.
Her original plan was to advance her education through a doctorate in nursing until Ann met Jesse Monroe Chipman III while they were both serving in the US Navy Reserves. Ann and Jesse were married on 15 October 1965 and had two children, Mark Randall Chipman and Deanna Lynn Chipman. Ann chose to temporarily suspend her career and work at raising her children. In the last few years of Jesse’s life, she felt privileged to have the time and skillset to care for him.
Before becoming the Director of the Concho Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross in the 1980s, Ann spent her time as a volunteer. She was always the woman in the Red Cross van for any San Angelo event. In service to this organization, she was part of many disaster relief efforts in the US and abroad.
She reveled in the accomplishments of her family and never missed any of their sporting events. Although an awarded caregiver, Ann managed to kill every plant or flower ever bought or gifted to her. She was a novice historian and was an oracle of family lore.
Ann was a devoted Christian and a member of Johnson Street Church of Christ. For more than half a century, the church body helped her and her family polish their faith. Her Bible was a constant companion and during her infirmary her Bible took prominent residency on every bedside tray table.
Ann was predeceased by her beloved Jesse, her parents, and her dear brother, Roy Pendergrass. She is survived by her children, Mark and Dee; her four grandchildren Ashley Wilson and her husband Clayton, Justin Chipman and his wife Maici, Gus Chipman, and Jackson DiFonte; her five great grandchildren, Emma, Haly, Blakely, Cooper, and Tace. Ann is also survived by Roy’s wife, Rebecca and their daughters Laura and Emily Pendergrass. She leaves behind her cherished ones: Carla Chipman, Joseph DiFonte, Sue Edwards, Shirley Jackson, and Carol Verfurth-Haines.
Special thanks to the people who provided exquisite care to Ann and her family: Sara Brannan; Sara Calvert; Shannon Hospital; San Angelo Nursing and Rehab, specifically Carrie Martin, Ashlyn, and Pandora; and the faith-filled congregants of Johnson Street Church of Christ who showed up and stood us up when it was otherwise impossible.
Viewing will be held on 10 April at Johnson Funeral Home in San Angelo from 6-8 pm. Services will be held at Johnson Street Church of Christ on 11 April at 10 am.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Shannon Hospital Nurse Education Fund or Johnson Street Church of Christ.
