Stella “Ann” Annis Mears of Modest Town

Stella “Ann” Annis Mears died peacefully in her home on January 11, 2020. The daughter of Carol Dulaney “Lane” Annis and Minerva Taylor Annis, Ann was born March 20, 1933 in Guilford, VA and was the youngest of five children.  Growing up, Ann was particularly close to her dad. As a small child, Lane would take her out on his boat while he worked and later named a road in Guilford (Ann’s Cove Road) after his youngest daughter.

Ann entered the workforce at an early age, working for several years at the former R&G Shirt factory with sister, Bea Wessells. Ann had a special bond with Bea’s daughters, Kay and Paige, and was more like an older sister to them. In her later years, and until retirement, Ann worked alongside her niece, Kay Lewis, at Northampton County Social Services.

In the ‘50s, while working at a drive-in in Nelsonia, VA, Ann met the love her of her life, James Ross Mears, a farmer from Modest Town, VA. Ann and James would marry on December 9th, 1955, in Snow Hill, MD.  Ann wore a navy-blue suit to the ceremony, which, for those who knew of her love for the color “blue,” is quite fitting.

As an adult, Ann loved Canadian Geese, any and all types of dogs, and as mentioned, all things blue, especially blue bottles. Her daughter will often tell a story of how her mom made her pull over on the edge of Route 13 to retrieve a discarded glass blue bottle that Ann had spotted.

Ann was an avid reader and an enthusiastic watcher of Wheel of Fortune, and she loved her sweets and fried foods. Between her “buns” for breakfast, candied nuts, and annual trips to Ocean City, where she would indulge in saltwater taffy, funnel cakes, and boardwalk fries, Ann knew what she liked and enjoyed her treats wholeheartedly.

As her family grew, Ann would travel around the state to visit them.  However, Ann’s home, and happy place, was always the Eastern Shore.  For her, there was no other place like it.  To the end, Ann was a creature of habit, “a force to be reckoned with,” and a fighter through and through.

Ann is survived by her daughter, Dru Anne Mears; her granddaughters, Kate Kalaris and Angela Kalaris Lee; and her great-granddaughters, Charis and Elisabeth Lee.

Funeral services will be conducted from the graveside at the Modest Town Baptist Church Cemetery, Friday, January 17, 2020 at 1:00 p.m., with The Reverend John D. Cullop, and longtime family friend and pastor, The Reverend Robert Carpenter, officiating.

Contributions in Ann’s memory may be made to Modest Town Baptist Church, c/o Tina Wessells, P.O. Box 7, Modest Town, VA 23412.

Memory tributes may be shared with the family at www.williamsfuneralhomes.com.

Arrangements by the Williams-Parksley Funeral Home.

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