Ann M Kavanagh's Obituary
Our beautiful, smart, silly, mischievous and loving mother Ann Marie Kavanagh, born on February 16, 1935, passed away from natural causes on Thursday afternoon, July 9, 2020, surrounded by family.
She has joined her beloved husband Tom; sisters Katy Gallagher and Mary Beth Priban; brothers Joe, Jim, and Bill Hattan, and parents Mae Sinkler Hattan and Joseph Hattan.
Ann is survived by her loving sister Virginia Hoerres; brothers Larry, Jack, and Tom, and us, her daughters, Therese Despeaux, Mary Day, and Colleen Kavanagh. She also leaves our world with the gift of nine beloved grandchildren who brought her boundless joy—Anna, Christian, and Elise Despeaux; Tom, Grace, and Michael Day, and Liam, Kelsey, and Eavin Puknys. She is also survived by her “sisters” at St. Louis Catholic Church who blessed her with over 50 years of friendship.
Ann was born and raised in Chicago and moved with her young family to Memphis, TN, in 1965. She dedicated herself to raising her three daughters and volunteering at St. Louis Catholic Church, where she was the president of the Madonna’s Circle and a Brownie Troop leader. Ann had a passion for supporting families suffering with Alzheimer’s disease and spent decades volunteering at the Alzheimer’s Association and with their support groups.
From 1980-1992 she owned a company called Ann Marie, Inc, making children all over the world happy with her beautiful children’s hair accessories. When thousands of Cambodians and Vietnamese fled their countries in the 1980s, she found a new group of women to befriend. She hired many of these courageous ladies through Catholic Charities of Memphis and provided English classes for them during the lunch hour. Her most proud accomplishment as a business owner was to be able to provide safe and reliable income to mothers so they could improve their families’ lives. Ann moved on to build an antique business and inspired the phrase “furniture rodeo,” coined by her sons-in-law, which involved moving furniture from England to the US and various locations between Midtown and Collierville.
Throughout her life, Ann collected friends like she collected antiques, loving and valuing each one and letting their value grow with time. Indeed, she leaves behind many newer special friends at The Village at Germantown who held a precious place in her life and in her heart. What we will remember most is her mischievous humor. Many condolence messages have noted that she is now entertaining the angels, and this is an easy image to conjure. Truly, her faith was her strength, and she was anxious for this day to be with the Lord so He could explain life’s many mysteries. Mom, it is now time to relax, quiz the Lord, and see how much you can get the angels to laugh.
Due to Covid 19, there will be a small religious service of immediate family in the coming weeks and a memorial will be scheduled when it is safe for us all to gather again. Ann asked that any gifts of remembrance go to The Assistance Fund www.tafcares.org
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