Annie Ruth Pearson

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck and write them on the tablet of your heart.” –Proverbs 3:3 

Love and faithfulness defined Annie’s life. She was a life-long learner, art teacher, wordsmith, Sunday school teacher, artist, horticulturist, lover of animals and nature, advocate for education, gracious hostess, prayer partner, and true friend, but her most treasured titles were devoted wife, beloved Mother, and treasured Maw Maw. 

Annie Ruth Peck Pearson was born on December 14, 1934, and she met Jesus on July 22, 2023, at 88 years old. She was preceded in death by her Mama and Daddy, Roy Paul and Mary Ruth Peck; her beloved husband, Glenn Ray Pearson; her siblings: Roy Paul Jr., Edna, Stanley, Hallie, Gladys, Hal Edward, and Margaret; as well as her mother-in-law and father-in-law, James and Estelle Pearson. She is survived by her two daughters, Terri Pearson Webb, and husband, Ken; and Paula Pearson, both of Hemphill, TX; and four grandchildren–Allison Barton, and husband, Brandon, of Arlington, TX; Spencer Smith, and wife, Shannon, of Prosper, TX; David Benoit, and wife, Maisie, of Port Neches, TX; Liz Jones, and husband, Devin, of Henderson, TX; as well as seven precious great-grandchildren: Avaree, Bryer, Felicity, Evyn, Brandt, Taylor Ann, and Blair. 

Annie was born in Dallas, Texas, to Roy Paul and Mary Ruth Peck. She was the sixth of eight children, and she described her childhood as idyllic– full of love, books, and the music from her Daddy’s fiddle. It was her Mama and Daddy that first told her of God’s love for her and began her dedication to the local church. The Peck home was full of love and those memories stayed with Annie throughout her life. She always smiled when she talked about her childhood and treasured every bit of it in her heart. 

Annie’s tender heart bloomed even more after her first date with Glenn Ray Pearson on September 14, 1950. They met in their homeroom class at Crosier Tech High School, and they began a lifetime of memories that impacted not just their families but the world as she used her giftings to bring light and love to every adventure they encountered in life. They were married for sixty-two wonderful years, and in that time, Annie always believed that Glenn, the love of her life, was her greatest gift from God. She loved and served him faithfully for all of his earthly days. Together, with her beloved Glenn by her side, Annie sought to live a life full of love. She raised two beautiful daughters—Terri and Paula, who each embody the love, strength, and tenderness that they learned from their mother. Their legacy of love continues to live on in their four very grateful grandchildren and seven growing great-grandchildren. 

Annie Pearson, a walking embodiment of grace and beauty herself, had the unique ability to delight in and illuminate the parts of creation that most would overlook, and she longed to capture and share it with those she loved unconditionally. 

Annie loved the color purple—really lavender. She cultivated hydrangea and azalea bushes that exploded in the most beautiful shades every spring and summer, and she delighted in their beauty and growth. Annie loved her flowers–each and every one– and every minute detail of nature, animals, history, learning, books, and so much more. 

She loved to paint. She was a brilliant artist herself but an even more wonderful teacher. She was the kind of teacher that saw a child with a paint brush and many bright colors as an opportunity for a masterpiece rather than an invitation for a mess. She had the unique ability to take our often crooked and upside-down drawings and paintings and find ways to show us they were beautiful—just like us. A reflection of ourselves—just as we are reflections of our Creator. She did this with life, too. A dying plant, a hurt bird, or a child with a scraped knee—she loved and cared for them all. 

Annie loved all of God’s creations—big or small. She could always recognize the distinct call of every bird, and she delighted in knowing about each of them. Of all the birds that made their home in her many lovely gardens and flower beds, the bluebird was her favorite of all. Perhaps it was their peaceful blue hue or their sweet songs, but the hope that she found in their beauty reminded her of her Savior. 

Annie would want nothing more than for others to know that everything she had was a gift from God, and everything begins and ends with Him. In her own writings, Annie wrote, “Where there is great love, there is great loss, but through pain and sorrow thankfulness and hope are born, and heaven is in our eyes once more.”

Visitation will be held on Tuesday evening, July 25, 2023 at Kilpatrick’s Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 9891 Texas Highway, Many, Louisiana from 6-8 PM. Services to celebrate and honor Annie’s life will also be held at Rose-Neath Funeral Home on Wednesday, July 26, at 10:30 AM. A graveside service will follow at Harper’s Chapel Cemetery in Hemphill, Texas. 

Pallbearers will be Kenneth Webb, David Benoit, Spencer Smith, Devin Jones, Brandon Barton, Shea Bolton, and Tom Ince. Junior Pallbearers will be Bryer Jones and Brandt Barton.