Anne Fanning, our loving and much loved wife, mother, and grandmother left us September 20th after a long, difficult struggle with the ravages of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.

Born July 4, 1934 in Oklahoma City, she moved as a preschooler to the Dallas area, where she attended public schools, graduating from Sunset High school in 1952. There she served as a majorette three years and was also a member of the tennis team. Subsequently Anne attended SMU, majoring in art. She was a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority and an Old South Sweetheart.

Anne married husband Tom while he was a student at The University of Texas, and worked several years for the University, obtaining the then-popular PHT…putting hubby through.

After school, there was an Air Force obligation, followed by Tom’s career in the petroleum industry. Anne taught art at Episcopal preschools in Roswell and Midland in those early years when her children were young, and the moves were frequent. They had the good fortune to be located in Shreveport long enough to see the kids through Junior and Senior high. After a tour in Findlay, Ohio, she and Tom moved to Houston, where his last 17 working years were spent.

With her two children mostly out of the house by then, Anne turned her attention to Westside Tennis club, where she established a wonderful social life and friendships that have lasted a lifetime. During those years she and Tom spent many weekends sailing in the Galveston Bay. She also found a church home at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church.

After retirement, and a hiatus of 40 years, they returned to the Austin area in 1996; first to the Hills of Lakeway community, and subsequently, eight years ago, to Austin.

Confirmed into the Episcopal Church in 1953, Anne remained a lifelong Episcopalian. She has been a faithful member of The Church of the Good Shepherd for the past decade and a member of St Anne’s guild. Membership in The Austin Women’s Club and Women’s Symphony League also provided her with much pleasure.

Anne enjoyed foreign travel, first with Tom on international business trips, and later, after retirement, a variety of wonderful overseas adventures. She shared with Tom a lifelong interest in art and was herself a good artist during those periods in her life when the “mood struck”. She was also a life-long dog lover owning a series of Scotties for over 40 years.

She is survived by her husband of 59 years, two children and their spouses, Cynthia and Jim Seeba of Alpharetta, Georgia, and Tom and Rhonda Fanning of Houston, along with four grandchildren whom she adored; Ainsley, Drew and Meredith McKay and Max Fanning.

We will all miss her gentle wit, sweet spirit, and easy laughter.

The family wants to expressly thank the wonderful caregivers of Querencia’s South Hall as well as Home Health Hospice for their very compassionate attention to her during this past year. We ask that any gifts in Anne’s name go to the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, 3201 Windsor Rd, Austin, TX 78703.

A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, September 28, 2012 at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd.