Anne Etheridge

Published 12:00 am Friday, January 15, 2010

Anne Branch Phillips Etheridge
Alabaster

Anne Branch Phillips Etheridge, 67, went to be with the Lord on Dec. 29, 2009.
She is survived by her husband of 44 years, B. Douglas Etheridge of Atlanta; daughter, Suzanna Etheridge Rawlins (Jody) of Alabaster; son, Brian Douglas Etheridge (Heather) and three granddaughters, Madison Diane, Elizabeth Paige and Sydney Rose, all residing in Kansas.
Anne was born on April 27, 1942, in Atlanta to Dr. Hayward Steward Phillips and Anna Elizabeth Branch Phillips. She was their only child.
She earned her teaching degree from the University of Georgia in 1964 and taught the sixth grade in the Atlanta School System.
Anne was a member of Pi Beta Phi Sorority while at UGA and shared that sisterhood with her daughter, Suzanna.
She was an avid animal lover from early childhood, but had a special affinity for cats. Over the years, she rescued numerous “fur babies” and she was sure to have had quite a reception at the Rainbow Bridge as she joined them in Heaven.
She was a gifted artist, a talent she later utilized as owner of Art Gallery Framing. Her flower arrangements won her numerous awards throughout the years, an activity she shared with her mother.
She loved all things Disney and enjoyed her annual trips to the theme park with her husband Doug.
Anne loved people and was active in numerous community groups, including the PTA, PTSA, various garden clubs. She was a member of the Emma Sansom Chapter No. 2247 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Hoover.
But her most important role was that of loving mother and wife — a role she treasured.
Before her death, Anne was working as a hostess at the Olive Garden in Alabaster, a job she enjoyed because it provided her the opportunity to meet new people every day. She never knew a stranger and often said she could talk to a fencepost and entertain it.
A memorial and funeral service to celebrate her life and legacy was held Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010, at the Charter Funeral Home in Calera.
She will then be taken home to Georgia to be buried alongside her parents. In lieu of flowers, her family asks that donations be made to the Shelby County Humane Society to help the animals she loved so dearly. Arrangements were under the direction of Charter Funeral Home.