Ann McGinnis Drake, age 82 of Cullman, passed away Saturday, January 21, 2017 at her home she shared with family for over 60 years. She died peacefully, with members of the family at her side.
Ann was a member of the East Point Cumberland Presbyterian church, and an active member of the Cumberland Presbyterian women.
Services will be held at Cullman Funeral Home on Highway 278 East this Tuesday, January 24th at 3:00 P.M. with visitation at 2:00 P.M. Brother Dudley Brock and Brother Delbert Freeman will officiate the service and offer words of comfort. Interment will be at East Point Cumberland Presbyterian Church Cemetery.
Pallbearers are Drake Donovan, Jeff Hathcock, Jonathan McGinnis, Blake Smith, Perry Tidwell, and Joe Williams. Honorary Pallbearer Charles Ford.
Ann was born May 12, 1934 to Lonnie Benjamin and Elvie Jones McGinnis on their 500-acre Dairy Farm, which has been in the family over 100 years. Anne’s parents were widowed when they met and married, each having six children, and then having six more children together. Ann was the youngest of all the children, and the last survivor. Ann was educated in the Holly Pond School system, during which time she showed Jersey cattle, and was an accomplished equestrian.
She met and married her husband, Van Jackson Drake, within two weeks of meeting him in 1953. They were married 54 years. Ann was a cancer survivor, having had a kidney removed in 1967, but that did not stop her from being an avid gardener of flowers and keeping her yard immaculate. If needed, Ann was known to drive a tractor and a bush hog.
Always a fabulous cook, Ann had a reputation for her red velvet cake (a guarded family secret). For each child and grandchild's birthday, she would cook their favorite meal and a cake of their choice. Ann loved dancing and politics, and in her 20s modeled for “The Princess Art Shop.” She won blue ribbons at the Cullman County Fair for her sewing and canning.
She was appointed to the Cullman County Jury Commission and was the first woman appointed to this position. Ann was elected as Beat Committee Woman and was also the first woman to hold this position. Her love of politics was culminated in attending the Inauguration of Jimmy Carter.
Ann was a fiercely independent and self-sufficient woman, a trait she passed on to her three daughters. With Ann's characteristic self-sufficiency, she decided to move to Brookdale Assisted Living in 2013. While there Ann took up art and continued to win blue ribbons at the fair for her new talent. She lived there until hospice care was needed, returning home July 1, 2016 to live under the care of daughter Jackie Donovan.
She loved Brookdale's many activities and the new friendships she made; winning the Halloween costume contest two years in a row. She also made each of her younger grandchildren beautiful quilts for wedding presents. She also made each great-grandchild a Christening blanket heavily embellished with pearls (each individually stitched), with lace overlay.
Ann is predeceased in death by her parents, her husband, her son Jerry Lee Drake, her parents, and her half-brothers Hobart McGinnis, Dudley McGinnis, and E.C. McGinnis; sisters Dena Smith, Beulah Burnham, and Ezma Dobbins; half-brothers Emmitt Milvord Story, James Clellon Story, and Walter Isom Story; half-sisters Myrtle Ima Goodhue, Clois McAnear, Willie Mae Self; brothers Lonnie Benjamin McGinnis, Jr., A.W. “Simon” McGinnis; sisters Virginia “Bonnie” McPherson Brown, and Nell Maxine Tidwell Clingingsmith.
A beloved mother, grandmother, and friend, Ann is survived by her daughters Wilda (Joe) Williams, Jackie Ann Donovan, and DeLisa (Jeff) Hathcock. Grandchildren: DeLana Coley, Sarah (Josh) Lambert, Drake Donovan, Emily Donovan, Patrick (Tammy) Williams, JoeyWilliams, Jon (Nelda) Williams, Jamie (Donald) Abbott, and Amy Elizabeth (Michael) Word. Great-Grandchildren: Jackson Hathcock, Thomas Coley, Aurelia Donovan, Desmond Donovan, Olivia Williams, Dylan Williams, Joey Williams, Jr., M’Kayla Williams, Brooke (Gustavo) James, Presley Williams, Savannah Abbott, Brody Abbott, Jackson Word, Harrison Word, and great-great granddaughter Marley James.
The family wishes to give a special thanks to the staff and nurses of Hospice of Cullman County, and one very special little nurse, Aurelia Donovan, age 4. Memorials may be sent to East Point Church Cemetery Fund, 1441 278 East, Cullman, AL 35055
