Obituary of Anne M. Jennings

Anne Jennings, treasured family matriarch, professional family counselor, avid sailor, and music enthusiast passed away March 23rd , 2018, in Phoenix, Arizona.  Anne was born in and grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, where she enjoyed her large extended family and life-long friends.

Anne met the love of her life, Bill, on a city bus going home from school, when he stopped at her seat and asked, “Is this seat taken?”.  This was the beginning of a love affair that lasted for 66 years.  Anne and Bill were married in 1950 and lived in several states as a result of job transfers for Bill’s job which included Tennessee, New York, Ohio, New Jersey, North Carolina and Delaware. Anne was a home decorator extraordinaire and even in the lean days of her early marriage covered and painted furniture to make each home the family lived in like they were from a magazine.

Anne’s life long purpose was family and children.  She and Bill had three children; Jennifer, Jeannine and Jeff and provided a childhood that was full of family celebrations, treasured holidays, family vacations and a focus on making each child’s childhood memorable.  Anne and Bill were also an important part of raising their grandchildren, Christa, Miranda, Carly and Will.  It was commonplace for the grandchildren to beg to stay with “Grammy and Papa” rather than go home with their parents after a visit full of tea parties, patio picnics and trips to local parks and museums.

Anne’s education was focused on family counseling in order to have a positive impact on children.  Anne held a B.A. in Liberal Arts from Neumann University and an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Bowie University and the Adler-Dreikurs Institute for Human Relations.  In addition to providing unconditional wisdom and support to her family, Anne dedicated her life to insuring each child on her life path knew they were loved and had unique gifts to share with the world.  Anne volunteered her time and counseling skills to families and children in need, the foster care program, Guardian ad Litem, troubled youth and other organizations focused on families and youth.

Anne was a wonderful friend to many……always making friends a priority with a listening ear, kind words, a phone call or a note, or just a down home Nashville meal to provide some comfort food.  When Anne and Bill had a party, everyone wanted to be part of it…. with wonderful themes, décor, food and music.

Later in life, Anne and Bill became avid sailors.  They owned several sailboats and spent time sailing the inland waterway from Delaware to Florida.  They met many friends on the “high seas” and also enjoyed parties and sailing on their boat with friends from Delaware.  Her favorite book was, “First You Have to Row A Little Boat” that correlated the delicate balance of learning to sail with living a successful life.

Anne had a passion for music.  She played piano and the trumpet when she was young and always had music playing somehow knowing every word to every song.  Her enthusiasm just pulled you in to start singing with her.  Anne’s love of music was diverse ranging from Jimmy Buffet’s “Changes in Latitudes – Changes in Attitudes” to her favorite song which was “You Belong to My Heart” ……. a love song she shared with her husband, Bill.  Anne and Bill were also skilled dancers who danced so beautifully, you would think you were watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.  Anne always said, “remember Ginger had to do everything Fred did backwards and in high heels”!

Anne is survived by her children, Jennifer Rue, Jeannine Warwick and Jeff Jennings, grandchildren Christa Bouchat, Cleaves Frey, Miranda Jennings, Carly Jennings and Will Jennings and six great-grandchildren.  Anne was predeceased by her husband, Bill, her mother, Mollie and her father, Richard “Buddy” Young.  A celebration of her life will be held at Sellars Funeral Home at Mt Juliet on April 28, 2018, at 3:00 p.m.  Visitation with the family one hour prior.  Joint burial with her husband, Bill, at Mt Juliet Memorial Gardens will be private immediately following the service.

The family requests that donations in Anne’s memory be given to the ALS Association Arizona Chapter, 360 Coronado Road, Suite 140, Phoenix, AZ 85004.

Arrangements by Sellars Funeral Home at Mt. Juliet, 2229 N. Mt. Juilet Road, Mt. Juliet, TN 37122, 615-758-5459, obituary line 615-758-8818, www.sellarsfuneralservices.com