Anna Easley

Ann Easley passed away peacefully on December 18, 2024, with daughters Patricia and Margie by her side. When a woman lives as long as Ann has, it is difficult to capture the essence of her life in a few words.

The daughter of immigrant parents, George and Mildred Tometich, Anna Frances Tometich was born in Numa, Iowa, on July 25, 1926. As she was born at home, no official paperwork was filed immediately. On a trip to the town clerk's office several years later, the clerk noted to her father that her birth certificate read only "baby girl Tometich." Her father responded her name is "Anya". The very young daughter in his company, however, informed the clerk her name was "Anna"; thus, "Anna" was the formal name entered onto the certificate. George Tometich was captivated by his young, spunky, oldest daughter, Ann. Among many family stories about Ann and her father, one of the most remarkable was when, during the Depression, her father paid a hard earned twenty-five cents for Ann to take a ride in an airplane with canvas wings. In retelling this story, Ann always said how excited she was when her father agreed to let her "fly."

Ann grew up on a farm in Numa and graduated from Numa High School at the age of sixteen. She excelled in her studies and found great pleasure in memorizing poems as a way to learn her second language, English. Ann could still recite the poem "Trees" by Joyce Kilmer at ninety-eight years old. In high school, she played forward on the girls' basketball team which won the Iowa State Girls Championship in 1941. Her remarkable basketball skills lead her to play at the college-level for the American Institute of Business (AIB) college which is now part of the University of Iowa. During a national championship run for AIB, she was entered in the national free throw contest. She and her final challenger both made 50 free throws in a row; however, she was ultimately awarded the Silver Basketball as she missed free throw #52. Ann graduated from AIB with a degree in accounting and finance.

On February 12, 1945, Ann married Robert (Bob) F. Easley in Des Moines, Iowa. Bob, ever the romantic, had wanted to get married on Valentine's Day, but Ann insisted their anniversary date be separate from the "holiday" (Secretly, she wanted Bob to remember their anniversary date not just Valentine's Day!). Soon thereafter the couple moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In their early years in South Dakota, Ann continued to play on a Sioux Falls women's basketball team (Many companies around the United States continued women's basketball teams for a short time after WWII.). Being avid followers of baseball, Bob and Ann opened their home to players on the Sioux Falls Canaries (the nickname of the minor league team) during the baseball season. In 1948, they had their first child, Patricia, followed by three other children, Peggy, Michael, and Margie.

In Sioux Falls, Ann was active in Jaycees; Saint Terese of Lisieux (The Little Flower of Jesus) Catholic Church; and Brownie Scouts as well as other school activities for her children. In her neighborhood, Ann was known as "the lady who threw shoes at dogs wandering into her yard." This was Ann's way of not only discouraging neighborhood dogs from using her yard "for their business" but also good practice for maintaining the accuracy of her "basketball shooting skills."

After the death of Bob's father, Bob and Ann moved their family to Paton, Iowa, and opened a grocery store to carry on a family business. Long hours in the store meant all hands-on deck even for the oldest children. While living in Paton, their fifth child, Matthew, was born. Shortly thereafter, however, they sold the store and moved to Rochester, Minnesota, where Bob became the display manager for Dayton's.

In Rochester, Ann became a full-time professional working at the Rochester Public Library and the Rochester City Finance Department. In the Finance Department, Ann became widely known across the city as she was responsible for the city payroll, investments, and filing requisite city, state, and federal reports. Additionally, Ann was very active at the local and state levels as an officer in the Government Finance Officers Association. Ann worked for the city for thirty years retiring as the Assistant Director of Finance in 1993.

In addition to her job, Ann became a full-time caregiver for Bob after he fell three stories when a ladder on which he was standing while putting up Christmas decorations was bumped by a co-worker. Bob was only thirty-eight when the accident happened; he died at age sixty-six in 1989. Through all those years, Ann excelled in her profession, provided exceptional care for her husband, and supported her children in their school and afterschool activities. As her son, Michael (also a city employee), said at Ann's retirement celebration, "Since the mid-sixties, after my father's debilitating injury, she had to wear the pants and the skirt in the family and yet continue to grow in her career. Over the years, I have often been asked, 'Are you Ann Easley's son? Boy, she is tough!'"

The competitive spirit never left Ann - a trait she instilled in her children along with a strong work ethic and the importance of using your God-given talents for good. As she frequently reminded her children, "Easleys are leaders." All of Ann's and Bob's children went on to post high school education earning associate, baccalaureate and advanced degrees, a feat of which Ann was most proud. In addition, over the years, Ann attended as many high school and college graduations for her ten grandchildren as she could.

A woman with deep spiritual beliefs, Ann was an active member of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church (now the Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist). At St. John's, she worked in catechism classes when her children were young and, later, led the rosary each day in the chapel, and delivered communion to hospital patients as an extraordinary minister. Ann deliberately chose to provide communion for those seriously ill patients and their families. She herself had had brain surgery after falling at age seventy-nine, not surprisingly, playing basketball. Additionally, she was very influential on the committee to procure funding to build the new Resurrection Catholic Church in Rochester.

At the diocesan level, Ann funded several young men during their preparations to become priests. She readily accepted invitations to attend several of their ordinations in and around Rochester. At the national level, Ann has been a significant supporter of the Association of Marian Helpers (Marians of the Immaculate Conception) at the Divine Mercy Shrine in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Over the last several years, she attended Divine Mercy Sunday masses at the Shrine. As a frequent visitor to Italy, she had several opportunities to visit Rome and the Vatican. Highlights of her visits have been attending both Palm Sunday and Christmas Masses in St. Peter's. On one visit, she enjoyed a special dinner with Cardinal Silvestrini at his apartment. Upon her return, she was on the select welcome committee at the University of Dayton when the Cardinal came to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Marian Library (a center for scholarship on the Blessed Virgin Mary) with the Marianist priests at the university.

Ann's contributions and active participation with institutions of her faith were a life-long commitment and mission. Taking time off from her position with the city, Ann (with a Catholic group from Rochester) did physical labor building a school in Port au Prince, Haiti. She also made pilgrimages to Fatima (Portugal), Lourdes (France), Medjugorje (Bosnia-Herzegovina), and Bethlehem (West Bank of the State of Palestine).

Ann's devotion to her Catholic faith shared a place in her heart with the other priority in life, her family. From her childhood as the daughter of immigrant parents, through raising five children, actively participating in the subsequent lives of her ten grandchildren, living to witness and enjoy the births of her nineteen great-grandchildren, Ann has always given the same answer to the question, "What do you love most in your life"? "My family - being with my family."

She was preceded in death by her parents, George and Mildred (Knoll) Tometich; one sister, Mary Tometich; two brothers, John and Joseph Tometich; her husband, Robert F. Easley; and one son, Michael G. Easley.

She is survived by her children, Patricia Kleine of Eau Claire, WI; Peggy (John) Cowan of Cartersville, GA; Margie Brumm of Rochester, MN; Matthew (Amanda) Easley of Woodstock, GA; grandchildren, Amy Kleine, John Cowan, Daniel Cowan, Meghan Olsen, Robert Easley, Joseph Easley, Alex Easley, Stephanie Schreiner, Brian Easley, and Melissa Easley; and nineteen great-grandchildren.

Mass of Catholic Burial will be held at the Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 2, 2025, 11 4th Ave. S.W., Rochester, Minnesota. Visitation will be held at 9:15 at the church prior to the service. Interment will be in Oakwood Cemetery, 38 7th Ave. N.E., Rochester, Minnesota, on Thursday, January 2, 2025, immediately following the luncheon served at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to Divine Mercy Shrine in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Home is honored to be serving the Easley family; to share a special memory or condolence please visit www.ranfranzandvinefh.com.

To view the livestream of the service, please click the following link: YouTube Livestream or Facebook Livestream.