Obituary of Ann Tackett

Funeral services for Ann Tackett, age 77, will be held at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday June 21, 2023, at Cherry Ridge Baptist Church with Bro. Dennis Hackler and Bro. Tim Post officiating. Interment will follow at Redwing Cemetery under the direction of Golden Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. prior to the service. Mary Ann Bridges Tackett was born into this world on October 27, 1945. She departed it June 19, 2023, to live with Jesus in her heavenly home. She was the daughter of Christell Bridges Townsend and J.B. Bridges and the sister to 5 siblings from their marriage: Betty Adcock, Bobbie Beeson, Terry Bridges, Katie Matheny and Jerry Lee Bridges. Her dad passed away when she was only 3 years old and soon after she got a bonus dad, Clifford Townsend, with whom her mom had an additional 8 children: Charles Townsend, Shirley Moore, Benny Townsend, Ricky Townsend, Tommy Townsend, Joe Townsend, Joyce Dopson and Roy Townsend. She is amazingly survived by all but 1 of her siblings, Bobbie, who has already gone to be with the Lord and met her upon her arrival there. When Ann was 18, she met and married John Edward Tackett. They had 3 children together and this past May 16 celebrated 59 years of wedded bliss – I’m sure it wasn’t all bliss, but they stayed the course either way! Their children grew to have their own families. She is survived by all of them: Cindy Girtman and her husband, Ross; Kathy DeBlieux and her husband Bo; Kevin Tackett and his wife Sharon. Combined she was blessed with 10 grandchildren: Ashley Gunter, Dillon McGraw, Grant Girtman, Jared DeBlieux, Anna Brooke Chain, Brennan Tackett, Eden Tackett, Blake Ray, Ashley Williams, Catie Ray. She now has 9 great grandchildren: Ashton Gunter, Sawyer Gunter, Hazelanne Gunter, Rowan Girtman, Avery DeBlieux, Aubrey DeBlieux, Adelynn Chain, Gentry Williams and Brady Jane Williams. In one final show of love and honor for their grandmother, her grandsons Jared DeBlieux, Dillon McGraw, Grant Girtman, Wade Gunter, Luke Chain, Brennan Tackett, Ashton Gunter, Sawyer Gunter, and Blake Ray will serve as pallbearers. Exactly how do you put into words all the thoughts and feelings you have and want to share in memory and honor of our momma, wife, Mamaw, sister and friend? She was a quiet, strong lifeline for us. All of our lives, when everything seemed to be going wrong, you could always call her. She could center and ground you with her words, because everything she said, every word of advice and every effort to guide was always shared with the calm assurance only she could provide. This was because those words were always spoken in love and because they were guided by the Holy Spirit before she ever spoke them. She had a way of keeping us grounded. Grounded in doing the right things and grounded by faith. She was truly the matriarch of our family. She and Daddy gave us all they had – raised us in a Godly, Christian home, taught us to love God and each other. In turn, we have all grown to live our faith and raise families of our own. Families that she and Daddy loved with their entire being. She was so proud of all her kids, grandchildren and those adopted “friend children” she had, as you would know by seeing the reflections of every one of their faces filling space throughout every single wall and table in her home. Momma wasn’t ever a proud person, but she was proud of the family she had – from all of her brothers and sisters (all 13 of them) to her brother and sister in laws, who she didn’t love any less than her siblings, all the way down to her great grands. She loved us and loved us all BIG! As much as she loved us, she loved her Saviour more. Everything she did reflected Jesus and His love. She was a strong, Christian woman and the biggest and best prayer warrior around. I know without a doubt God heard her when she talked with Him and He answered her when she asked for His mercy and grace. I know that our greatest tribute to her would be for us to love each other and to love God, keeping Him in the forefront of our lives. She would want to ensure that everyone has a relationship with her Lord and accepts Him as Saviour so that we are all together again in heaven. Until then – we will always love you and thank God for every second that He shared you with us. Your loving family.