Anna Mae Fetters Tolman

 

January 27, 2017

As a rancher's wife Anna Mae knew the peaceful morning hours of the day. The morning of Jan 25th, 2017 was no exception as she passed quietly from this life in Worland, Wyoming.

She was born on May 19, 1920 to Guy James and Harriet Fetters in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Her father died when she was a toddler leaving Harriet with three young daughters to raise. Anna Mae lived in many different places in her younger years, finally settling in Worland as a teen ager with her mother and her older sisters June Bartholomew and Ruth Miller and step father Henry Fox.

It was in Worland that she met and married her husband and lifetime companion, Franklin H Tolman. Annie and Frank dated all through high school with special dates working sheep on the Tolman Ranch. They were married on June 15, 1939 in Lovell by Bishop Olaphant. Marrying into a ranching family demanded many changes and adjustments to her former life including moving to a ranch house that had no electricity. She had to haul water by hand to the washhouse to do the family's laundry. Providing groceries for the ranch house, sheep camps, summer cabin and the home place were some of her many tasks. She also drove large stock trucks, served as a hand on the docking crew and filled in whenever and wherever she was needed.

Anna Mae worked right alongside her husband all through her life. When it came time to trail the sheep up the Big Horns to summer pasture in Onion Gulch, she hauled the kids, bum lambs, and the milk cow along. While at sheep camp the family made do in a sheep wagon.

In all seasons she cooked for family, ranch hands, sheepherders, shearers, hunters and any one who happened by at mealtime. Everyone enjoyed her sourdough pancakes and mouthwatering Angel Food cake.

Anna Mae was an excellent seamstress and sewed many of her daughter's clothes. She loved to hook rugs, read and do puzzles. She and Frank were very active in the Wyoming Woolgrowers Association. Annie also served as secretary for the Ten Sleep Rodeo for many years. She was a Cub Scout leader and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Annie and Frank raised five children; the late Kay (Jake) Weber of Meeteetse, Dee (Gene) Rogers of Worland, Pam (Jack) Haggerty of Ten Sleep, Dan (Vicki) Tolman of Casper and Craig (Verna) Tolman of Riverton. Frank passed away December 28, 1998. She also had 18 grandchildren, 58 great-grandchildren with a set of twins on the way and 3 soon to be 4 great-great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her sisters, June Bartholomew, Ruth Miller and one daughter, Kay Weber.

Her life was one of quite selflessness as she served all those around her. Some of her last concerns were that everyone was well and that her duties were complete. "OH, PHEWSHAW!....Grandma, we're going to miss you!

Funeral services will be held 4:00 p.m. Saturday, January 28, 2017 at Bryant Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow at Riverview Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to Shriner's Children's Hospital in care of Bryant Funeral Home, PO Box 524, Worland, WY 82401. Online condolences may be made at http://www.bryantfuneralhomeonline.com.

 
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