ANNA WEBER STEARNS
Anna Mary Weber Stearns, 75, a resident of Gooding, Idaho and former resident of Riverton, Wyoming passed away on Thursday, June 6, 2024 at her home in Gooding. A memorial service will be held, 2:00 p.m., Saturday, June 29, 2024 at Davis Funeral Home with inurnment to follow in the family plot at Mountain View Cemetery in Riverton.
The beautiful, sweet, and talented Anna Weber Stearns was born Anna Mary Schwarz March 19, 1949, to Ruth Burton and Haskell Horn. At the time, she had siblings: Carol, Leonard, June, and Zelma; another sister, Patricia was born four years later.
Her life included a rather constant transition throughout various Wyoming towns when she was younger, and later to Indiana and Arkansas and back to Wyoming. She would ultimately move to Indiana, and return again to Wyoming, where she married Ron Weber. She spent 30 plus years in Arizona, and in 2017, moved to Gooding, Idaho, with her husband, Bob Stearns.
Anna loved many things in life, mostly those that were creative: school, reading, sewing, and music. One of her greatest memories was of a book about a clothing designer. She was hooked: both on the idea of clothing design and being an author! There were other passing fancies: being a ballerina and an airline hostess, both of which require she top five foot. She had visions of playing the piano in Carnegie Hall. Alas, a piano was not an easy option, nor did small hands play in her favor. Later in life she did, however, play for the National Piano Guild, taking first place in her division. The clarinet turned out to be her instrument, which she played from grade school to many years later. She earned All-State Band, played in a city park band, and much later, in the Higley (Arizona) Community Orchestra.
Sewing and design did transpire, and she spent a lengthy part of her life using her skills to the benefit of her family and others in the communities in which she resided. Owner of Raggedy Anne Creations, Anna loved creating garments, particularly for students in Riverton; her time with them regaled her with many memories. One of her best was seeing a white gown she created for Miss Wyoming flash on the television screen for the Miss America Pageant.
The writing…well, it came much later in life, when attempting to write a book titled, Get Out of Your Own Way, she listened to a prompting from God that she become a publisher and work with others to fulfill their dreams of writing. After a lot of tears, and prayers, and a bit of negotiating with God to send her clients to save her from marketing, Voices in Print was created. She was blessed with a diverse set of writers: from dystopian to historical fiction to poetry, memoirs, and anthologies. Anna spent over two decades following God’s lead to serve other writers. In the process, she learned to write—often doing a little ghost writing, and co-authoring. With rare exception, her clients earned best seller rank in their category. Most of them were serial authors…for one she racked up fourteen publications and another memorable achievement was 60,000 copies downloaded during a book’s launch.
Her greatest love, however, was her three children: Scot Weber, Shawn Weber, and Samantha Weber. By the grace of God, they were good and loving children and each, unique from the day they were born, forged strong personalities, and committed to live life with zest and a good work ethic. She has been blessed with the three grandchildren given her by Scot (Melissa): Stefan, Alexandra, and Andrea; the two grandchildren from Samantha (Sean Brennan): Hailey and Tyler; and three blondies from Shawn (Tiffany): Emmi, Halli, and Kinli. Becoming a great GAnna to Hailey’s two children (Brooks and Stevie) was an unexpected gift; as well as new great grandchildren on the way from both Stefan and Alexandra.
Education was paramount to Anna. While in Arizona she completed a Bar-Certified Paralegal Degree, a Life and Business Coaching Certification with a special study in the Dynamics of Human Change. She completed a double major in Management and Finance and earned her master’s in organizational management. Her choice to form a publishing company was the perfect pathway for her…the industry changes constantly and she was required to spend probably 20% of her time learning and training.
Was she a perfect person? Some will suggest maybe not; others will tell you they will miss her every day for the rest of their lives. Some have said she is the most fantastic person they have ever met. In the past two decades, Anna had a firm commitment to her relationship with God; her journey was to love, to serve, and to give. Could she multi-task? Not on her life! She was geographically challenged and could get lost on a dime. But…she was always tenacious and found that providing solutions was perhaps her greatest gift.
She is preceded in death by her parents, extended family members, siblings, granddaughter Kyler, great grandson McCade and far too many friends. She leaves behind her children, grandchildren and their extended families, sister Patricia Wesch, brother Leonard Schwarz (Indiana), and beloved spouse, Robert Stearns and his children: Tad Stearns (Nebraska) Shannon Arroyo (Arizona), together with grandchildren she loved as her own: Amber Stearns (Nebraska), Mason Stearns (Utah), and Micheas and Eleanor Arroyo (Arizona).
On-line condolences may be made at TheDavisFuneralHome.com
Services are under the Direction of the Davis Funeral Home, Crematory, and Monuments.