After a restless night and a visit to Urgent Care, our beloved Anne napped in her favorite chair and peacefully passed into the arms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Anne grew up in the beautiful hills of eastern Kentucky. Her father J.D. White was a successful lawyer and her mother, Juanita Mills, a nurse who lovingly raised Anne and her two younger sisters, Sandra and Jeannette. In the midst of a successful law career, her father experienced a call to ministry. Needing training, the family moved to Louisville, where J.D. attended Louisville Seminary. Their sudden shift in living situation was an adventure, and Anne’s favorite memory was helping her dad with his Greek and Hebrew flashcards. During J.D.’s subsequent ministry, one of the churches he served was in Lawrenceville, Illinois. This is where Anne met her husband, Jim, while at a church Christmas caroling party. They were both sophomores in college, Anne at Monmouth and Jim at Caltech, and a long distance courtship resulted, nurtured through letter writing. They married on September 3, 1966.

After Caltech, they moved to the University of Illinois where Jim got his Masters in Chemical Engineering and Anne finished her Bachelors in Education. They then moved to Houston, Texas, where Anne and Jim had daughter Kristin Mills and quickly became involved at their local church, St. Thomas Presbyterian. Expanding the family with a second daughter, Catherine Irish, Anne also expanded her activities at church and in the community. Whether as Sunday school teacher, choir member, PEO sister, or Elder of Worship, Anne served with enthusiasm.

In 1983, Jim was transferred to Anchorage, Alaska and the family came along reluctantly, especially the cat. But the Alaska adventure turned out to be formative for everyone. Anne chaired a building fund initiative at Trinity Presbyterian and also became very active in Bible Study Fellowship. Upon her return to Texas, with her daughters in school, Anne confessed her growing desire to attend seminary. With a move to the Dallas area on the horizon, Jim discovered Perkins Methodist Seminary would indeed enroll a Presbyterian and signed Anne up for a preview weekend. Anne not only enrolled, but in 1992 she completed a Masters in Divinity degree, graduating as Valedictorian. She was voted Most Outstanding Student by the faculty.

April 19, 1945 — November 4, 2024

Upon graduation, she had her first ministerial assignment at Pines Presbyterian Church in Houston. She was officially ordained as the Associate Pastor in a glorious service with her father by her side. Following 10 years at Pines, she was called as the Pastor of Wimberley Presbyterian. She quickly became known for her inspiring sermons and engaging Bible Studies. She had also found her beautiful hills where she wanted to retire. When retirement came after seven years of service, Anne continued to be highly involved in vocational ministry. She served with Jim at San Marcos Presbyterian to establish the Mendez Elementary School Partnership. They worked with both John Knox Ranch and the Emily Ann Theater to connect these students to many new learning experiences. Especially meaningful to Anne was bringing the Mendez students to the Emily Ann Theater for the butterfly launch where they saw “mountains” for the first time.

Anne’s retirement also provided opportunity for her heightened involvement in the Presbyterian Cursillo, which holds weekends for spiritual renewal. Anne was in her element at these retreats, combining her delightful sense of humor and deep theology to awaken faith. She served as a Spiritual Advisor at over 20 weekends in both Houston and the Hill Country.

Anne was a beautiful person who affected the lives of many. Along with her sassy wit and gifts for teaching and preaching, she was almost always the person in the room asked to pray. She often said her most meaningful experiences were being with the dying and their families, and her presence brought peace. Modeling faithfulness in all things, Anne’s best sermon was her life.

In addition to her sisters Sandra Gricius and Jeannette Rice, Anne is survived by her devoted husband James Fielder (Jim), her daughters, Kristin Beall and Catherine Rundle, both now in ministry, her grandchildren Garrett, Parker, Zoe, Peter, Joy, and Luke, and her soon to be great grandson, Baby Schafer.

The family thanks EMS, the Sheriffs Department, ThomasonFuneralHomes, and the Reverend Jim Denham for their help and care.

Anne’s Celebration of Life service will be held at Chapel in the Hills in Wimberley, Texas on Saturday, November 23rd at 11am. All are welcome.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made either to the Emily Ann Theater or to John Knox Ranch in memory of Anne.

Arrangements are under the direction of Thomason Funeral Home, 14700 Ranch Rd 12, Wimberley, TX 78676. For more information and to sign the online registry, please visit thomasonfuneralhome. com.