BRANDON – Thelma Ann Saucier (nee Grisham) passed away peacefully on Wednesday, November 27th, 2024. She was 86. Ann was born in Iuka, March 26, 1938. She was the daughter of the late Ledgie Grisham and Katie Mae (nee Ramsey) Grisham and was the older sister of the late Virginia Mae Pearce. Ann graduated from Iuka High School and obtained a B.A. in Accounting from Mississippi State University in 1960. She moved to Jackson, Mississippi in 1961 for employment with the Mississippi Highway Department, and soon became a member and officer of the Professional Women’s Club of Jackson. It was during this time as a member of Galloway Memorial United Methodist Church that she had the good fortune of meeting her future husband, Ken. The couple was married in 1964 and enjoyed a loving relationship until his passing in 2019.
Ann and Ken met the challenges of each day together, and they enjoyed the fruits of these labors in the lives of their children and grandchildren, and in their many travels together around the world. Ann was keenly devoted to her family, to her church community, and to the notion of lifelong community service. In addition to her tireless efforts as a mother and homemaker, Ann’s work in her community was apparent through her participation in the many ministries of Alta Woods United Methodist Church where she assisted with the organization and chaperoning of vacation bible schools, youth and young adult ministries, choir tours, and retreats. Her devotion to serving her community was also channeled into her heavy engagement as a member and officer of the South Jackson Civic League, and as a member of the advisory boards for Wilkins Elementary, Peeples Junior High School, and Wingfield High School. She was honored to serve as a board member of the Southwest Jackson YMCA during its period of greatest membership in the 1980s.
Ann was always excited for new challenges and experiences. As her children grew into their own lives, Ann took up a new profession as a paralegal assistant, first at the law practice of Goodsell and Connely and later as assistant to the Vice President of Legal Affairs at Southern Farm Bureau. During this time, she also acted on her interest in discovering the wider world, and she most enjoyed her trips to the great cities of Europe, and to the rugged wilderness of Alaska. Despite her love for the wonders she experienced around the globe, she was always happy to return home to the beauty and comfort she found with family and friends in Mississippi. Later in life, she continued an active social life within the Red Hat Society and the Welcome Friends Club of Brandon, and she enjoyed weekly worship at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Brandon. While enjoying the company of friends in Brandon, she remained devoted to meticulously attending to the daily needs of her husband who had become infirmed by illnesses associated with West Nile virus.
In addition to her parents, Ann was preceded in death by her husband and her sister, Virginia (Jenny). She is survived by her daughter, Cheryl Lyn Kohler of Spring Hill, Tennessee; her son, Christopher Lamar Saucier (Marisa Dawn) of Johson City, Tennessee; grandchildren Victoria Lyn Kohler, Brennan Lyle Carrick (Monica), Rachel Christian Saucier, Anna Kate Saucier, and Mara Elise Saucier; her dearest cousin Clarene Reynolds (nee Ramsey); and a host of other relatives and friends. The family is sincerely grateful to Ms. Janet Kennedy for her dedicated, patient, and loving care for Ann during recent years in which her health had begun to decline.
Visitation for family and friends will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. Monday, December 2, at Sebrell Funeral Home in Ridgeland. Services will begin at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, December 3 at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 400 Grants Ferry Road in Brandon, with the Rev. Sandra Thomas officiating. A visitation at the church will begin an hour prior to the service. Interment will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, December 4 in Oak Grove Cemetery in Iuka.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to music programs at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 400 Grants Ferry Road, Brandon, MS 39047 (www.saintmarksum.org).
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