Ann Lindley

The Taylor and Frederiksen Families have lost their leader.  Virginia Ann (Taylor) Lindley (known as Ann or Annie) passed away on July 27, 2023.  Annie was the oldest child of her parents and the oldest grandchild of both her mother and father’s families.  As with many first-borns, she assumed her leadership role naturally and was so very good at it.  We fondly referred to her as our pet rock.

Ann is survived by her husband, Murvin, her daughter Sheri and son-in-law Mark Anderson and her daughter Bonnie.  She also leaves a sister, Arla, and nephews John and Jim and their families – as well as a whole slew of cousins and shirt-tail relations.

Ann was born on March 7, 1940 in Moscow, Idaho to Peter W. and Margaret (Frederiksen) Taylor.  She was a beautiful little girl who charmed everyone.  As she grew, she loved learning handicrafts from her mom – and how to handle a gun and to shoot from her dad!  Home and hearth were the soul of Annie.  She was particularly skilled with anything that required a needle.  She loved cooking too, but she especially loved the outdoors.  Gardening became a lifelong passion.  She loved to make things grow.

Ann went through elementary, junior high and high school in Shelley, Idaho – a small town in southeastern Idaho whose claim to fame is the Idaho russet potato.  During potato harvest, school let out for two weeks so that students could help with picking potatoes.  It was a great way to earn new school clothes!

After Ann completed high school in 1958, she made a huge move to Boise, the state capitol.  There she attended Links Business College and completed an administrative/secretarial course.  And in Boise she met Murvin Lindley, the guy who would be with her for the rest of her life.  They were both smitten and were married on October 3, 1959.  Their daughter, Sheri, was their firstborn and daughter Bonnie followed a year later.

As the children grew, Ann took a job with Boise State University in the Registrar’s Office.  She wound up managing the place, demonstrating her strongest skill – organization.  Organization was the hallmark of Annie’s life, including family relations.  She kept track of all of us, kept us informed of family doings and organized all the reunions. She sent cards and gifts for new babies and an annual Christmas letter that updated the families with events from the previous year.  With 21 cousins on the Frederiksen side and 13 on the Taylor side, it was a big job. She did it well throughout the years and family members all knew to whom they should turn for information and family news.

Ann and Murvin spread their wings in later years, traveling with their Air Stream travel trailer to far parts of the United States.  They even went overseas to England and to Jordan for a nephew’s wedding.  But their favorite place was Kilgore, Idaho – site of the homesteads of the Frederiksen and Taylor families.  They eventually bought a small house and spent much of each summer there.  And it is in Kilgore that Annie wished to be buried.  She felt a connection to the land and to her ancestors who settled there.

Annie leaves a large hole in the family fabric.  We will miss her quiet caring and herding of the families.  And we’ll miss the fun of her company and love of animals.  We’ll just miss her.  And Annie - please get Heaven organized so when the rest of us arrive, we’ll know what to do.

There will be two memorial services.  The first is a graveside service on Saturday, August 5th at 11:00 am at Kilgore Cemetery Number 2, followed by a luncheon at the Dubois Community Center.

The second service will be on Saturday, October 28th at 11:00 am at the Meridian United Methodist Church at 246 E Idaho Ave, Meridian, ID 83642.  This service will also be followed by a luncheon.