Annie Thurston

Annie Bell (Brackins) Thurston, Annabell or Ann as she liked to be called, went to be with her Lord and Savior on June 3, 2025, with her family by her side. She was born on November 26, 1930, in DeFuniak Springs, Florida, the second child of Curry and Nettie Brackins. She told stories of the struggles of growing up during the Great Depression. She walked five miles to school but always made the best of it by picking flowers along the way. Her family went without the modern conveniences of electricity and indoor plumbing. They had to walk down to the creek to get water and wash their clothing. For lighting, they used kerosene lanterns. Her mother cooked on an old woodstove. Her father was a sharecropper who grew both vegetables and peanuts. They raised chickens and pigs. They also kept a mule and wagon that her father used for transportation and plowing. Her parents never owned a car. She left home at a young age to begin working as a nanny in Point Washington, FL. Even in her last month of life, she fondly recalled the little boy she had cared for so long ago.

In the summer of 1948, Annabell's brother Oscar Lewis ("Lewie") and his wife Barb came back home to Florida to visit. He had been stationed at Fort Custer in Battle Creek, MI. Oscar invited her to come back with them to Michigan for a visit. While in Michigan, she was introduced to John Harvey Thurston, Barb's cousin. John lived just down the hill from Barb's childhood home, and they were very close growing up. Annabell and John quickly fell in love. On Valentine's Day, 1949, he asked her to marry him. They were married on June 18th, 1949. The wedding was held at John's grandparents' home under the old elm tree. She held a beautiful bouquet of peonies picked by John's grandmother.

After marrying, they resided in Kalamazoo, where they welcomed their first daughter Patricia Ann in 1950. In October 1950 they purchased their first home on Eagle Lake. They lived in a small cottage, where Annabell had to hang cloth diapers outside on the clothesline in the winter. In 1952, they welcomed their second daughter, Sandra Kay.

While in Kalamazoo, she worked for Stanley Home Products and later at Gibson Guitar, where she worked in the sanding department from 1952 until 1955. She received a letter of commendation from Gibson Guitar when the family moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1955, for being an exemplary employee. Her next job was at the Sprause Ritz dime store in Sunnyslope, AZ. She was also employed at Mountain Shadows Resort in Paradise Valley, AZ. She recalled John Wayne coming to the resort, but she didn't get to meet him. Annabell also worked alongside her husband John when they bought a restaurant in 1960. They called it "Thurston's Restaurant".

While in Paradise Valley, John built two beautiful homes for the family. Annabell loved the kitchen with it's built in oven (quite a step up from the woodstove of her childhood) and the beautiful pink rose quartz fireplaces.

In 1962, Annabell and John welcomed their only son, who they had long prayed for: John Harvey, Jr.

In 1964, the family returned to Kalamazoo, MI. They initially resided with John's parents and later bought a home in Plainwell. Annabell found work at Parker-Hannifin in Otsego, MI in 1966. She retired in 1996 after 30 years of service. Annabell and John moved to Otsego in 1969, where they lived until John's passing.

Throughout her life, Annabell leaned on her faith in Jesus. She and John attended a special service with Lewie and Barb at Covey Hill Baptist Church in Gobles, MI in 1953. Both accepted Christ as their Savior. They remained active in church throughout their marriage. They were members of Plainwell Baptist Church, Otsego Baptist Church, and most recently Congregational Church in Otsego.

Annabell loved her home state of Florida, flamingos, magnolias, and yellow roses. She loved Shipshewana, garage sale shopping, and traveling. She was known for her generosity, selflessness, and kindness. She loved her family deeply and would do anything for them. She is survived by her children: Patricia (Rodger) Bolen, Sandra (Roger, deceased) Ambs, John Thurston, Jr.; grandchildren: Kelly Doran (David Kelly), Andy (Mary Jo) Doran, Sarah (Eric) Leese, Laura Bolen (Chris Smith), Crystal Thurston, Danielle (Jeff) Higdon; great-grandchildren: Jade Doran (Cortney), Tate Doran, Davious Doran, Marissa (Hunter) Currier, Dominic Doran, Bryson Bolen, Andrew Leese, and Jonathan Leese; great-great-grandchildren: Maia Doran, Myles Doran, Kaysen Currier, and Charlotte Currier.

She is predeceased by her parents, her husband John (2017), and siblings Velma Vann, Idell Hodge, Irene Thompson, Agnes Doering, an infant brother Howard Curry; half-siblings: Oscar Lewis, Gladys Colvard, Alice Evans, Willavie Bettes, and Gordon Brackins; son-in-law Roger Ambs.

A private graveside service will be held at the Riverside Cemetery in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

In lieu of flowers, please perform an act of kindness in her memory. Our love and our acts of kindness are like ripples on the water, spreading beyond and changing the lives of those around us for the better.