5 March 2024



I am privileged to share a few memories of my friend, Ann Smith, as I remember a lovely, talented woman.

I met Ann Smith in 1967. I had been hired by Crossroads United Methodist Church as Education Director. My first Sunday on the job, we had a potluck on the patio, I was meeting people for the first time. All of a sudden, there she was: The remarkable Ann Smith. She warmly greeted me and helped make me feel like a part of the church family from the beginning.

It was at the same potluck that I had my first taste of Ann’s culinary talents. She made the best pecan pie I’ve ever tasted. She told me how she made it – shared some secrets. I never was able to replicate her pie and never tasted another one as good as Ann’s.

Ann’s earliest endeavors in the workforce focused on teaching at the high school level. That was followed by a new phase of life: Ann and Bill became parents to three unique and special daughters: Annette, Allison, and Jackie.

Ann never missed a chance to remind me that Potato Chips were loaded with empty calories.

One night a huge rainstorm of Biblical proportions hit North Phoenix. Ann had a plan that we should stock up on food and water, to ensure we had supplies at the church in case anyone needed help. No one did on our watch, but the heavy rainfall continued. By the time we decided to head to our respective homes, there was no access for me! All streets were flooded with high water, and traffic was turned back. There was water everywhere! I was stranded at the church. Ann insisted I spend the night with the Smith Family (streets were open between the church and their home.) My insistence that I could just sleep in my office fell on deaf ears. I was a guest that night; it was such a typical Ann thing to do looking out for others and finding ways to help.

At some point I remember Ann drove her own special car. You always knew Ann was in the house - in her neighborhood, the church parking lot, or North Phoenix generally: When you saw a jazzy white Buick, you knew who the driver was.  

Ann had a stellar career in real estate. She was associated with Bud Melcher where she excelled in so many aspects of the business. She became the head of training, and advanced to several different levels of the organization. The year she advanced to the Million Dollar Club was a red-letter event. I’m not sure how that compares to businesses today. But her achievement was a BIG deal, and we were so proud of her accomplishment. Toward the climax of her career, Ann started the State of Arizona accredited Bud Melcher & Associates School of Real Estate.

Ann was totally immersed in the grand adventure to begin a new church. She was involved in many of the early cadre meetings. Hours were spent in those sessions: researching, planning, strategizing, coffee, Taco Salad. After much creative exchange over a period of time, Shadow Rock was born. (Isaiah 32:2. . . "a hiding place from wind, a refuge from storms, like streams of water in dry places, the shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land. “) What an eventful moment that was! Ann Smith’s suggestion for our birth name resonated with all of us. We had turned a corner, AND our favorite salad because the Shadow Rock Taco Salad.

Ann Smith (like a lot of us at that time) was thrust into an emerging moment in history when the role of women (and their partners/families, workmates – everything) was changing. Embracing this “creative discontinuity” while at the same time moving forward, this force of nature – a mom, a savvy businesswoman, a caregiver, a partner/co-creator, married to a minister-- was a real Rock star.

Thank you Ann:  for your commitment to your family, your church, to the world so many of us have been a part of; for the many times your views challenged us,  your moment in history, your very life, has been such a blessing: one that lives on in your girls, and four extraordinary grandchildren.

Shadow Rock Founders Rev. Bill and Ann Smith will rest in our Festival Garden. Welcome home and rest in peace!