Annette Gerrie Ware

Annette, the youngest of four children, was born in Columbus, OH, on November 18, 1952, to Thomas and Fairy Jean Crump. Early in her life, she and her family moved from Columbus to Plain City, OH, where she attended Plain City Elementary and Jr. High School and graduated from Jonathan Alder High School. She retired from Farmers Insurance Company, where the only time she took off from work was for vacation. Even on the Fridays she had chemo treatment, she worked until lunch, went, and had her treatment, and was back on the job on Monday. YES, she is a cancer survivor! As a child, Annette became a member and was baptized at what was then, Oakley Avenue Baptist Church, on the west side of Columbus. As a young mother, she and her sons started attending Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, in Columbus, where she became an active member and served many years. Some years later, she and her husband, Arnold (George) became members of St. John A.M.E. in Columbus. She remained active at St. John serving on the Usher Board, doing seasonal decorations for the church, and attending the women's Bible Study, until her health restricted her activities. Annette had a quiet spirit, was soft spoken, and had a beautiful smile. One of her friends noted "she had a smile that could melt your heart." She also was a determined and strong woman. These qualities showed in all aspects of her life. After her first marriage ended, she had the responsibility of raising two young sons and everyone knows that is not a job for the faint hearted. During her son’s tween years, Annette married Arnold. Both families had been friends and neighbors since their parents were young, so Arnold fit right in and helped her raise her awesome sons to adulthood. Arnold's dedication and love for his family couldn't have showed more than during the last years of Annette's life. As her illness progressed, he had to do more and more to help her. During her last six months, she was totally dependent on him for her care. He had become a 24/7 caregiver. No one could have taken better care of her, and he was with her when she took her last breath. One of Annette's joys was clothes shopping. She loved to find a bargain and if she saw something she liked at full price, she'd wait for it to go on sale. Every year in September, she and another sister who loves to shop, would take a day and to Tanger Outlet Mall, where they would shop from early in the day until the closing of the mall at night. Another one of Annette’s joys was being with her granddaughters. They were the joy of her life. While the girls were young, she and Arnold took them to Disney World; they took the girls to church with them every Sunday; the girls had regular sleepovers with Grandma and Grandpa, and as a whole, spent so much enjoyable time together. An even greater joy for Annette, was serving the Lord, whom she loved. On February 17, 2021, her work on earth was completed and our Lord welcomed her to her heavenly home with open arms. She is predeceased by her parents, Thomas and Fairy Jean Crump; mother-in-law, Ethel Ware; infant daughter, Stephanie Simmons; and sister and brother-in-law, Deborah and Benjamin Caldwell. Annette is survived by her loving and devoted husband of 28 years, George Arnold, III; sons, Thomas (Dawn) and Raymond Simmons; sisters, Sheila (Isaac) Day and Jacquelyn Crump; father-in-law, George Arnold, Jr., sister-in-law, Nila (Larry) McCarty; brothers-in-law, Gregory and Gary Ware; grandchildren, Maria and Alana Simmons, and Xavier Grady; great-grandson, George O'Neal; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.