St. George, Utah – Ann Marie Martin Mathews, lovingly known as "Annie", was born on December 5, 1980, in Las Vegas, NV to Gregory Alan Martin and Sarah Lynne Cooper. Annie spent most of her childhood in Martinez, California, then lived in Las Vegas well into adulthood. She spent the last 12 years of her life in Southern Utah.

It has always been a family joke that while in the womb, late in pregnancy, Annie turned breech, and everything was tried to get her to turn back around. Instead, she was born "butt first" and has been stubborn and headstrong ever since! This is really how Annie has chosen to approach life from the very beginning--fearless, committed, self-motivated, brave.

While living in Martinez, near the San Francisco Bay area, Annie was much loved by her stepfather, Richard Murray, who later passed away. Here she met her life-long friend, Leilani Bendixen, where she became another "sister" in their large family. It was at this time that Annie discovered the trumpet. One day she picked one up and immediately started blowing true notes. If you've ever tried to blow on a trumpet, you'd know that it is not an easy thing to do! For the next seven years, playing trumpet became an avenue for her to share music, make friends and travel. Also, during those grade school years, Annie was a member of Girl Scout Troop 1000, led by her mother. There were great adventures while earning badges, doing service projects like singing at local nursing homes and participating in the California Coastal Cleanup, enjoying camping trips in the beautiful outdoors of Northern California and many other activities with her Troop. Her younger brother, Matt, was tagging right along!

Annie always had a wide circle of friends, and she was loyal to all of them. She loved school and learning, and she was an excellent student. She graduated from Basic High School in Henderson, Nevada in the Class of 1999. During these years her activities included band and marching, participating in and achieving all of the Young Women's awards, Seminary Class graduation and summer Girl's Camp as an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She had lots of fun and many memorable times with her core group of girlfriends from church. There was also an exciting trip to Hawaii with the band. Annie had a couple of special friends that I called the "Three Musketeers": herself, Patrick Corbett, and Coby Clingonsmith. She experienced a tragic event during her junior year when Patrick was killed in a car accident. She was heartbroken and it changed her life. She became determined to live every day to its fullest and continued to do so for the rest of her life. To this day, she and Coby remain true friends. She also had a very special relationship with another best friend, Todd Spears. Those two were always together, the Prom nights were something special and they also remained friends over the years. Another thing that Annie got to do during her high school years was to go on a two-week Church History trip along with her brother, Matt. They went on buses with their friends from Las Vegas, to Illinois, to New York, to Washington DC and back around home to Vegas. She and Matt did yard work for neighbors, painted their Grandad's house outside in the heat and anything else they could think of to earn the money for that trip. They had a marvelous time! They also spent several weeks every summer in Arkansas, along the Ouachita River, their dad, Greg, and many other family members from that side of the family. She grew up and brought her children back to the river and family there many times. Part of Annie's cremains will be buried in Arkansas in the beautiful and serene private Tate Family Cemetery near generations of family ancestors.

Of course, Annie had a lot of boys who wanted to be her "special" friend. As it turned out, she married Aaron Mathews in the St George Temple. From their union we have six precious and beautiful souls who are their children: Rylee Marie, 20; Russell Nathan, 18; Justin Cooper, 14; Jadyn Thomas Fox, 12; Jaxtin Martin, 11; and everyone's darling, Kamdyn Grace, 7. Annie was simply an amazing mother. She loved babies, as evidenced by the twenty or so Cabbage Patch dolls that she loved and nurtured until having her own babies! While Rylee and Russell were very small, Annie opened her own licensed day care business from her home on Fireweed Street in Henderson. The babies she took in were "her" babies, and they were with her for five years to the relief and gratitude of five young mothers.

Her next venture was owning a wedding decorating company called "A Fantasy Made". With lots of help from husband Aaron, they specialized in theme weddings. Her work was always gorgeous, and they helped many happy couples. It was at this point in time that she and Aaron moved to Utah. The next business adventure was the building and creation of a children's playhouse called "Creative Minds". Mothers and dads could bring their children, sit down, and watch their kids play in all the miniature life settings, such as the gas station, the grocery store, the center stage and dinosaur land, among others. It was so imaginative and fun!

The family decided that they wanted a little more rural lifestyle, so they moved to a small town called Central, Utah, about twenty-five miles north of St George. They all loved it there and were very active in their church ward. As always, Annie's impact on the people around her was deeply felt as witnessed by the many close friends she made during those years. She had a garden and started raising chickens. She began home schooling the three older children. Annie's vision always included ways to teach her children and others while making it super fun. She planned elaborate levels for learning progress. They read the classics, they explored many subjects, and each child was able to expand in areas of their own personal interest. Annie really started to develop her personal interest in health and wellness: herbs, clean food, green grass drinks--that kind of yummy stuff! As she expanded this passion, she always translated that knowledge into helping her family and friends. Whatever her interest was at the time, she would learn everything she could about it, always excelling.

After four or five years in Central, the family moved another fifteen miles further north to Enterprise, Utah, which is a really nice little town! Kind of Mayberry, USA-like. She and Aaron built a beautiful house of their own. Annie enjoyed decorating every room and area into its own theme. She focused on the children, as there were by now a few more in the household! She made every birthday and holiday into an event with over-the-top decorations, special homemade treats and fun games. Again, they raised chickens and the kids had their own dirt track around the property where they could buzz around on their bikes and four wheelers. They also had a skate ramp where Russell developed a passion for skateboarding. Annie loved to invent healthy recipes and she kept busy with Church callings and running kids around.

In 2018, our boy, Justin, suffered a horrible accident. While riding his mini-bike, he collided with a Ford F-250. He had to be life flighted to the Children's Trauma Hospital in Las Vegas. He was there for two weeks with Annie, his dad and his favorite Uncle Matt by his side every minute. Through the power of prayer, Justin's lungs expanded, and his pelvic bones and clavicle bone healed and fused back together almost overnight. Miracles do happen and Justin's life was preserved for some special purpose that Heavenly Father has in mind for him! This traumatic experience was again life-altering for Annie, as it was when her friend Patrick had his accident during high school. She began, almost frantically, trying to have every experience she ever dreamed of RIGHT NOW!!

During the past few years Annie took the children on several extended trips: to Arkansas, to New Orleans, to California and to Washington State. Of course, while on these trips, they saw and did everything they could possibly do, and they were wonderful learning experiences for all of them. Now Annie's life and peer group started to change. She started to draw away from her old friends and her family. She and Aaron divorced. She ran with a new crowd and my personal relationship with her became distanced. She reconnected with someone from her high school days at her 20-year Class Reunion and began a relationship with him. He was living in Seattle, Washington at the time and Annie took several of her kids with her and moved up there in March of 2020, right at the beginning of the COVID epidemic. Most of her family was left to wonder what was going on. In January of this year, they all came back down here to St George, and she rented a cute house that is only minutes away from her where I live. Although she continued her new lifestyle, I was able to see her and the children more frequently during her last four months.

Last Wednesday, June 28, 2021, Annie was found unresponsive in her home. She has passed on to the next adventure in her eternal life. As a family we are left to wait for the Coroner's Office to tell us what happened. Of course, we are all in shock and will have to go on and endure life without her. Through the power and grace of our Heavenly Father and the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we are coping with this terrible reality. The grieving process is different for everybody, but it is a process. I want to take time to express my deepest gratitude and love for everyone here today; for my son, Matthew you have my heart; for my Red Cliffs 9th Ward family, Bishop Benson, Lana Wimmer and Brother Morrison in particular; for my family, who have always been there for me; for all my dear friends, especially Amanda Hendrickson, who has been with for days helping me organize this Memorial service-- without her, it would not have happened!; also my son's dear friend from Las Vegas, Julianne Larson, who made the programs; all of Annie's friends and lastly, my sweet Annie, for choosing me to be her Mother and who graced this world with love.

A celebration of Annie is a celebration of her children. She is survived by those children: Rylee, Russell, Justin, Jadyn, Jaxtin, and Kamdyn Mathews; as well as her mother, Sarah (St George); and her father, Greg (Chidester, AR); her brother, Matthew Martin (Las Vegas); her grandparents, Nate and Annie Cooper (Hereford, AZ); and many more aunts, uncles and cousins.

Memorial services will be held Thursday, May 6, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. at the Red Cliffs Stake Center, 1285 North Bluff Street, St. George, Utah.