Obituary

On the early morning of December 13, 2021, our mother Ann Lovato Perez Buchholz was called to heaven by our heavenly father.  She is preceded by her parents Lloyd and Ruby Lovato and her siblings Irene, Frank, and Clyde. She is survived by her siblings Tony, Rummie, Albert, Lloyd, Virginia, Mary, Viola and Rosie. She is survived by her four children Deborah Miller (spouse Chuck), Larry (Tony) Perez, Ernie Perez (spouse Sandra), and Julia Coker (spouse Lloyd).

Ann was blessed with many grand, great-grandchildren, and grand-pets. She willingly and lovingly cared for them when she was needed.

She is survived by her first husband, Larry Perez, her second husband George Clooney and some guy we never met, Brad Pitt.

She loved animals and is survived by Gracie a small Chihuahua with a big personality. When she visited anyone the second thing she did was greet the pets.

Ann was born in the middle of a snowstorm in Gering, Nebraska. Her birth certificate says March 25, 1937, but she has always maintained that she was actually born on March 24^th.  She felt that the delivering doctor made an error. We have always celebrated both days.

Ann attended grade school and high school in Lyman, Nebraska. Later in life she found her calling as a nurse and also received her PhD as an ordained minister.

Did you ever wonder about the scar she had on her leg? Her idol Eddy Arnold came to Lyman and she took a shortcut through a field and tripped over a piece of broken glass. Sadly she didn’t get to see Eddy.

She was the kind of mom who always had a meal waiting for you and would never let you eat alone. She would sit with you at the end of the day, whether it was school or work to hear how your life was going. She was always there for a hug and a kiss.

Ann was adventurous with the food coloring.  She felt that your dinner plate should be colorful. She would put food coloring in anything that was white, like blue mashed potatoes and red rice.

She took in all our friends as if they were her own children.  Our friends knew our home was a safe place.  She had a special place in her heart for her foster children for which there were many, but Mary December kept in touch with her through the years.

She loved the holidays:

For Easter she wrote a short story “The Easter Donkey.” It has been reprinted in many church bulletins throughout the country.

Christmas was a special time for her, she always made the holiday special even during the lean years.  I remember a story of when she spent an evening at Eastlake Park in Phoenix wrapping presents for the family on Christmas Eve.

One Christmas she mentioned that she liked Youth Dew perfume by Estee Lauder.  That is all she got. She got every item available from Estee Lauder in the Youth Dew product line. I don’t remember her ever asking for anything ever again.

During the Christmas Season, she would drive us around town looking for light displays and on Fourth of July we would look for the best place to watch the fireworks.

Ann was very talented and creative. There were many things she did, from making our clothes with the same fabric for everyone to making fishing lures.

We will be respecting her wishes to have her ashes rested near her parents’ graves in Nebraska. In lieu of flowers, please donate to your home of worship in her name. She also asked us to make sure she didn’t vote in the next election.

Ann will be greatly missed and loved forever.  She was the strength of the family.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give it to you.  Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27