Obituaries

Anna Marie Martin passed away at her home of 46 years on January 27, 2025 at the age of 78 in Carrollton, Texas.  Anna was healthy and active to her last day, always busy.  She was beloved by her family and friends. 

Anna was born on August 6, 1946 to Emily (Markus) and John Faber in Chicago, Illinois.  She was the baby of the family.   Her siblings and cousins called her “Ann,” “Annie,” or “Sweet Annie.”   Her strength and strong will was evident from an early age and was something she exhibited throughout her life.  Anna and her family lived in the city when she was young.  During her early teen years, her parents separated.  Anna, her mother, and sister, Marge, established themselves closer to the suburbs.  Anna graduated from Mount Prospect High School in June of 1964.  Almost immediately upon graduation, Anna boldly struck out on her own, finding a job in secretarial work.

Anna was always optimistic and determined.  Her brother John remembers when she wanted to buy her first car.  John drove out to lend his knowledge, visiting a local Ford dealership.  There Anna test-drove a Mustang, not having driven before and without a license.  John remembers this as an “awakening” experience and where her siblings gave her the nickname “Parnelli Jones” (a race car driver).  When Anna wanted something, she knew what she wanted and went after it without hesitation.  She would later instill this immense drive in her daughters.    

In 1964, while visiting a friend, Anna met her husband, Craig Martin.  They later started dating and fell in love.  Anna and Craig married in Mount Prospect, Illinois, on May 17, 1969.  Anna always remembered it was a rainy day, but she took it as a sign of good luck.

Anna worked as a secretary and executive assistant in several industries including law, technology, and manufacturing.  One of the most interesting jobs was for Sperry UNIVAC working with the first commercial computers in the United States, where part of her role was to insert computer program punch cards to run business operations.

In the early 1970’s, Craig and Anna bought their first house in Crystal Lake, Illinois, where they welcomed their daughters, Lisa Marie born 1973, and Andrea Maree born 1976.  Anna devoted herself to being a full-time mom and wife.   

In 1978, Craig and Anna moved to Texas to pursue a new job opportunity for Craig.  Anna continued to work in secretarial and executive assistant roles for over 30 years.  Anna was known for getting things done.  She frequently said, “if you want to get something done, put it on the busiest desk,” and Anna’s desk was always the busiest and often where you would find the answer to most questions.  Anna retired from her corporate job in 2007.

When Lisa and Andrea got married, 2019 and 2001, respectively, Anna was particularly proud to watch her daughters marry extraordinary men.  She thoroughly enjoyed building deep relationships with her sons-in-law, Robert and Kenneth. 

In 2007, Anna and Craig were overjoyed when their granddaughter, Sophia Emily, was born.  You only had to spend a few minutes with Anna to know that Sophia was one of the greatest joys of her life.  Anna retired to stay home and take care of Sophia when she was a baby and toddler.  Anna’s influence on Sophia is evident as she has developed into a strong and intelligent young lady, just like her grandmother.      

Several years later, through Lisa’s marriage to Robert, Anna was blessed with three great-grandchildren.  “Little” Robert, as he is known in the family, absolutely adored Grandma Anna and he frequently expressed that she was one of his favorite people. 

Anna will be remembered as a loving wife, a devoted mother and grandmother, a caring sister and friend.  Her nieces and nephews hold a very special place in their heart for their “Auntie Ann.”  For her older nieces, she was a best friend to talk, go bar hopping, or travel with.  And for the younger nephews, someone who was always there for them.  Anna and Craig were second parents to most of their nieces and nephews.  

Anna poured her heart into taking care of Craig during his fight with cancer, being a solid rock of support for the entire family.  After Craig passed away in 2021, Anna made it a point to stay in contact with her family, talking to them weekly, if not daily.  She will be deeply and forever missed.

Anna was preceded in death by her husband, Craig Martin, and parents, Emily Markus and John Faber, and brother-in-law James “Jim” Anderson. She is survived by her great-aunt Bertha “Bert” Walker, her brother John Faber (Barbara), sister Cathy Haber (George), sister Margret “Marge” Anderson, daughter Lisa Martin-Alvarez (Robert), daughter Andrea Pfannstiel (Kenneth), grandchildren Sophia Pfannstiel, Brandon Alvarez (Rachel), Lindsey Perry, great-grandchildren Robert, Alice and Jackson Alvarez, as well as many beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews. 

A celebration of Anna’s life will be held at Canyon Creek Presbyterian Church in Richardson, Texas on Friday, March 14, 2025 at 3:30pm. The service will be livestreamed https://www.canyoncreekpres.org/watch-live

Sue Hufft went on to her eternal rewards on January 10, 2025, just before her 90^th birthday. She was born to Edward and Mary Anderson on January 20, 1935, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. While attending Oklahoma State University where she earned her B.A. in Arts and Sciences, she met Allen Hufft, and they married on September 27, 1958. Allen’s career took them to Dallas where their daughter Cindy was born, and then to Jackson, Mississippi, where their son Craig was born. No matter where Allen’s work took them, Dallas was always “home.” 

Sue’s children remember her always devoted to family and church. A longtime member of Canyon Creek Presbyterian Church, she contributed her beautiful alto voice to the church choir, and she and Allen worked extensively to reorganize the choir’s music, even reprinting it in large type. As a member of the choir, Sue was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall.

Among Sue’s greatest joys was teaching preschoolers at Ridgeview Presbyterian Church. She was also a lifelong member of the P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization) Sisterhood.

When Allen retired, they also indulged in their love of world travel, encountering several remarkable situations: Tiananmen Square during the first days of those fateful demonstrations, and Berlin when the wall fell. They drove across the entire African continent, and in Red Square they traded a pair of blue jeans for a souvenir hammer-and-sickle watch—now Craig’s.

When Sue was ordained an elder at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas, she wrote this eloquent statement of her faith:

I believe that sin is the self-destructive breaking of relationship of God and fellow man. We are human beings created in the image of God—sin distorts, twists, corrupts and contradicts this truth. We bring loneliness and alienation when we separate ourselves from God and our fellow man.

I believe that God has proved himself trustworthy by his powerful and living action in the world and in our lives to overcome and free us from sin by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Jesus was the Word of God, who not only spoke of the saving love of God but demonstrated it by living as the man with and for other men. In saving us, God gives us a worth we do not have otherwise.

I believe that God does not stop with forgiving our sins, loving and accepting us. He promises the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit to work in us, accompanying us every step of the way, enabling us to do what we could never do alone, helping us to achieve results we could never hope for if we were left to ourselves.

Sue is survived by her husband and children and was preceded in death by her brother Jon Anderson and her sister Nancy Anderson.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests gifts to the Canyon Creek Presbyterian Church Music Ministry.

Click here to view the livestream of the service.

John Clement Richard died January 15, 2025 at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Plano following a battle with a rare skin cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma. He was 79 years old.

John lived to fly. Born March 8, 1945 in Chester, Pennsylvania, he was the third child of Charles S. Richard and Juanita Ruth Keller Richard. Growing up in North Plainfield, New Jersey, he was the playful baby brother of Charles L. Richard and Beatrice Allen. He started flying in high school, joining the Civil Air Patrol and startling his sister when he flew low over their home.

After graduating from North Plainfield High School in 1963, John attended Wichita State University in Kansas, majoring in Economics. He graduated in 1967, earning his commission to the United States Air Force through the university’s Air Force ROTC program. John also earned a Master of Business Administration from Southern Illinois University in 1973, and he worked briefly as a stock broker for Merrill Lynch. 

While in college, he met and married his wife, Kathryn Ann Richard (née Johnson). The couple were eventually blessed with two daughters, Christa Allison and Kimberly Elizabeth.

Following college, John began pilot training at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma, flying the T-37, T-38, T-41. He served in the Vietnam War from 1969 to 1970. While based at Da Nang Air Base, he flew the F-4E for 206 combat missions. Later, he flew the C-141 out of Maguire Air Force Base in New Jersey.

As an Air Force Academy Liaison Officer, John enjoyed working with aspiring pilots who were as passionate about flying as he was. He retired from the Air Force with the rank of Major after serving six years on active duty and fourteen years in the Air Force Reserves. During his military career, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with 9 Oak leaf clusters.

John’s commercial airline career began with Braniff International Airways, a job that would require the family to move from New Jersey to Dallas. He also flew for Orion Air (UPS) and American Trans Air (ATA), piloting the 727, L-1011, and 737. During Operation Desert Storm, ATA had a special contract to fly military personnel and John flew troops in and out of Saudia Arabia.

After retiring from the airlines in 2005, John became a simulator instructor at FlightSafety International, instructing pilots from around the world in the G-200 program for 19 years. While at FlightSafety, he was awarded the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, an honor that recognizes pilots who have practiced safe flight operations continuously for 50 or more years during the course of their aviation careers.

Raised Lutheran, John was an active member of Canyon Creek Presbyterian Church. He loved the Voyager small group; the Sanctuary Choir, of which his daughter Kimberly is an active member; the pipe organ and helping his wife with the many church receptions she organized. He treasured Spring Park, his neighborhood, and was a block representative for decades. Many neighbors could count on seeing John jog and power-walk throughout Spring Park when he wasn’t flying. During the summer, he looked forward to grilling hamburgers at the neighborhood’s Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day cookouts. Every Sunday morning, he read the comics. His lifelong favorite was Peanuts, especially Snoopy as a World War I flying ace.

Although he logged thousands of hours of flying time around the world throughout his aviation career, John was not content to see the world only from the cockpit. He fearlessly drove his family on many European vacations and most recently embarked on several Viking cruises, enjoying gluhwein at the Christmas markets, seeing plays in London, and getting lost in countless medieval towns.

John is preceded in death by his parents; his nephew, Stephen Richard; and his sister-in-law, Carol Richard. He is survived by his wife of nearly 58 years; his daughters; his brother and sister; his brother-in-law, Douglas Allen; and his nieces and nephews, Debra Richard, Patricia Johnston, Charles Richard, Jr., Carri Medlin, Patrick Dunn, Aileen Dunn, and Diana Dunne and their spouses, children and grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Canyon Creek Presbyterian Church and the American Cancer Society.

Click here to view the livestream of the service.

Click here to view the livestreamed service.

James D. (Jim) Jackson was born to Z. Dwight and Rebecca Jackson on April 30, 1932, in Redstone Township, Pennsylvania. He passed away on November 5, 2024, in Rocky River, Ohio.

Jim met his wife Barbara on a blind date when his friend was dating Barbara’s roommate at Oberlin College. They were married in 1955 and were blessed with a son and two daughters.

He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering from Purdue University and Ohio State University respectively, followed by his MBA from Baldwin Wallace University. At Purdue, he was a radio announcer and a stagehand at Purdue’s Hall of Music.

His chemical engineering career included positions with Battelle Institute, TRW, and Sherwood Refractories. In 2016 he was named to the Investment Casting Institute Hall of Honor. He continued consulting internationally well into his 80s.

Jim was an accomplished amateur photographer and loved traveling – both family camping vacations and international business trips. Among his family’s most precious memories of Jim: His gift of a Steinway grand piano to Barbara in appreciation of her musical talents, along with recording her Music Club concerts. Documenting his children’s childhood with hours upon hours of video – not just big events but simple things like riding bikes and running through sprinklers. Their annual two-week camping trips to Rocky Mountain National Park when they were children. Skillfully taking care of any kind of household project for them well into his later years. His children also remember him for his honesty and integrity and never using profanity.

A longtime member of Canyon Creek Presbyterian Church, Jim served as deacon and elder, a choir member (famous for hitting the very lowest notes), and a member of the Men’s Bible Study. He went on several CCPC mission trips and at age 87 joined the “In the Steps of Paul” tour in Greece and Turkey. Always generous with his time, talents, and resources, Jim served in many volunteer capacities and was a member of the Dallas Barbershop “Quartet.”

He is survived by his wife Barbara and his children David (Joan) Jackson, Sue (Chuck) Rozek, and Nancy (Paul) Davis, along with three grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers Ray and Chuck Jackson.

Click here to view the livestream of the service.

Betty, the only child of William Lee and Ruth Crosby Rudd, was born in Charlotte, North Carolina on October 19, 1932. She spent her childhood and high school years in Burlington, North Carolina. 

In 1950 she celebrated two major events. She graduated high school and she married Benny Gray King, all within a week of each other. Their marriage lasted just two months short of 65 years due to Ben’s death. Their union produced four children: Kathryn, Benjamin, David and Virginia.

Betty moved to Irving, Texas in 1953 with Kathy, her firstborn and was a stay-at-home mom to raise her children while Ben was a pilot for American Airlines and the United States Navy. The family moved to Dallas in 1963.

She was inspired to further her education and graduated from Texas Women’s University in 1974 and earned a Master of Arts in 1976, also at TWU.

Her career was in music and drama. She was a singer and actor on a variety of stages. She appeared in three Oscar winning films in three years: Tender Mercies, Silkwood and Terms of Endearment. She also acted in commercials, industrial films, and community theatre productions.

Betty was a long-time member of the Canyon Creek Presbyterian Church where she served three terms as Deacon and one as an elder. She was in the sanctuary choir and active in prayer and healing ministries.

Betty is survived by three of her children – Kathryn Kremer, Benjamin King and Virginia Tinney, who gave her six grandchildren (Michael Kremer, Stephen Kremer, Karen Kremer, Joanna King, Jennifer King and Michelle Tinney) and seven great grandchildren (Timothy, Elizabeth, Olivia, Audrey, Hadley, Talia and Jackson). Also missing “Granny” are Christopher and Christian Tinney, Dean Tinney’s son and grandson.

The interment was at Restland Memorial Park on Monday, June 24, 2024. The Worship Service in Witness to the Resurrection will be at Canyon Creek Presbyterian Church on Friday, August 30, 2024 at 2pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Canyon Creek Presbyterian Church, the Salvation Army or any charity of your choice.

Betty's memorial page can be found here: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/dallas-tx/betty-king-11867552.