Obituaries: Ann Shank Johns

Ann Shank Johns died of natural causes on August 21, surrounded by family. She was 92.

She was born June 1, 1918, in Grant County to Mary and Perry Shank, the ninth of their 10 children. Her early childhood was spent on a ranch that her father operated in Cottonwood, Ore. She and her younger brother Kenneth, rode a mule to their one-room schoolhouse each day. After the death of her mother, in 1928, she lived with older siblings in Bend and Klamath Falls.

As a teenager, Ann spent one year in a tuberculosis hospital in The Dalles. When she was released, she returned to Grant County and settled in Fox Valley, where she met Earl Johns at a dance. They married in 1937 and lived on a ranch where Earl ran cows and sheep. Ann baked two pies a day to feed the ranch hands. The couple had three daughters and moved to Madras in 1952.

While she raised the girls, Ann ran lots of small businesses, including a pottery studio and a health spa. Never short on energy or afraid of hard work, she raised chickens, hogs and horses, too, to earn a little extra money. She took in calves that had to be bottle-fed, and once had 25 of them in her backyard. She also bred Arabian horses, a passion which endured.

She was an avid angler all her life. After her girls were grown, she spent two months a year – one in the spring and one in the fall – camping by herself and salmon fishing at Sherar’s Falls. Legend has it she out-fished most of the men.

She had seven grandsons, whom she often said were her greatest source of pride. She also had 10 great-grandchildren who may have eclipsed the grandsons in her later years. The highlight of the year for the whole family was spending the Fourth of July in Fox Valley, visiting old friends and retelling stories from a wilder era.

Ann was a loyal fan of the Portland Trail Blazers. She was a feared pinochle opponent and a coveted pinochle partner. She carried a loaded pistol in her purse and often skipped dinner to get straight to dessert.

As she aged, Ann never lost her ability to adjust to modern life. She took classes to become proficient on the computer. She followed Barack Obama’s every turn in the 2008 campaign. She remained fiercely proud of her frontier roots but, given the choice, would rather have spent the day with a 20-year-old than with someone her own age.

She was preceded in death by her husband and siblings. She is survived by her daughters Kay Berry of Bend, Dee Ann Mitchell of Madras and Jeanee McCaulou of Sisters; seven grandsons and 10 great-grandchildren.

She is also survived by two nieces who were like daughters, Joy Cook of Sisters and Susie Coe of Portland, and their six children and six grandchildren.

Ann’s compassion, loyalty and independent streak will be missed by all who loved her.

A graveside memorial service will be held at the Fox Cemetery on Sept. 11 at 11 a.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the Fox Cemetery in care of Jack Johns, 29009 Highway 395 N., Fox, OR, 97865.