Ethel Ann Wendell

Ethel Ann Wendell, “Grandma”, aged 97 from Arlington, Texas, passed away on the morning of January 20, 2021 due to complications from COVID-19. Ethel Ann was the oldest of two daughters born on January 23, 1923 to Edward and Cecilia Mathews of Saint Louis, Missouri.

Ethel Ann grew up in a very loving home and like most young girls, dreamt of starting a family of her own. As a child, Ann loved her neighborhood friends and was fiercely competitive on the tennis courts. Ever the industrious young woman, Ann began working at Western Electric in Saint Louis where she met the love of her life, Warren Wendell. They began a friendship first, but in due time they fell in love and married on June 14, 1945. Together Ann and Warren raised three loving daughters of their own - Nancy, Michelle, and Anne. As a young mother, Ann stayed home to raise her daughters, but as they grew, she began her second career in the Jefferson County Juvenile System facilitating in the mentoring and treatment of local troubled youth.

Upon moving to Texas in 1984 to be near her daughters and grandchildren, Ann and Warren started a new life of retirement together. Ann adored working outside and was never fearful to show her daughters and granddaughter what it was like to break the mold for females. She found endless joy in playing and visiting with her grandchildren, working on her garden, painting, or joking and building lasting relationships with her newly made friends. She had an insatiable appetite for garage sales and was the original furniture fixer-upper. An ever-faithful and generous heart, Ann became the sole care taker of her mother beginning in 1989 until her mother’s death in 1997. Ann was a devout Catholic and Democrat, as well as being known to always bring up uncomfortable political conversations at the dinner table.

Our Grandma will be forever remembered by her daughter Anne Weydeck of Mansfield, Texas and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Peter, Jamie, and Emilia Weydeck of Roanoke, Texas; Clint, Meghan, Gage, and Cecilia Riggin of Trophy Club, Texas; and Ryan and Mandy Weydeck of Fort Worth, Texas. Ann was preceded in death by her husband Warren Wendell in 1988 and her sister Kathaleen Corbett in 2019, both from Saint Louis, Missouri.

While we mourn the loss of our “matriarch”, we find immense solitude knowing she is happy and finally resting peacefully with her husband, two daughters, and our Lord God. She will continuously be missed for her fierce dedication to family and her loving disposition.

A memorial service will be held for Ethel Ann, along with her daughter, Michelle, on Saturday, February 13, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be at at Moore Memorial Gardens in Arlington, Texas. A celebration of life will be held in the spring at Anne Weydeck’s home.

Below is a link to the service:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVw_OMukJUg&feature=youtu.be