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Anna Black-Stallman-Cordry 1921-2006
Ann Cordry, Farmington, NM, formerly Reliance, passed away Wednesday morning, Dec. 20, 2006, at Life Care Nursing Center, Farmington. Memorial services will be at a later date.
Anna Katherine Black was born Aug 30, 1921, at Lower Brule to Ed and Esther (Creasey) Black. The family lived north of Reliance near Medicine Butte where she attended country School. After the family moved into Reliance she attended Reliance High School.
She married Albert Stallman Oct. 30, 1938, in the rectory of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Reliance. They farmed three miles south of Reliance until purchasing the Husman Cafe in Reliance in 1949. She was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church.
May 15, 1953, she married Melvin "Fuzz" Cordry of Mission, SD at Gallup, NM. He worked on the construction of the natural gas pipelines across the southern states. He passed away Mar. 1, 1987, of heart failure.
Before living and working at their cafe in Reliance, she and several ladies drove to Mitchell every week (90 miles one way) to take sewing lessons, which led her to a sideline business as a seamstress "to perfection". She was known for her wedding gowns and men's suits. She was, first and foremost, a restaurant worker from cook up through management, all of her life. She was highly respected by all who ever worked with her, for her hard work and loyalty.
She maintained a beautiful yard and flower garden where no weed dared cross her path. She was a very competitive Scrabble and Cribbage player and yes, since winning was the only acceptable outcome, cheating was allowed as needed.
Ann is survived by her children: Frances (Gerald King), Okla. City, OK, Barbara (Ed Speck), Oacoma, Pegge (Marshall Smith), Etoile, TX., Sandy, Farmington, NM., Ed (Diane Williams) Stallman, Hempstead, TX., and Karel Crispin, Farminton; one brother, Dick (Gloria Beaudin) Black, Michigan; 13 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter and many nieces and nephews.
Her parents, both husbands, son Kelly Cordry. two grandsons: Marshall Smith Jr., and Bill Speck, two brothers, Bob and Russell, and one sister and brother-in-law, Margery and Evert Fletcher, preceded her in death.
The Alternative Society Mortuary and Crematorium in Farmington is in charge of arrangements.
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Frances Stallman (King) (1957)
We Stallman girls, Frances, Barbara and Sandy, scattered our mother's ashes Sunday evening, June 29, 2008, from the top of Medicine Butte (in Lyman County, South Dakota) to the prairie below. It was a wonderful evening and tossing them to the wind was very spiritual for all of us. Sister Pegge who died suddenly that January, was with us in spirit.Mom was born just inside the Lower Brule Indian Reservation (about seven or eight miles north of Reliance) at the foot of Medicine Butte on the west side. We went to the top of the butte just at sundown (absolutely beautiful) with a wonderful wind to help scatter the ashes. As they flew away and down into the prairie, there must have been a downward current because the ashes would gradually gather into a beautiful puff and a ray of light would pass through the puff just before they disappeared. That did cause us to marvel at what we were witnessing. Sandy took a few pictures of the hills, prairie and Missouri river (off to the north) and when we were looking at them on the computer later, the first picture was absolutely beautiful with the greens and golds of the prairie with good old South Dakota black dirt here and there, and the sun peeking through. About dead-center of the photo is one lone bird flying westward. Was it our mother in her upward flight? I think, in our hearts we know it was. We then put Mom's marker on our dad's grave in St. Mary’s Cemetery north of Reliance. When Marshall brings Pegge's ashes back to South Dakota, we will add a marker for her as well.
written by: Barbara Stallman Speck
Frances Stallman (King) (1957)
Regarding Mama's sewing...every year, prior to the start of school, while we were living in town above the cafe, she would bring out the Montgomery Ward catalog, and have us 'pick out what dresses we wanted' I remember this particular dress with a red checked bodice, a white pique full skirt with this huge flower encompassing most of the skirt, stem & leaves......She had an Indian from Lower Brule (Grant Big Eagle) draw the flower & stem & leaves. She transferred the flower to a newspaper, and appliqued it in a red checked pattern (to match the bodice) onto the white pique skirt. The finished product was exactly the same as the picture in the catalog! I loved the dress and my mama. frances