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Anna (Ann) Childress Riggs, 85, passed away Sunday July 6th at Gordon Hospice House in Statesville, NC. The family will receive friends from 5 until 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 8th, at the Power Cross Ministries' Fred Riggs Youth Center located at 1129 West Front Street in Statesville. A celebration of her life will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 9th, at Bethlehem Methodist Church located at 607 Bethlehem Road. Ann was born on September 6th, 1939, in Mount Airy, North Carolina. She was the 11th child of Benjamin Harrison Childress and Alice Angeline Thomas Childress. She grew up in a house without indoor plumbing, yet by the time of her death her life's journey would include trips to 50 countries across six continents and all 50 states to see all of God's beauty. Through it all her greatest joy came from the life and family she started with her husband Isaac Fred Riggs. She married the love of her life in 1957 and embarked on a life filled with love, laughter, and travel that spanned 46 years until her husband's passing in 2003. The couple moved to Statesville and in 1968 founded Interstate Bolt and Supply on Front Street, the present home of Power Cross Ministries. While Fred and Ann built the business together, Ann also served as a vital contributor at Grant Bookkeeping Services where she was employed as an accountant for 30 years. Ann filled her life and the lives of those around her with warmth, laughter and the resolve to help others. During her lifetime she volunteered as a Pink Lady at Iredell Memorial Hospital in Statesville; was a Turtle Nest Mom in Oak Island, North Carolina; started a telephone ministry for widows and widowers checking on them daily to make sure they were okay; was a longtime supporter of Power Cross Ministries and was a member of Bethlehem Methodist Church. She viewed flip flops as essential year-round wear, loved collecting seashells and spending time at her beloved Oak Island, NC. She was an avid square dancer and traveled to many clubs and events across the southeast. Ice cream was a logical dinner entre and when it came to Canasta, well, "deal the cards." Regardless of how high these things might appear on her list of favorites, her greatest love was for family - immediate, extended and the friends who she treated as her family. She was Mom to two daughters, Annette Freeland (husband Scott) and Tammy Littlejohn (husband Spencer) as well as Grandma to three grandsons Ben Stikeleather (wife Melissa), Josh Stikeleather (wife Kayla) and Alex Childress (wife Patti). She had two step-grandsons, Jason Freeland (wife Cassie) and Josh Freeland. She was Grandma-Grandma to her six great-grandchildren Grace, Carter, Luke, Savannah, Sophia and Olivia. She was Aunt Ann to many nieces and nephews. The youngest of the Childress family she was proceeded in death by six brothers: Clinton, Donald, Tom, Benton, Fred and Claude and four sisters: Dorothy Slate, Faye Bernelle Easter, Loudean Jackson and Vannie Felts. The family wishes to express their appreciation for the cards, prayers, and visits Ann received during her illness. Ann was extremely grateful to the doctors who treated her and to all her caregivers who assisted her in the final weeks. She loved you all. Ann requests that you wear bright casual clothing to all events. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to one of the following: Bethlehem Methodist Church, 607 Bethlehem Rd, Statesville, NC, 28677 or Power Cross Ministries - www.powercross.org, Power Cross, 1133 W. Front Street, Statesville, NC 28677 or Oak Island Sea Turtle Protection Program - okiseaturtle.org, Friends of Oak Island Sea Turtle Protection Program, P.O. Box 92, Oak Island, NC 28465. Cavin-Cook Funeral Home & Crematory, Mooresville, is serving the Riggs family. Condolences may be made to the family at www.cavin-cook.com.

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Anna (Ann) Childress Riggs

September 6, 1939 - July 6, 2025