Mary "Annie" Anne Jennings

Mary Anne "Annie" Jennings, 79, entered the presence of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on July 27, 2026, in Nixa, Missouri, surrounded by her loving family. While our hearts are broken, we do not grieve without hope. Annie trusted in the finished work of Christ, and the faith that sustained her throughout her life has now become sight.

Annie was born in Evansville, Indiana in 1946, but was raised in the “one and only” Oblong, Illinois. As a little girl in a little town, she walked to church on her own, not knowing that a boy watching from a second-story Sunday school window across the way would one day become her husband. Years later, she married Max Jennings, the boy who had first invited her to his church. Together they built a home centered on faith and family, raising three children Amee, Heather, and Gregg. As an elementary school teacher, Annie poured patience, encouragement, and love into generations of children, giving to others the same care she gave her own family.

Because Annie had first been welcomed by Christ, she spent her life welcoming others. Her home was never really just her own. Family, friends, neighbors, and unexpected guests all found a seat at her table and a place in her heart. She had a remarkable gift for making people feel seen and loved. Her generosity sought no recognition but was the quiet fruit of a life rooted in the love of God.

Her family will always remember her ‘side-eye’, the look that could quietly correct unkindness or foolishness without a single harsh word. They will remember the handwritten letters she continued to send long after a text or call became easier, each one a gentle reminder that someone was remembered, prayed for, and deeply loved. These ordinary acts of faithfulness quietly revealed the extraordinary love of Christ at work through her life.

Annie's faith was not loud, but it was steadfast. Though she walked toward church as a little girl, she came to know Christ personally as a young woman and was baptized at twenty in a bathtub, a profound mystery and the beginning of a lifelong journey of dying and rising with Christ. She never sought recognition for her devotion because she trusted the Savior who saw what others did not. Her hope was never in her own goodness, but in the grace of God given through Jesus Christ. The kindness, generosity, and steadfast love that marked her life were the beautiful fruit of a life abiding in Him.

In her final years, Annie walked the difficult road of dementia. Dementia was the final illness she endured, but it was never the final word. Jesus Christ was. Today she is whole, restored, and forever at home with Jesus our Lord.

She is survived by her beloved husband, Max Jennings, of Nixa, Missouri. Her children: Amee and Deiter Duff, of Ozark, Missouri; Heather and Janeil Owen, of Moberly, Missouri; and Gregg Jennings and Jamie Shull, of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Her grandchildren: Madison and Luke Laws, of Nixa, Missouri, and their infant son. Annie's only great-grandson; Morgan Duff, of Springfield, Missouri; and Max Duff, of Ozark, Missouri; Payton (Nene), Josiah, Ruby, Zebadiah, and Selah Owen, all of Moberly, Missouri; and Kasaan Jennings, Jack Shull, and Oliver Jennings, all of Fredericksburg, Virginia. She is also survived by her brothers: Jim and Terri Farley, of Charleston, Illinois; John and Suzi Farley, of Mahomet, Illinois; and Bill and Kathi Farley, of Norman, Oklahoma.

Annie's family rejoices that the Savior she trusted throughout her life has welcomed her home. Because Jesus Christ has conquered sin and death, they grieve with hope and look forward to the day when, together with all the redeemed, the trumpet will sound and all things will be made new. Even so, come Lord Jesus. 

A funeral service will be held 11:00 a.m., Saturday, August 1, 2026, at Adams Funeral Home, Nixa.

Visitation will precede the service at 10:00 a.m.

A graveside service will follow the funeral service at Rosedale Cemetery, Nixa.