Patient, kind, steadfast in her Christian faith, nurturing and reliable are all words used to describe Ann Litton by her children, husband and friends.
The mother of three was selected as The Greenwood Commonwealth’s 2017 Mother of the Year. She was nominated by her friend Debbie Oxnam.
Oxnam wrote, “I have witnessed her calm and positive approach to life. Whatever each day brings, she is ready to face it with joy. She guides each of her children with an attitude of love and acceptance. She has instilled in them love of God, love of family and to love people from all walks of life. She has the amazing ability to balance family and purposeful time with her friends. She keeps it all going and going and going.”
The Greenwood native and her husband of 45 years, Bill Litton, are the parents of Gerard Stewart, Powell Litton and Wade Litton, all of Greenwood. They are the proud grandparents of 12.
“It’s a joy to me to be a mother and to be a grandmother,” said Ann. “Sometimes it wears you out, but all in all there’s nothing in the world I’d rather be than a mother and a grandmother.”
Ann is a 1969 graduate of Greenwood High School. She and Bill, also a Greenwood High graduate, met while growing up in their hometown. Bill was a couple of grades above Ann, and the two dated on and off during high school and while Bill attended the University of Mississippi.
Upon graduating high school, Ann began attending college in Virginia.
“We really started dating when I went off to school,” said Ann. “I guess distance makes the heart grow fonder.”
Bill said, “We didn’t have that access to each other, and I think we both realized how much we meant to each other.”
Shortly after, Ann moved back to Mississippi and began attending Ole Miss. Bill completed his degree, and the couple married in 1972. After the couple wed, Ann finished her Bachelor of Science degree in biology at Delta State University.
Their first child, Gerard, was born a couple of years later. There are three years between each of their children.
Ann went to work at the hospital for a while and then decided to stay home with her children. When her youngest, Wade, began attending Pillow Academy, Ann began her career teaching kindergarten at the same school.
“I did love teaching,” she said. “I have always loved children. That’s why I really enjoyed teaching kindergarten, and I felt like all of those children who went through were like mine. I loved them all.”
She retired from teaching in 1998, when Wade graduated.
Ann said she always knew she wanted a big family.
“I have one sister who is 10 years older, so it was almost like I grew up as an only child,” she said. “I always wished and prayed for a large family, and the Lord blessed us abundantly.”
Now, there are 18 members of the Litton family, including 12 grandchildren ranging in ages from 19 to 3 months old.
Ann said when she thinks about her big family, she also thinks about Psalms 127: “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. ... Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.”
“To be a mother is a gift. Children are a gift,” she said.
Ann’s husband and children, however, see her as a gift to their family.
“She’s a fabulous mother, and the proof is in the three children that she raised,” her husband said. “Ann is the perfect partner to co-parent with. She is a very caring person.
“You’ve heard the saying ‘Speak softly and carry a big stick.’ That’s Ann, but her big stick is compassion, patience and understanding,” said Bill. “She’s just a real thoughtful person, and she has the highest degree of integrity. She’s a Christian lady and just is a wonderful person, and that all translates into her being a very wonderful mother.”
Her daughter describes her as a “kind, loving, outgoing mother.”
“She’s just a sweet person,” said Gerard. “She’s fun to be around.”
Gerard said she had a new-found appreciation for her mother after becoming a mom herself.
“I tell her all the time now, ‘I’m so sorry,’” Gerard said with a laugh. “Because now I understand what she was going through and what a hard job it is being a mother. You never get a break. You have to take care of everything 24 hours a day, and I just appreciate how she did it with such grace and kindness and love.”
Ann’s oldest son, Powell, describes his mother as a “constant steady influence” in his life.
“She is always available for anything, including emotional and spiritual support,” said Powell. “Her strong Christian values are really the keel that steers the ship. She’s the one that no matter what happens she’s going to be there to support you, guide you and even during the most difficult times, her stable and reliable influence is what really guides us through the good times and the bad.”
Powell said that his mother is “the definition of a true lady.”
“She’s humble, kind, and I’ve never seen her judge anyone. She has an open heart, and she is just truly there for her family, friends and her community,” he said.
Ann’s youngest child, Wade, said his mother is “a very caring and supportive mother.”
“She wanted the best for us and always thought of us first,” he said.
Wade remembers growing up in the Litton home, located just outside Greenwood in a country setting.
“As a young kid, I wanted to throw the baseball, throw the football, throw the basketball, but we didn’t live in a neighborhood, so there were not a lot of kids around to play with,” he said. “It was probably the last thing she wanted to do in the middle of the day, but she would go outside and throw the football with me or throw the baseball with me.”
In fact, Ann was always an active mother and is an active grandmother. She loves playing tennis and, as a Master Gardener, working in her yard and garden.
“She always wanted to go play tennis, and she would do everything she could to keep us active,” Wade said.
Ann’s children use the same words they use to describe as a mother as they do to describe her as a grandmother. Ten of her 12 grandchildren live in Greenwood, and she stays actively involved their lives.
“I love seeing her so involved, and I can see how much she does love them,” said Gerard.
Ann said she never knew how much she would love being a grandmother until the first grandchild — who graduated from Pillow Academy on Friday — was born.
“It was wonderful,” Ann said. “I can remember when each one of them were born.”
Ann also enjoys all the fun parts of being a grandmother.
“They come out and spend the night, and if they want a Popsicle for breakfast, I let them have it,” she said with a grin. “I kept one of them and they had pancakes for breakfast, lunch and supper, because that’s what they wanted.”
A member of First Presbyterian Church, Ann said her Christian faith has always been an important part of her life. As a parent, she said it was also important to her and husband to instill those same Christian values in their children.
“The thing I admire the most about her would be her faith,” said Powell. “She has an ability to weather any storm, and she has this deep faith of whatever comes your way, you’ll be able to handle it.”
Ann said when she thinks about the legacy she wants to leave for her children and grandchildren, a quote by Patrick Henry sums up her feelings.
The quote says, “My most cherished possession I wish I could leave you is my faith in Jesus Christ, for with Him and nothing else you can be happy, but without Him and with all else you’ll never be happy.”
The best part of motherhood to Ann is the joy of watching her children grow up and have families of their own and watching her grandchildren grow.
“I enjoy being an important part of their lives and nurturing them, and I just enjoy the company of all of our children,” she said.
• Contact Ruthie Robison at 581-7233 or rrobison@gwcommonwealth.com.
