Page 33 - Life Legacy Project

The Faithful Life of Katie Annis
“Time is important. Time is precious. Time is a gift.” This is what my grandma, Katie Annis said to me during our interview. Katie Annis is a grade school teacher in Battle Mountain Nevada. She loves her job and does not consider it a job but a vocation. She lives with her husband Jerry Annis and her nine year-old-dog named Bogey. She is a loving mother, grandmother, and an amazing teacher who dedicates her time to her family and her work. This is why I’m nominating Katie Annis.
As a kid, Katie grew up in a house with four other siblings including her twin sister. They lived in the town of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Their family went to mass every Sunday and prayed every night. She tells me that her parents were very strict but were also very loving. “No matter what,” she starts, “our parents were always right. Even when we knew they were wrong we never talked back to them and always did what we were told.” When Katie was in grade school, she always had the dream to become the first lady astronaut to explore space because they were sendin+g the first astronauts out of the atmosphere. But not long after that, a boy in her class trampled her dream telling her they were already training lady astronauts and that she wouldn’t be the first in space. During the interview, I asked her what was her first memory as a kid? She thought for a second, then got right to it, “It was the first time I had lied to my parents and I felt so guilty. I told them I chipped my tooth and that I didn't know how it was chipped but I was actually roughhousing with my sister. ” she says. She was a very good kid, who had her eyes set on what she wanted.
As Katie set out for college, she had no idea what she wanted to do. She went to school at Cal Poly and learned all of the basic classes and decided that she would get her degree in physical education. She went on through her four years and still wasn’t sure if that was what she really wanted to do. She was going to graduate on Honor Roll but couldn’t figure out what she was going to do. She was going to join the peace corp when she graduated and did leave to Miami but went back because she had found love with her now husband Jerry Annis. They had two girls, Mari and Jessie she loves them with all her heart. Katie has been a fabulous mother helping her girl grow and learn. Katie had a few jobs before she found her place as a teacher. She drove wheat trucks, made coffee as a barista, and then found her vocation as a teacher. Katie Annis started a family, found her dream job, and is still connected to God.
Now, Katie is a very compassionate grandmother and teacher. She now has five grandchildren including me, Aiden, as the oldest, Ea, Xavier, (my brother and sister), and Farah and Decan my two younger cousins. My grandma Katie’s one wish for the world would be for the health and happiness of her friends and family. She enjoys teaching us all the prayer Hesositta as kids and loves to come visit us in Washington. I wouldn’t trade my grandma for anything in the world. Time is important. Time is precious. Time is a gift. Katie Annis would like our generation to know and try to live by this. This is why I am honoring Katie Annis and her life legacy.
By Aiden Annis-Baiardo
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