Ann Marie Wanta nee Heitkamp

Ann Marie Wanta passed away on June 12, 2023.

She was born on August 18, 1926, in Dubuque, IA. Though she always kept her age a secret, and would be embarrassed if the public knew, she was a beautiful 96 at the time of her passing.

She graduated from Clarke College in Dubuque, with a BA degree. Her parents were educators…her father, Bill Heitkamp, was a professor of physics and the Director of Athletics at Loras College in Dubuque. Her Mom, Jesse Heitkamp was a teacher.

In 1954, while living and working in Chicago with her sister Jeanne, she met and married John Anthony Wanta. One year later, their daughter, Jacqueline Mary Wanta (Raibeck) was born. In 1957, their son, Anthony John Wanta was born.

Ann really enjoyed family life with John, Jackie and Tony. John was an IBM salesman and Ann really enjoyed the life his career provided. During the IBM years, the Wanta family moved from Ft. Wayne, Indiana, to Endicott, NY, to Cedar Rapids, IA, to Dallas, TX, then to Houston, TX, to Birmingham, MI, to Beaumont, TX and then back to Houston, TX. Ann and John did have a few short (less than 2 year) relocations to San Francisco, CA and Lakewood, CO! Ann and John spent the remaining years of their lives in Houston. The Wantas really lived up to the IBM "I've Been Moved" nickname.

Ann was a loving grandmother to Vicky, James, and Sam. Whether it meant traveling to Arizona, Louisiana, Arkansas, Minnesota, or staying home in Houston to do so, she thoroughly enjoyed babysitting her grandchildren.

Ann was a woman of many interests. She was a Dallas Cowboys fanatic. She loved British royalty, and the crown jewels, and travelled to Europe numerous times to visit castles. She was tickled by anything "dee" ("cute") like mushrooms, and Tweety Bird, and pugs, and the Energizer Bunny. She despised her iPad.

A funny thing about pugs is that Ann never considered herself a dog-person until her first pug, Rex, or as she spelled it, "Wrecks". She really made him one of the family. She would call to check on him after lunch at the mall. She would try to trick Rex into taking his medication, by placing the pill in a hot dog or piece of cheese. Rex would eat the food and spit out the pill. He had her well trained.

Ann was a woman who was always dressed up, even if she was just staying at home or running errands. She loved to catch your eye with sparkly shoes and jewelry. She was always done up with makeup, and nail polish, and her hair was bleached blonde. She wore "wild" prints and bright colors. She always had a matching purse with her outfit.

She loved a good party and hosted many for IBM or for her children. One of her favorite hosting events was in Lakewood, where Tony and about 18 of his closest friends came to spend a weekend skiing and partaking of Ann's home cooked meals.

She was an avid bridge player in her club. She loved spending time eating dinner at Champions Golf Club. And no matter which of her children came home to visit, she would insist on doing their laundry, even if there was no laundry to do, and they would leave five pounds heavier or risk the guilt trip of declining one of Ann's meals.

Ann is preceded in death by her parents Jesse and Bill Heitkamp, her sister and brother-in-law Jeanne and Allen Carr, her husband John, who passed away September 26, 1987, and her daughter-in-law Angela Wanta.

Ann is survived by her daughter Jackie Raibeck (Andy), son Tony Wanta, grandchildren Vicky Wanta, James Wanta (Sara) and Sam Wanta, nieces Vickie Carr, Amy McCormac (Knox) and Janet Carr.

We assume that Heaven has a mall that surpasses the Mall of the Americas, and that Ann is really enjoying her after-life.

Funeral Mass is Tuesday, June 20, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Ignatius Church, followed by the burial service at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery at 1:00 p.m. There will be a reception in Ann's honor at Champions Golf Club at 2:00 p.m.

Per Ann's wishes, please do not dress up. Men do not need to wear suits or jackets. Please wear business casual, especially due to the heat.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Tunnel To Towers Foundation (https://t2t.org) are appreciated.