Becky Ansteth's Obituary
Rebecca Thomas AnstethRebecca “Becky” Thomas Ansteth, a life-long resident of Tulsa, passed away April 11, 2016, at the age of 92.Her parents, Philip and Anne Thomas, started Thomas Landscape and Nursery on South Peoria in the 1920s. Becky and her husband, William W. “Bill” Ansteth, operated the company until his death in 1997.Becky was a graduate of the University of Tulsa.She and Bill established long-term relationships with employees and their families. In recent years, she was close to Sergio Lopez and his extended family in Tabasco, Mexico. Spanish-speaking employees often referred to her as Doña Rebequita. Becky continued to improve her knowledge of Spanish until her death.Becky enjoyed studying flowers, birds and other wildlife. She regularly drove through the Oklahoma Panhandle to Taos, N.M., where she and Bill built a vacation home.Her interest in languages, politics, and geography resulted in travels to Europe and Latin America. She made friends with persons of widely varying backgrounds.She was fond of poetry. She knew many Scottish sayings which she learned from her grandmother.Because of Bill’s interest in aviation, she learned to fly, and soloed in his retractable gear Navion.She followed stock and commodity prices, and liked to talk about saving and investing. She was critical of trends in computer usage, such as smart phones, and often disapproved of financial officials and Silicon Valley billionaires.Survivors include her son, Philip Ansteth of Tulsa; son Dick Ansteth and his wife Judy of Castle Rock, Colorado; daughter Leslie “Suzie” Ansteth Colonna and her husband Dominic of Lisle, Illinois; four grandchildren, Alexandra and Benjamin Ansteth, and Lillian and Joseph Colonna; and one great grandchild, Arianna Auringer.Graveside services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 19, 2016, at Memorial Park Cemetery in Tulsa.Becky was a supporter of The Nature Conservancy. Memorial donations may be made in her name www.nature.org
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