Obituary of Elizabeth Ann Christmann

Elizabeth Ann Christmann- affectionately called Tata, or Tot, was born in Denver, Colorado, to Elizabeth Louise Lockridge and Thaddeus Leon Lockridge. She had one sister, Mary. Ann lived life to its fullest and was full of adventure. She was the kind of person who would turn a stranger into a friend and then keep them for life.

In college, she met a young man during a snowball fight. He thought she was the prettiest girl he’d seen and accepted a bet with a friend that he’d get her to go out with him first. The only problem was… she was a year his senior, and she seemed like the traditional type. So, he lied to her about his age and convinced her to go out with him. It didn't take much convincing.  She told her roommate that same day that she was pretty sure she loved him even though she didn't know him yet.

She wouldn’t find out about his fib until they went to sign their marriage license, and she thought the date was a mistake. What maybe began with a lie turned into the most genuine of partnerships. He kept her on her toes and always made her laugh. She made sure he was brought back in line when it was needed.

John (or Johnny as she called him) was on the ski patrol. The first day he brought her with him, his buddies gave him grief that she would slow them down. She promptly beat every one of them down the mountain. Little did they know, she would be ranked the 3rd downhill skier in the entire nation. She was on track to go to the Olympics, but in a turn of unfortunate events, they discovered she had crippling arthritis.

Thankfully for dreamers, there’s always a new dream on the horizon, and Ann focused her passion into raising her three beautiful kids in Lubbock, Texas: John, Jeff, and Jennifer. With having twins, and John still being a toddler, she used to tell people all the time about how she cared for three in diapers. She also began serving through the Lubbock Junior League and PEO (she never would reveal what it stood for to her grandchildren). She helped start a women's protective shelter, and was honored to be a part of a community that her mother, grandmother, and mother-in-law had all loved.

Ann taught elementary English for a while and talked about how much fulfillment she found in being a teacher. She put everything she had into the relationships around her and became the biggest cheerleader for her kids, from track meets to football games to horse shows and all the events in between. She was thrilled when all of her kids fell in love and found their spouses. Heather, Jeff, and Bandi all became her bonus kids. She and Johnny were so proud of them all.

In 1994, she stepped into a new role as Ann became known as Tata to her grandkids: Caroline, Jordann, Allie, Jace, Jennah, Ashleigh, Jarrett, and Claire. She’d have multiple kids on her lap-- reading stories and making up songs for them. When they got older, she and Johnny (now known as Grandad) began taking all 8 grandkids by themselves on what they called “Kid trips”. They’d rent a van and road trip all over the northwest. They taught the kids about photography as they were learning too. In their own way, they were teaching them how to see the world through their own unique perspectives and that beauty can come from ordinary things.

In the early 2000s they moved from Pinedale, Wyoming, to Hamilton, Montana, to run a pheasant hunting ranch on the Bitterroot River. Ann was so proud that her house looked up at Downing Mountain, which had been named after her grandfather. Legacy and heritage meant a lot to her and she spent countless hours researching genealogies. She would tell stories of the people who had come before, giving her kids and grandkids a standard to live up to. To her, your name, your word, and your reputation meant a lot. She was proud of the family legacy that she carried and subsequently passed on.  

Although her family went to church earlier in her life, Ann truly found her faith at Greenwood Baptist while visiting her daughter in Texas. She then found her own church community in Hamilton. In 2018, the Christmanns returned to Texas. Johnny found his own relationship with the Lord in the middle of his cancer battle, and Ann rededicated her life alongside him at his baptism. Nothing brought her more joy than knowing for certain that her husband had a relationship with Jesus.

Johnny would see Christ in all of His glory shortly after that. Ann was faithfully by his side the entire way and loved him with her whole heart.

In 2022, Ann moved to Fort Worth. She blossomed there- building a community for herself, working towards her Life Masters in Bridge, taking care of her Cavaliers, and adopting all of the stray cats that were hungry or cold (Johnny never let her have cats before). She also became a great grandmother in 2024 as Jozie Elizabeth was born. Later, she was ecstatic to hear her second great granddaughter, Anna Claire was on the way. She thought it was neat that both her great granddaughters would share parts of her name. She loved adults, but kids made her light up like nothing else.

Ann met her Lord and Savior on February 3, 2025, surrounded by family and her dear friend, Sharon Martin. She is now reunited with her parents and the love of her life. For the first time in over 60 years, Ann is free of the pain that captivated her body but never dulled her spirit. She will be remembered by her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and innumerable beloved friends.

If you’d like to honor Ann, you can do so by one of the following:

Complete a puzzle- but make sure it’s a hard one.

Drink a diet lemonade from Chic-Fil-A.

Take pictures of things that make you smile.

Read a book to a child.

Take a road trip with a loved one.

Feed a stray cat or dog.

Start a family tradition.

Get to know a stranger.

Tell someone you love them.