Anne Limbaugh

Following a lengthy illness with Parkinson's disease, Anne M. Limbaugh died Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017, at her home in St. Louis.

She was born March 10, 1930, in Joplin, Missouri, to Augustus James and Lucille Pennington Mesplay.

Her high-school education was completed in May 1945 at St. Teresa's Academy in Kansas City, Missouri.

Immediately on graduation, Anne and her mother moved to Honolulu to join her father, who had been stationed there following the Pearl Harbor attack. Her father was a civilian engineer who, with others, helped build Trippler General Hospital in Honolulu. After living there for two years and attending the University of Hawaii, she came to Columbia, Missouri, to attend the University of Missouri and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education in January 1951. At Mizzou, she was a member of the Delta Gamma Sorority. She did her practice teaching with Dr. Mary Jesse, the daughter of the university president for whom Jesse Hall was named, and she received a teaching certificate for grades kindergarten through nine.

Shortly before graduation, Anne and Stephen N. Limbaugh were married, and that union would have spanned 67 years Dec. 27, 2017. In the spring of 1951, Anne was a residence-hall counselor at Stephens College while her husband was completing law school.

Anne and Steve located in Cape Girardeau during the summer of 1951 and continued to live there until 1983, when they moved to St. Louis.

Not content with rearing three sons and substitute teaching, Anne was engaged heavily in community service in Cape Girardeau from 1951 to 1983. She and others organized the Cape Civic Center, which provided a place for underprivileged young people to use for recreation as a pre-Head Start program. Forming a well-baby clinic, she solicited two doctors and a nurse, acquired a facility and obtained the serum to provide free inoculations for over 5,000 infants and young people. As a charter member of Southeast Missouri Hospital Auxiliary, she started the snack bar, which today has grown into large food, beverage and lounging areas for hospital visitors. Using the hospital facilities, she started the first Meals on Wheels program, providing nutritious meals to homebound recipients.

Anne also organized and was the first president of the Auxiliary of Mid-America Teen Challenge, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center, and she formed the affiliate Teen Challenge thrift store to obtain funds for the center. She served as vice-chairman of the Housing Committee of "Cape-Go," a community betterment organization. Early on, she was named Outstanding Young Woman of the Year by the Cape Girardeau Jaycees.

She served as a Cub Scout den mother, was on the Red Cross Board of Directors for six years, served for 10 years as a director of Southeast Missouri Council on the Arts, operated the nursery-school program at Centenary United Methodist Church for six years and was a member of Chapter BI of PEO.

Her involvement in Republican politics was substantial. She was a co-director of the Cape Girardeau County Republican Headquarters for four presidential elections and three senatorial and three congressional races. She helped organize 10 Lincoln Day banquets and many other political rallies.

While in St. Louis, she was co-chairwoman for the spouses' activities for the annual meetings of The Missouri Bar in 1990 and 1991 and the meeting of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in 1988. She also served as a member of the Missouri Governors Council on Aging for four years. In 1992 and 1993, she co-chaired the Annual Justice for All Ball of Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, and she and Sue Voorhees organized the first auction for the ball. In addition, she became a member of the screening team for the Delta Gamma Center for children with visual impairments.

She is survived by her husband, Stephen N. Limbaugh Sr.; three sons, Stephen N. (Marsha) Limbaugh Jr. of Cape Girardeau, James P. (Benita) Limbaugh of Cape Girardeau and Andrew T. Limbaugh of St. Louis; five grandchildren, Stephen N. (Jennifer) Limbaugh III of Los Angeles, Christopher K. Limbaugh of Cape Girardeau, Katherine D. (Steven) Foristal of St. Louis, James P. Limbaugh II of Houston and Margaret E. (Joseph) Mills of San Diego; three great-grandchildren, Steven J. Foristal Jr., Hudson J. Foristal and Jack A. Foristal of St. Louis; one brother-in-law, Manley O. (Mary) Limbaugh of Chester, Illinois; and many nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. today at Centenary United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau. A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at the church, followed by interment at New Lorimier Cemetery. A memorial service also will be held in two weeks at Salem United Methodist Church in St. Louis.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Centenary United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau, Mid-America Teen Challenge, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri or the church or charity of your choice.

Ford and Sons Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau is in charge of arrangements.

Online condolences may be made at www.fordandsonsfuneralhome.com.