Ann Ranta Jordan

As a middle schooler, Ann knew she wanted to be a social worker, with her first volunteer experience being a Candy Striper at Columbia Hospital, where she was born. From parents, teachers, and adults at First Lutheran Church in Astoria, she found the satisfaction of being of service to others as a natural part of her life. An interest in politics was also shaped early. In 1968, Ann was a Kennedy Girl, greeting Senator Robert Kennedy and his wife Ethel at the Astoria airport. During her freshman year at Pacific Lutheran University, she saw that the University of Oregon was launching the Community Service and Public Affairs degree program. This incorporated both her interests and launched her adult life. After transferring to the University of Oregon, Ann met her husband Dave at age nineteen, marrying in 1973, and making them Duck fans for the rest of their lives. Dave’s family, the Jordans, opened their eyes to travel, which would shape their worldview for over 50 years. Between 1977 and 1979, Ann was the Hall Director for the Women’s Dorm at Chico State University. This unique experience allowed Ann and Dave to spend a summer traveling outside the U.S. for the first time. Meeting her Norwegian relatives and sleeping on trains around Europe were adventures that sparked her desire to see as much of the world as possible.

Ann’s greatest joy was her two daughters, Alisa and Erin, both born in Salinas, California. She stopped her work at Monterey County Department of Social Services to be a stay-at-home mom, a great privilege that she knew many women did not have. She continued to be an active volunteer, from her children’s time in elementary through high school in Baltimore County, Maryland. It was through speaking to various government boards and advocating for school funding and arts education that she gained confidence in public speaking. She also served on the Lutheran Social Services Board of Directors, taught Sunday School, and served on the Church Council at St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Timonium, Maryland.

After living on the East Coast for over 20 years, Ann and Dave wanted to return to the West Coast, but their “wagon train” stopped for 10 years in Omaha, Nebraska. This gave them a chance to prepare financially for retirement and gave Ann the opportunity to work in Social Services again. Being in Child Protective Services was the most challenging work of her life. It was also in Omaha, where their travel horizons expanded to include a World Cruise in 2015 and a South American Cruise in 2016. In between their travels, they helped two refugee families from camps in Thailand settle in the Karen community in Omaha.

With the arrival of their dear granddaughter, Eleanor, in 2016, they moved to Brighton, Colorado. Ann’s joy as a grandmother and seeing her grow into a caring and interesting person offered her the best years of her life. It was no surprise that social justice work, while attempting to help those less fortunate, was a comfortable and rewarding aspect of retirement. Ann felt that friends at the Navitiy Lutheran Church and the Crescent Village neighborhood gave her much more than she gave them. Dave and Ann also enjoyed camping around Colorado and nearby states. Ann and Dave recently returned to the Omaha area, and Ann continued her volunteering with Christ the King Lutheran Church and Saint Andres Food Pantry.

Ann is survived by her husband of 52 years, Dave; daughters Alisa Sheth (Karna) and Erin Kurth (Jon); granddaughter Eleanor Kurth; sisters Mary-Alice Ranta (Ken Snyder) and Marilyn Ball; sister-in-law Sheila Ranta; and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Keith Ranta, and nephew Douglas Ranta.

Ann’s family requests that any memorial contributions be made to the San Andres Food Pantry at https://www.sanandresomaha.org/food-pantry