Ms. AnnaBelle F. Warchol's Obituary
Anna Belle Warchol was born in Matagorda Texas on October 19, 1918. As a child her stay in Matagorda was brief because her parents moved to Sealy, Texas. Anna Belle was raised in Sealy and then moved to Houston, Texas where her father, Edward Willy worked for the railroad. To help the family Anna Belle's mom,Lillian Willy ran a boarding house, providing meals and lodging for traveling baseball teams. Many young baseball players, some who went on to fame, walked through the doors of "Mrs. Willy's" boarding house. One day, a pitcher named Steve Warchol from Chicago arrived at Mrs. Willy's door. He was young, confident and could throw a killer fast ball. Steve also threw a fast eye at Anna Belle. Ultimately Steve and Anna Belle got married. Like so many people of that time Steve went off to War in the Pacific. Keeping with her love for baseball Anna Belle began playing baseball in the women's league during World War II. Her baseball career allowed her to travel the US seeing places a young girl from Matagorda, Texas may never have seen. Anna Belle played short stop and third base. She was an accomplished hitter and could smoke a fast ball over the outfield fence. As evidenced by past newspaper articles she was respected but feared by her opponents. Anna Belle and her team's accomplishments reached the zenith by playing in the women's league world series in Canada and winning. At the conclusion of World War II and the demise of the women's baseball league Steve and Anna Belle settled down in Houston, Texas and began raising their family. Anna Belle and Steve were blessed with 3 children, Steve, Lucille and Nancy. There has never been a greater love than Anna Belle's love for her children. Anna Belle who is also known as Mau Mau was always ready to have a good time. She loved to travel. She has put her toes in the sand in the Cayman's, sipped a Margarita in Mexico, watched the sunrise from a balcony in Hilton Head and watched the sunset over the island of Curacao. Anna Belle loved people. She frequently told me that everyone has a story and with a little encouragement most people will tell their story. Whether she was waiting for an airplane, doctor's appointment or frequenting a garage sale she would find someone to talk to. She would relay the information to us and it normally began "I met the most interesting person....". She told me one time "I don't know why people tell me the things they do". The answer was simple Anna Belle was an exceptionally kind person with an attentive ear that was truly interested in what one had to say. Anna Belle never met a stranger. When Anna Belle wasn't traveling you could find her puttering around in her yard. For Anna Belle "puttering around" equated working from dawn to dusk, pulling weeds, planting plants, trimming flowers and a host of other chores. She loved her flowers and she loved those sales at Lowe's. Rarely did she ever go to Lowe's without coming home with a trunk and backseat full of plants, shrubs, soil, fertilizers and flowers. As she told me one time "I have a friend who works there and sells me this stuff for a little of nothing"..... can you imagine that? Try to visualize a tropical jungle in the middle of Pearland, Texas. All of us liked when Mau Mau came to visit. Not only would she bring her love and warmth but you could count on some serious cooking to take place. Two places Mau Mau was the happiest, a grocery store and in the kitchen. When she was cooking the best thing one could do was to go into full retreat, stay out of her way and patiently wait for the end result. She could "gin" out some of the finest cooking known to man kind. Anna Belle treasured her family. It was her three children and their respective family's that Anna Belle was most proud. She could look at them and say look what I have brought forth. My children are happy and I have a stable of loving and happy grandchildren and great grandchildren. There is always a bond between a mother and child. Anna Belle carried that same bond to her grand children and great grandchildren. She loved and cared deeply for each and everyone of them. Anna Belle spread her love and inspiration to others. The line between friend and family blurred when she spoke of Jose and Irma Rodriguez. Many hours were spent with Jose sitting under the umbrella discussing children, accomplishments, failures and if all else failed politics. They shared their secrets but most important they shared their heart. Jose and Irma had a special place in Anna Belle's heart and they too will always have a special place in ours.
What’s your fondest memory of AnnaBelle?
What’s a lesson you learned from AnnaBelle?
Share a story where AnnaBelle's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with AnnaBelle you’ll never forget.
How did AnnaBelle make you smile?