Annabelle Conley Akey  Ricketts (Age 95)  
Born in Mason City, IA on July 31, 1924, Annabelle Conley grew up in Livermore, IA. After graduating high school and beauty school she went on vacation to Los Angeles, CA and liked it so much she decided to stay. She married Harold W. Akey, who had just finished military service in WWII, on July 3, 1945 and they moved to Elko, NV. In 1960, they moved to South Lake Tahoe, CA and retired to rural Missouri in 1977. Following Harold's death in 1982, Annabelle reconnected with a high school friend, Kenneth W. Ricketts. They married in 1985, and she moved to Marshalltown, IA with him. Annabelle and Kenny spent summers in Iowa and winters near Phoenix, AZ, where she took up oil painting, producing many lovely landscapes, floral paintings, as well as portraits and wildlife paintings that were given to family and friends.Following Kenny's death in 2000, Annabelle moved to Silver Spring, MD in 2001 and lived with her daughter Catherine. After several years of failing health she passed away on February 5, 2020. Annabelle was preceded in death by her parents, Lucy and Frank Conley; her husbands, Harold Akey and Kenny Ricketts; sister, Betty Nelson; infant daughter, Diane and niece, Barbara St. Amand. She has two surviving children, Sharon Akey of Sacramento, CA and Catherine Akey of Silver Spring, MD; brother-in-law, Lyle Nelson of Iowa, and sister-in-law, Evonne Larson of California. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Humane Rescue Alliance, 71 Oglethorpe St. NW, Washington, DC 20011 or The Gorilla Foundation, 1733 Woodside Rd #330, Redwood City, CA 94061.Annabelle will be dearly missed by her family and friends. A Memorial Mass will be offered at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 12319 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20904, on Tuesday, February 18, 2020 at 2 p.m.. www.COLLINSFUNERALHOME.com