Anne Crist

She was born May 21, 1926, at Hardy, a daughter of the late O.B. and Wanena Picklesimer Helton. She was also preceded in death by a brother, Billy Helton, and a sister, Mary Louise Helton Owens.

She was, to put it simply, a remarkable woman. She was known for her kind heart, sense of style, vivacious personality, personal glamor, wicked sense of humor and unparalleled zest for life. As Mark Twain once said about his mother, "God never made another one like her, and I want to thank him personally for doing such fine handiwork."

She loved her family, friends, the home she made so lovely, new recipes, old stories, her flowers, a good bargain, shadows dancing on the American flag whipping in the wind in her front yard and every moment of life itself. To paraphrase Mr. Twain, "God never made another one like her, and now he gets to enjoy his handiwork."

Anne was a member of the First Baptist Church in Ashland and the Boyd County Homemakers and was a 1944 graduate of Ashland High School. During World War II, she was the youngest employee at the Clayton-Lambert Munitions Plant. A supervisor who took her off a dangerous job said, "Honey, I gotta move you, because you ain't as big as the shells you're making." Later, she was an area manager for many years at the Olan Mills Portrait Studio, and in the 1980s and 1990s she appeared in many sketches on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," playing characters including Miss Daisy in a "Driving Miss Daisy" skit and Zsa Zsa Gabor slapping a police officer in Beverly Hills.

She is survived by a family who loved her so dearly - her beloved husband, Jack Crist of Ashland (they met in high school and shared a love that spanned seven decades); a son, Robert Dolan Smith (Teresa) of North Hollywood, Calif.; a daughter, Tracy Lurvey (Scott); a special granddaughter, Brittney, of Merrimack, N.H.; and several nieces and nephews.

When the new John Steen Funeral Home and chapel opened on 13th Street, Anne said, "It is a beautiful place, but when my time comes, I want mine in the one down on Central. I'll draw a bigger crowd." Per her wishes, the funeral will be at 1 p.m. today, April 23, 2013, at Steen Funeral Home-Central Avenue Chapel in Ashland by Dr. Harold Moore. Entombment will be in Rose Hill Burial Park Mausoleum in Ashland.

Friends may call after 11 a.m. today at the funeral home.

Contributions are suggested to First Baptist Church, 1701 Winchester Ave., Ashland, KY 41101.

Condolences may be sent to steenfuneralhome.com.