Anna Jean Minihan, 84, passed away peacefully on February 22, 2023 at Oakley Place in Topeka, where she received loving care and support for her final years. Ann is the daughter of Isabel and Leo Gareis. She was born and raised on a farm near Flush, KS. Ann graduated from Flush High School in 1955 and attended Benedictine college for a year before moving to Topeka.
She married Maurice Minihan on May 30, 1960 in Flush Kansas. Ann and Maurice lived in Topeka where Ann worked for the Santa Fe Railroad for a short time before staying home to raise their 3 sons Mauri Ann, Ron and Bill. After the children went to school, Ann returned to work for the Menninger Foundation as Robert Menninger’s secretary. Ann was an active member of Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church and then joined Mother Teresa Catholic Church when it opened in North Topeka.
Ann was a loving wife and mother to Maurice and his 3 children. She was very community oriented and was very active on various community boards including Most Pure Heart and Mother Teresa as well as the YMCA board. Ann was a 32-year member of the Seaman USD 345 School Board (1977-2009), where she spent many hours helping to improve the quality of education provided to students by Seaman district faculty and staff. When she retired from the school board in 2009, the room where the board meets was named in her honor and remains to this day.
Ann is preceded in her death by her parents Isabel and Leo, sisters Maxine Muir and Cleta Saffelder, and husband Maurice.
She is survived by a daughter Mauri Ann (Jay) Domer of Topeka; two children, Ron (Staci) Minihan of Topeka, Bill (Sara) Minihan of Benton, Kentucky; and 5 grandchildren she was very proud of, Collin (Tawni) Domer, Ryan (Kelsie) Domer, Morgan (Dane) Simoneau, Sam Minihan, Ethan Minihan and Vivian Minihan; She had 5 great grandchildren, Hayes and Myles Domer, Maddie and Quinn Simoneau, Oaklynn Domer.
A rosary will be said starting at 9:00am on Wednesday 1st March 2023 at Mother Teresa Catholic Church, followed by a family visit from 9:30am to 10:30am. The funeral mass will follow the timetable of the visit. The Christian Burial Mass will begin at 11am. Interment will follow at Prairie Home Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Seaman Education Advantage Foundation or Mother Teresa Catholic Church and sent by Davidson Funeral Home. www.davidsonfuneral.com.
Published online February 24, 2023
Published in Topeka Capital Journal
