Ann Westendorf Myers

A Graveside Service will be held at 10:30 AM on Saturday, June 8, 2024 in Union Line Cemetery in Soso, MS for Sylvia Ann Hawkins Westendorf Myers, 88, who passed away on May 18, 2024. The Rev. Dr. Karl C. Schaffenburg of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Laurel, MS will conduct the funeral services. Mrs. Myers, a resident of Lafayette, was the daughter of the late Troy Clinton Hawkins and the former Dorothy Willette Darnell. Ann took great pleasure expressing her creativity in fine sewing, gardening & painting. She was an excellent seamstress, creating clothes for herself, her children, and grandchildren. Her yard was worthy of a painting. She loved painting and would use various media for her artwork. Her father had insisted that she take the civil service exam while still in high school. After graduating from George S. Gardiner High School in 1953, eighteen year old Ann boarded the "Southerner" and went to the Pentagon to take a secretarial position. Over the next few years, with a marriage in 1954 and the birth of her children, Ann moved a couple of times between East coast military posts and her hometown of Laurel, Mississippi. In 1961, the Corps of Engineers started site selection and land acquisition in Bay St. Louis for the construction of what would eventually become the Stennis Space Center. Ann, recognizing the growing importance of the space program, secured a position with the Corps of Engineers as a secretary. As NASA grew in importance, she transferred her position and specialized in Equal Employment issues. Eventually, Ann advanced to become the personal assistant and secretary to the director of the Stennis Space Center. In this position, she assisted the Director, Assistant Director, and Public Affairs Office by organizing conferences, meetings, and visits between high level NASA officials as well as inter-agency, international, and state officials. In 1986, she advanced yet again when she accepted a position at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. She served as the Discrimination Complaints Manager and also managed and directed the Federal Women's Program. In 1999, Ann retired from NASA and enjoyed the following 25 years with her growing family. She is survived by her daughter, Angela W. Averitt (Stuart); daughter-in-law; Susan Cox Westendorf; grandchildren, Alexander H. Averitt, Katherine G. Averitt, Victoria Averitt Kidder (Burton), Abigail C. Schwartz, Julia A. Schwartz and her husband Eric Madden, Zachary H. Westendorf, and James M. Westendorf (Tori); great-grandson, Cecil K. Kidder; sisters, Sandra H. Bradley and Troy H. James; and numerous nieces & nephews. She was preceded in death by her infant daughter, Ann Florence Westendorf; son, Mark H. Westendorf; daughter, Jammye W. Schwartz; husband, Myron L. Myers; parents, Troy and Dorothy Hawkins; brother-in-law, W. A. Bradley; and the father of her children, James D. Westendorf. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Heart of Hospice, in memory of Ann. We offer special thanks to the Heart of Hospice staff and caregivers. Personal condolences may be sent to the family of Ann Westendorf Myers at: www.delhommefuneralhome.com Ann Westendorf Myers and her family were cared for and entrusted final arrangements to Delhomme Funeral Home, 1011 Bertrand Drive, Lafayette, LA. Copyright Delhomme Funeral Homes, Inc. May 2024.

Ann Westendorf Myers

May 25, 1935 - May 18, 2024