Annabelle Schofield Vance passed away February 22, 2016. She was born May 26, 1933 in Salford, England to Arthur and Annie Bell Schofield. Annabelle was evacuated to Fleetwood in 1939 at the beginning of World War II. When bombing became imminent, she was among the 172,000 children who were evacuated from Manchester. At the height of the war, Annabelle's Father was disabled in a bus accident. The family could no longer afford the trip to visit Annabelle in Fleetwood, so she was brought home and faced the war up close and personal. Her entire family served heroically in war. A definition of class is those who maintain their bearing and dignity in the face of great adversity, and her family was never short of those three. Annabelle married John Vance on March 23, 1957 at the Singleton Presbyterian Mission in Salford. Her childhood turned out to be basic training for a soldier's wife. Annabelle and John had one child, John Arthur Vance who was born in 1963.
Annabelle became a naturalized U.S. Citizen at the Eastern Illinois U. S. District Court at Danville, Illinois on February 1, 1967. She also retained her British Citizenship, and has strove tirelessly to bring credit to both nations.
Annabelle actually was a model in several fashion shows. Long elegant black hair and a statuesque figure made her a runway standout. From 1967 to 1970, she was the principal in a U.S. State Department registered People to People project. The objectives of the project were to provide cultural exchange and conversational English language for a group of Japanese Business Men and one Lady TV editor.
Annabelle began her volunteer service in 1964 at Chanute Air Force Base Hospital in Illinois as a way to give back a little for the excellent care she and her son had received there. Annabelle was also an American Red Cross volunteer attending to the wounded soldiers in the Army Hospital at Camp Drake in Japan during the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War. She served as the head of the American Red Cross volunteers at Kirtland Air Force Base Hospital and earned the distinction of "exceptional volunteer." She worked as an Air Force Civil Service Pediatric Nursing Assistant for 12 years. Her training as a volunteer qualified her for the position. Every year that she worked, she received a cash bonus for her outstanding performance.
Annabelle is considered precious and irreplaceable by her family.
Annabelle is survived by her husband, John Vance; her son, John Arthur Vance and wife Sandra; and her grandson, Andrew John Vance, all of Albuquerque.
Memorial Services will be held Tuesday, March 8, 2016, 10:00 a.m., at FRENCH - Wyoming. Her final resting place will be, appropriately, Santa Fe National Cemetery.
FRENCH - Wyoming
7121 Wyoming Blvd. NE
(505) 823-9400
Service Details
Tuesday, March 8th, 2016, 10:00am, FRENCH - Wyoming