Edith Ann Brian

Edith Ann Brian Emmett was born to George Earl Emmett and Edith Maude Byrd Emmett on March 30, 1944, in Jackson, Mississippi. At the age of four, the family moved to Dallas, Texas where Ann spent her formative years, graduating from Bryan Adams High School in 1962. After one year at Mississippi College, her parents’ alma mater, Ann moved back to Texas and attended Baylor University, graduating with an English teaching degree. During the summer between Mississippi college and Baylor, Ann attended a summer camp in Glorietta, New Mexico where she met Tom Brian. That meeting would be fortuitous as they were re-introduced later at a dinner party at Baylor. After graduating from Baylor, Tom and Ann were married in 1969 and began teaching careers in Texas. Ann taught English for two years in Ralls, Texas and two years in Lorenzo, Texas before the couple moved back to Waco so Tom could attend Baylor Law School. After Law School graduation in 1976, the now family of three, after the adoption of their eldest “Tommy”, moved to Wichita Falls for a year before finally settling in Crosbyton, Texas where they established roots and adopted Katy and Laurie. Ann taught English and directed school plays for several years at Crosbyton High School but most of the time in Crosbyton involved managing the house, raising her three children, supporting Tom, and staying engaged in her local church community and various charitable organizations. The couple moved to Lubbock, Texas in 2002. During the time in Lubbock, Ann was a daily caregiver to two of her grandsons, Isaiah and Carter and her elderly mother. In 2012, Tom retired, and the couple moved to Kansas to be closer to their grandchildren. In 2024, Ann moved into Presbyterian Manor in Topeka where she resided until her death. Throughout her life, she remained involved in Bible studies both personally and through her church. She loved to travel and had the chance to travel to Russia on a mission trip in 1996 with her son. She and Tom spent time in Kenya, Scotland and the Bahamas. Despite international travel, one of Ann’s favorite places to visit was her alma mater Baylor University. She loved to walk through the campus, reminisce with Tom, and smell her favorite flowers, magnolias. Hospitality was one of Ann’s main gifts. Her home typically had a music or radio program playing while she organized her kitchen…again. Family meals were a critical staple in her home, and she was a wonderful cook. Her recipe book collection and handwritten cards stuffed inside are testaments to her love of cooking. She and Tom loved to decorate for the holidays, and their homes were places full of delight and wonder for the children and grandchildren. Ann is remembered as the kindest, most gentle person you could imagine. She had no enemies and got along well with everyone. Words that describe Ann are gentle, kind, hospitable, faithful, encouraging and tender to name a few. She was a friend to everyone and made people feel welcome and loved. Ann is now with her parents, George and Edith and eldest daughter, Katy who preceded her in death in 2010. She is survived by her husband, Tom J. Brian; son, Tom “Tommy” and his wife Susan Brian of Topeka; daughter, Laurie and her husband Mitch Rambo of Lubbock; six wonderful grandchildren, who will miss their Nene, Isaiah Wiley, Carter, Ian, Cameron, Clivens, and Amy Brian all of Topeka; and brother, George Emmett and his wife Veda of Boulder, Colorado. The family is grateful that Ann is now with Jesus and has been made whole, enjoying the presence of her eternal father and reunited with those who went before her. We are confident and comforted in the fact that when she entered forever, she heard Jesus say, “Well done my good and faithful servant” and we will see her again. Funeral service will be 2 p.m. Friday, August 22, 2025, at Lakeside Baptist Church, 10435 NW Parr, Silver Lake KS 66539. Burial will follow at Prairie Home Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Wayland Baptist University, for the Katy Brian Wiley Memorial Endowed Scholarship, sent in care of Kevin Brennan Family Funeral Home, 2801 SW Urish Road, Topeka KS 66614. Condolences may be sent online at www.kevinbrennanfamily.com

Edith Ann Brian

March 30, 1944 - August 20, 2025