Ann Myers

Ann Myers of Spartanburg, S.C. passed away on June 1, 2026, at 88 years of age after a brief illness.

Ann was the loving wife of Dudley Myers for 65 years and the devoted mother to Wil Myers for 58 years. She was also my mother, and she was the closest thing to a living saint as we are likely to see in this world. Let me tell you why …

In 1978 Ann’s youngest son Wilburn Presley Myers - Wil - suffered a traumatic brain injury at the age of 13. Wil was left unable to do anything for himself; he couldn’t speak, see, clothe, or bathe. He had to be fed. His linens had to be changed. He had to be given medications, to be turned in the bed regularly to prevent bed sores and pneumonia, to be exercised to maintain suppleness in his limbs, and to be tended by others for his toilet needs. Eventually, after many surgeries and trips to consult specialists all over the United States, it became clear that Wil would not recover. This is the reality of life for many brain injury victims.

My mother performed for her son all the tasks that were necessary to make him as comfortable as his circumstances could permit. She bathed, cooked for, fed, changed, exercised, encouraged, read to, joked with, bought presents for, and in a thousand ways that are at once too great and too small to list in this tribute, cared for her injured son. Wil could not respond. He could not thank her for her efforts; he could not reward her toils with improvement; he could not acknowledge the life devoted to him.

Ann cared for Wil for 43 years, until his death in 2023 at the age of 58.

I cannot remember my mother ever complaining. She was impeccably dressed every day. Her home was always spotless and in order. She greeted visitors with a smile and gracious hospitality. She made wonderful meals. She kept meticulous records of Wil’s vital statistics and medications. In 43 years of caring for her bedridden son, he never developed a bed sore, never became malnourished, never was unshaven, never was unkempt or untidy.

There was much more to my mother than caring for Wil. She loved to read mysteries and travel histories, especially those detailing the exploration of mysterious and dangerous places. She loved to garden, and her home was a riot of colorful flowers. She liked to bake, and every Thanksgiving her pecan and lemon pies were a hit. She left nuts and apple slices for the chipmunks that lived under the shed in the back yard and loved the bluebirds that nested every summer in the birdhouse above the patio.

Some would say that my mother’s life was defined by Wil’s accident. What really defined her life was her response to my brother’s misfortune. What my mother did was not rewarded on this earth. Her quiet love and strength weren’t celebrated. She never expected or asked that they be.

I don’t know how she did it. To me and to anyone who saw her she was an inspiration and the example of unconditional love and sacrifice. That’s what saints are.

Ann Myers will be buried beside her husband Dudley and her son Wil on Tuesday, June 23, at 3:00 pm at the Mount Lawn Cemetery in North Wilkesboro, NC. 

She would want to be remembered by generous donations in lieu of flowers to the Charles Lea Center iFoundation,195 Burdette St, Spartanburg, SC 29307, online at https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/CharlesLeaCenterFoundation/OnlineDonation.html An online guest registry is available at www.floydmortuary.com