Ann Collier Roberts

Ann Collier Roberts passed away on December 5, 2025 at the age of 91. Ann was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, aunt and music educator.

Ann was born on April 20, 1934 in Fort Worth, Texas, the youngest of three children to Robert and Margaret Collier. Ann's life-long love of music was nurtured at a very young age, as her mother taught piano lessons in the family home. Ann began studying violin in the 5th grade, and this became her passion and her career.

Ann studied violin under Brooks Morris of TCU, gaining accolades as concertmaster in multiple orchestras, and advancing to All-State Orchestra for three years while attending Arlington Heights High School. Ann was also a skilled ice skater, performing with a local Fort Worth group as a young girl.

Ann attended North Texas State University, where she earned both a Bachelor of Music degree and a Master of Music Education degree. It was here where she met both of the men she would later marry, Frank Roberts and Hubert Carson. While studying at NTSU, Ann was a member of the Symphony Orchestra and the Grand Chorus, among other performance groups.

Ann married Hubert and began her teaching career in 1956 in Odessa. Ann and Hubert grew their family after moving to Pampa, where they welcomed two sons, Hubert Glenn and Thomas Ritchey. While living in West Texas, Ann taught both strings and chorus, served as an organist and director of a children's choir, and played in various symphony orchestras, including in San Angelo, Midland, Odessa and Amarillo.

In 1967, the family moved to Lawrence, Kansas, where Ann continued her teaching career, through private lessons, in the public school system, and in her church. She also played in the Lawrence and Emporia State Civic Symphonies during this time. In 1976, her husband, Hubert passed away.

Following the passing of her first husband, Ann reconnected with her college beau from North Texas, Frank Roberts, who was then divorced and the father of three children. In what Ann described as "storybook" fashion, she and Frank were married in March of 1978, and together they blended their family of five children, three boys and two girls. It was at this time that Ann moved to the Houston area with her sons, and began her career teaching orchestra at Cy-Fair High School.

During her long tenure at Cy-Fair, Ann became a mentor to countless local music teachers. The Cy-Fair orchestra program began with one teacher and 45 students but grew under Ann's leadership to a team of eight teachers. In 1990, Ann began oversight of the Galveston Isle Orchestra Festival, which she led for 20 years. In 2015, the festival was officially re-named the Ann C. Roberts Festival in her honor. In 1995, Ann was named TODA Orchestra Director of the

Year, the highest honor for a director in the state of Texas. Ann also served as Region Chair for well over a decade during her tenure at Cy-Fair. Ann retired from teaching in 1998. She was a member of the John Wesley Methodist Church in Houston, where she sang with the church choir for many years alongside her husband, Frank.

Ann was preceded in death by her husband, Frank Roberts; her parents, Robert and Margaret Collier; her first husband, Hubert Carson; her brothers, R.E. Collier and Jeremiah (Jere) Collier; and her son, Thomas Ritchey (Tom) Carson. She is also preceded in death by her loving sisters-in-law, Marjorie Collier and Mary Helen Collier; her nephew, Kent Collier; and her niece, Jane Ann Welch.

Ann is survived by her children, son Glenn Carson of Austin, TX and his wife Lori; step-son Jimmy Roberts of Casper, WY and his wife Gloria; step-daughter Betsy Strasbaugh of Pittsburgh, PA, and her husband Tom; and step-daughter Jennifer Snellgrove of Hurst, TX and her husband, Matthew. Ann is also survived by her grandsons Aidan and Dylan Snellgrove, of Hurst, TX.

Ann will be laid to rest at Brookside Memorial Park on December 11, 2025. A celebration of Ann's life will be held at John Wesley Methodist Church in Houston in early January. Details will be updated through the Klein Funeral Home webpage.

Ann will be greatly missed and her memory will be carried on by all who knew and loved her. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a donation be made in Ann's honor to the Save the Music Foundation or the John Wesley Methodist Church of Houston, Texas.

The family also wishes to thank the staff of the Village at Gleannloch Farms for welcoming Ann into their community and taking such great care of her in her last few months of life. Your dedication and compassion is truly appreciated.