Ann Stehno
February 7, 1938 – June 13, 2026
Ann Stehno passed away on Saturday, June 13th, 2026, at the Pikes Peak Hospice in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with family by her side.
Ann Whitehead was born on February 7th, 1938, in Big Springs, Texas. During her early life the family moved almost every month as her father led geological exploration for Conoco Oil. They finally settled in Ponca City, Oklahoma in 1946, where she stayed through high school. In 1960 she received a Bachelor of Science degree from Oklahoma State University, leading to a position with Sinclair Oil in Tulsa.
Ann married Dale Stehno on September 23rd, 1961, in Ponca City, Oklahoma. In 1964 they moved to Whitewater, Wisconsin, where they both worked at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater.
Their two children Cheryl and Brad were born at this time.
In 1971 Ann took a teaching position at Madison Area Technical College, teaching business classes for the next 27 years. She said she particularly got satisfaction from educating women to develop skills they needed to support themselves independently. In 2008 Ann and Dale moved to Colorado to spend the rest of their retirement close to family and friends.
Ann had a positive perspective on life, driven from two life threatening medical events in her youth. Having survived polio and a major car accident, she knew what was important in life to her. She was happy to be alive, satisfied with her life, loved giving to others and sharing in the happiness and joy.
She particularly loved Christmas and all its traditions. She looked forward every year to decorating her Christmas trees and re-telling the stories of where she acquired all her ornaments. She knitted custom Christmas stockings for the family. She delighted in wrapping presents as soon as they were purchased, using excessive amounts of tape and labeling the packages in shorthand that only she could read.
Ann loved to host friends for social gatherings and to play bridge. She travelled around the world with Dale and friends, especially enjoying Santa Fe, the Southwest and Disney World. She had a keen interest in genealogy, having spent considerable time visiting city halls and graveyards in Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado and further afield to document an extensive family history. She was an accomplished knitter and would donate shawls and warm clothing to premature babies. She also enjoyed her weekly bible studies and attending church services before her health started to fail.
After 64 years of marriage, Ann was preceded in death by Dale earlier this year. She is survived by Children Cheryl and Brad, Grandchildren Dylan, Payton, Ailsa and Heather and Great-grandchildren Eric and Thomas.
After cremation Ann will have a celebration of life service for family and be interred next to Dale at the Union Cemetery in Billings, Oklahoma.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to the Pikes Peak Hospice in Colorado Springs at https://pikespeakhospice.org/give
