Ann Corless Obituary

Ann Marie Corless
December 21, 1933 - February 18, 2025
Ann Marie Monteski Corless passed away on February 18th at the age of 91. Born and raised in North Dakota, she graduated from Lakota High School in 1951 and went on to major in Home Economics at St. Benedict's College in Joseph, MN. Her favorite song growing up was "Far Away Places with Strange Sounding Names", and travel became her lifelong passion. Upon completing her degree she made her first trip to Europe on the Queen Mary. This was followed by numerous other trips, tours and cruises that ultimately reached all 50 states, more than 60 other countries, every continent (including Antarctica), and all of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
To accommodate her love of overseas travel, Ann changed careers many times, often fitting a long trip in between jobs. She taught High School in Minnesota and Los Angeles, worked in the fashion industry in New York City, did part-time modeling, and held a variety of office jobs in nearly all corners of the U.S., including Miami, San Francisco, Texas, Michigan and Hawaii. Her favorite job was computer programming (during the punch card era) for Dole Pineapple. While in Hawaii, Ann met and married Robert (Lee) Corless, then a major in the U.S. Army. They honeymooned in Tahiti and enjoyed sailing between the islands of Hawaii on their 37-foot sloop, often snorkeling wherever they anchored. Since Lee also loved to travel, the two of them focused the ensuing decades on covering a large map of the world with pins marking all the places they had visited.
In 1998, Ann and Lee retired to Green Valley where she served as president of the Travel Club and was active in the GV Folk Dance Club and the Strolling Valley Players. She also wrote travel articles and edited travel videos. Following Lee's death in 2014, Ann moved to La Posada but continued to do international trips, the last two being to India and Iceland.
Ann was a warm, outgoing and independent person whose spirit will be greatly missed. She is survived by two step-sons, Andrew B. Corless and Christopher L. Corless.
Friends and family are invited to a Rosary Service at 9:30 a.m. and a Funeral Mass at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of the Valley Parish, 505 La Canada, Green Valley, on Tuesday, February 25th, with internment immediately following at Green Valley Cemetery.