PANSY ANNE SEYMOUR COLSTON, 78, a longtime
resident of Riviera, TX, passed away after a long
illness on Dec. 19, 2010 at her residence sur-
rounded by family, with burial in Riviera, TX
at the Riviera Cemetery.
Anne Colston was born in Ranger, TX on May 11,
1932 to W.L. Seymour & Dessie Mae Crane Seymour.
She attended Ranger High School in the Class of
1949 during our Freshman and Sophomore year. Anne
attended H.M King High School in Kingsville, until
her marriage to Bill Colston in February of 1949.
Before Bill was allowed to take Anne as his wife,
Mr. Seymour sequestered a promise from him…that his
daughter would finish high school. The promise was
kept and Anne graduated in 1953, expecting their
third child, Kay. From their marriage until 1953,
Bill was in the Air Force and Anne traveled with
him, if the locale permitted. Anne worked at Riviera
Telephone Co., Inc. as the only clerk until 1971.
Anne was the first woman to ever attend and graduate
from the Stromberg Carlson Technical School in
Rochester, New York. In 1997, The Texas chapter
of the Independent Telephone Pioneer Association
honored Anne and Bill as the first couple to be
inducted into the "ITPA Hall of Fame". She was the
secretary treasurer of Riviera Telephone Company
until her retirement on December 31, 2003. She
and Bill traveled together until Bill's death in
October 2001.
In January of 2005 Anne was honored at the Celebrity
Weekend as S. Texan of the Year for her contributions
to her community. Anne was, until her death, very
generous to both her family and her community. Anne
was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, a
previous member of the Riviera Volunteer Fire Ladies
Auxiliary, a member of the Independent Telephone
Pioneer Association, a previous member of the Spohn
Kleberg Hospital Auxiliary and a member of the First
Baptist Church of Kingsville.
At the time of her death, Mrs. Colston is survived by
four children, Sue (Dale) Lawrence of Riviera, Bill
(Judy) Colston Jr. of Riviera, Kay (Philip) Bruce of
Edmond, OK, and Leslie (Barbara) Colston of Riviera;
one sister, Polly Seymour Blackwell Atkins (RHS-1941)
of Tyler, TX; nine grandchildren; and 17 great-grand-
children.
