Elizabeth Ann Aaro

Elizabeth "Ann" Aaro was born in 1926, in Aberdeen, SD. She passed on September 20th, 2021, at the age of 95, after a full and happy life. Her parents were Earl and Jeanette (Hedger) Pittenger. She was an active child, who loved to ride her bike around town, getting to know as many people as possible. In High School, as in life, she was an extroverted social butterfly and loved to sing and dance. She met her husband, Leonard, in High School. She was self-depreciating and loved to tell her children that she got "every grade they gave" in her first year of college. After marrying Leonard in 1949, they spent time at Elgin Air Force Base in Florida, where Leonard served 2 years in the Air Force. They moved to Rochester, MN, in 1954, where Leonard practiced medicine as an Ob/Gyn. Ann and Leonard happily produced five children, the last two being twins. She was a proud and protective mother and taught her children to be respectful and understanding of others. She was definitely the disciplinarian of the family. Ann and Leonard developed numerous close friendships over the years, loved to host dinner parties and generally had an idyllic adulthood. Every spring they loaded up all the children in the family station wagon and drove to Florida for Spring break. When the children were young, to take a break from motherhood, Ann starred in two musicals at the newly opened Rochester Civic theatre, there she was able to use her college degree in music and voice. She also taught music before starting her family. She and her husband loved to travel and took their kids to many of the national parks out west and parks and historic stops on the way to and from Florida. Ann was a rabid Vikings fan and the games brought out her aggressive side. There were statements like "kill them!" to tackle the opponents and screams of outrage when the Vikings missed a pass, extra point or touchdown. Ann was a master of facial expressions, which were always humorously understood. When Leonard passed in 2005, after 57 years of marriage, she kept up with her many friendships & playing bridge. She was lucky enough to travel abroad with her daughter, Jean, on four wonderful world-wide cruises and a cruise, with her twin daughters, on their 50th birthdays down the St. Lawrence Seaway. As she aged and slowed down, she continued to be a friend to all and welcomed strangers to Charter House, a Rochester retirement community. Dementia diminished her last 3 years but she was sweet, kind and an optimist to the end. She was loved and will be sadly missed. She was preceded in death by her parents and husband. Ann is survived by: her sister, Mary Jane Brown, of Rochester, MN, Karl (Anne Lise) of Stillwater, MN, Jean (Dave Stiller) of Durango, CO, Tom (Karen) of Jacksonville, FL, Kathy of Rochester, MN, Beth Boyd (Bob) of Athens, TX. She has 5 grandchildren: Sonja Vogel (Tom) of Apple Valley, MN, Adam (Jackie) of Springboro, OH, David of Jacksonville, FL, Karli Boyd of Dallas, TX and Jamie Boyd, of Norman, OK. Her 3 great grandchildren are: Sylvie, Violet and Josie of Springboro, OH. A celebration of life is planned for October 23rd, at 11 am, at Ranfranz & Vine Remembrance and Reception Centre, 5482 Royal Place NW, Rochester, MN. Due to Covid-19, masks will be required and social distancing will be observed. In lieu of flowers please consider a gift to Planned Parenthood or TPT-Twin Cities PBS. Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Home is honored to be serving the Aaro family; to share a special memory or condolence please visit www.ranfranzandvinefh.com Click here to watch the livestream of Ann Aaro's service: https://www.facebook.com/Ranfranzandvine/