Annie Lee Burks nee Little was born on January 7, 1946, in Louisville, Kentucky, to James Arthur Little and Mary Emma Little nee Moore. Annie attended the Tuscaloosa public school system, and it was there she would meet and eventually marry the late Jerry D. Burks Sr. The young couple was joined in holy matrimony on September 23, 1963. Desiring to create a better life for their growing family they relocated to Cleveland, Ohio. Annie accepted Christ at an early age, and after settling in Cleveland, she joined Good Hope Baptist Church under the leadership of the late Reverend George J. Bradford.  There, she rededicated herself to God while introducing her family to Jesus. Always striving to improve her families’ quality of life, Annie and her family relocated to Maple Heights, Ohio, in 1971.

Annie settled comfortably into her life in Maple Heights and would reside there for 50+ years before being called home to Heaven. During the time she resided in Maple Heights, she positively impacted her community as an advocate, a good and helpful neighbor. She was known as the nice and sweet neighborhood mom who would provide hearty and delicious meals to anyone in need. Annie was known and well respected for her holiday gatherings. During one Christmas holiday, her home was a popular meeting place where everyone felt safe, loved, joyful, and it didn’t hurt that they ate well too. Her children and grandchildren could be often found teasing her with their various terms of endearment: Anna Lee, Ann Lee Handle, Gramcracker, Monopoly, Nana, and Queen of Spades.

Annie loved the church and the Lord. You could always find her with her Bible open and studying. If you ever come to her with a problem, she would always ask if you prayed about it first and provided you with a scripture to meditate on. She loved attending her home church Providence Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor Rodney Maiden. You could often find her sitting in the front of the church in an area she called, “The Season Saints Section.

Annie was happy and filled with joy to serve the Lord and to share His goodness with everyone she met, even while employed in various positions. She was a diligent and a hard worker; she made friends quickly and loved sharing her faith with others. Throughout her work history, and schooling Annie would receive numerous awards, recognitions, while earning the respect of everyone she met.  Annie worked for Stouffer’s Frozen Foods and eventually retired in 1985 from her position as a supervisor due to health concerns and her family obligations

In her spare time, she loved shopping for herself and others(fashionista), pampering herself, creating silk floral arrangements, redecorating her home, gardening, cooking (her culinary skills were top notch) in which she found any reason to have a dinner party, and spending time with her family. Annie enjoyed and welcomed the opportunity to bond with her grandchildren and great grandchildren, especially good old fashion family fun day by way of board games, (her version of Monopoly) in which she always seemed to win, Spades, going to the movies, and going out to dinner. Every life altering event, i.e. weddings, graduations, birthday celebrations, etc. she would be there wearing her Sunday’s best.

Annie was known for her infectious smile that would light up a room, warm hearts and she was known for having a great listening ear, because she didn’t pass judgment. Her daughter Tammy once said, “everyone is not born with compassion, but Mom had an abundance of it.”

Her final destination, heaven-bound, was on June 1, 2024, when she met her Heavenly Father and received her crown. Annie is survived by five (5) sisters, four sisters and a brother preceded her in death. Annie had 8 children, two preceded her in death, Jessie L Little(Kim) and Terry Burks, Jerry D Burks Jr.(Renee), Tammy Bougere, Teresa Mosesley, Tonya Burks, Timothy Campbell, Charmone Adams(Joi), and 1 daughter in-love Kim, 21 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren, a host of nieces, nephews and cousins, and 3 close friends with 50+ years of friendship, Mrs. Carolyn Hill, Mrs. Gwen Tolbert, and Mrs. Constance Mathews.