Ann Bryan Pennington Olson, age 73, of 106 Enderley Road, Valley Ridge, Covington, died Tuesday, October 25, 2016 at LewisGale Hospital Alleghany, Low Moor.

She was born November 15, 1942 in Alamance County, North Carolina to the late Robert Edward Pennington, Sr. and Mary Lee Whitley Pennington.

Ann was born with a heart condition known as Tetralogy of Fallot, or "blue baby", and was the first North Carolina recipient of the Blalock-Taussig procedure, which improved the flow of blood from the heart to the lungs of very young patients like her that would otherwise have died, and allowed young Ann to thrive and grow. This surgery, and another in 1968, which fully corrected the malformation in her heart, ensured that Ann could enjoy a full life.

She attended Elon College in Burlington, NC and was a medical secretary for the Clinical Laboratory Department at Alleghany Regional Hospital for seven years.

She was active in the Republican Party and loved ballroom dancing.

Ann believed that the Lord Jesus Christ was her savior and that God's answer to death is resurrection.

She is survived by her husband, Bruce David Olson of Valley Ridge, Covington; a sister, Kay P. Ownby and husband, James of Maryville, TN; two brothers, Robert E. Pennington, Jr. and wife, June of Burlington, NC, and William James Pennington of Hillsborough, NC; two nieces, Shannon Prentice and husband, Jay, and Loree Ann Pennington; a nephew, Robert Jeff Pennington and wife, Lisa; and a cousin, Susan Litchfield.

The family will receive friends on Friday evening, October 28, 2016 from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. at Nicely Funeral Home in Clifton Forge.

Following the visitation, Ann's body will be removed to Rich & Thompson Funeral Home, in Burlington, North Carolina, and a graveside funeral service will be conducted at a later date in Alamance Memorial Park, Burlington.

The family suggests memorial tributes take the form of contributions in Ann’s memory to the Dabney S. Lancaster Community College Educational Foundation, P. O. Box 1000, Clifton Forge, VA 24422.

To send condolences to the family online, please visit www.nicelyfuneralhome.com.