During World War I, Ann Roy’s father nearly lost his life. In that moment, he experienced a vision—that if he survived, something extraordinary would come into his life. That promise was fulfilled in the birth of his daughter, Ann.

Born on December 6, 1926, Ann was raised in a Scottish Episcopal family in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She shared especially close bonds with her father and her grandmother, relationships that figure prominently throughout her stories. Her mother and younger brother also appear in her recollections, shaping the family world that influenced her early life.