M.T. VANN

July 28, 1961 - Dec. 31, 2016

On New Year’s Eve 2016, I, along with many others, lost a dear friend, M.T. Vann. M.T. was born and raised in Springfield and was a part of so many aspects of this community. Over 800 people attended her Celebration of Life on Jan. 6, 2017.

M.T. was a part of the real estate community, the LGBT community, the auctioneer community, the recovery community, and she was politically active and always working to make a difference. She shared her time and talents with so many people and always offered a hand to help make someone’s life a bit easier or better. At the same time, she held people accountable and wanted to see them do better and get better. If she could not do something, she would find someone who could. “I’ve gotta guy” was a common M.T. phrase and she would hook you up with a person to fix your plumbing or car, roof your house or groom your pet.

I had the privilege of working with M.T. as she was on the Phoenix Center board of directors for many years, serving as both vice president and president, and I had the honor of calling her my friend.

–Submitted by Jonna J Cooley, Ph.D., executive director, Phoenix Center