Local News - July 2003

Trophy store owner retires after 30 years

By AMY WADSWORTH, Staff Writer

This past Friday, Ann Cloninger hung up her key at Cloninger Trophies in Denver.

It was time to retire, she said.

Cloninger has had her business for 30 years.

“I have worked my whole life,” Cloninger said. “I thought now that I am 65, I should stop working.”

Cloninger started her career with trophies to help her husband, Ray, when he was doing horseshows.

“My husband got the idea to put on small horseshows as a hobby,” Cloninger said. “I started doing trophies, ribbons, and secretarial work.”

After her husband started managing the horseshows, Cloninger started the trophy business on her own.

She taught herself how to make the trophies. Now she said it is like second-nature.

“I just read all the books on how to do it,” she said. “Now, I could do it blindfolded.”

Cloninger said the hardest part about retiring will be not communicating with the people she has met. She has made a lot of friendships.

“I have had to listen to a lot of stories, with marital problems and separation,” she said. “I guess I am just an easy person to talk to.”

There are many things that Cloninger is looking forward to with her retirement. One of those things is being able to travel with her husband.

 “He is gone for a week at a time in different states with the horseshows,” she said. “So now I will be able to go with him.”

Being retired will also allow Cloninger to spend more time with family. She has three children and a beautiful new grandchild named Reagan.

Loosing a daughter, Ginger to cancer when Ginger was only 15, Cloninger holds her family close.

“We have all changed because of what happened,” she said. “I want to spend as much time with them as possible.”

Her place of business will be handed over to her husband who will bring in his horse show business, “Ray Cloninger Horse Shows Services.”

Cloninger has sold her business to Jack Funk, who owns A-2-Z Promotional Products in Denver. Funk expressed an interest in her business four years ago. Last year, it came up again. At that time, Cloninger was not ready to give up her business.

“I was just not ready in my mind to retire,” she said. “I have never had the luxury to be unemployed.”

Now that Cloninger is ready, she said Funk will be a good person to take over the business. Funk moved all the trophies over to his place of business this past weekend.

“I think he will do a good job with it,” she said. “He was really interested and I think he will treat customers the way that I did.”

Funk already does trophies in his business so by buying Cloninger’s business, he will simply be expanding.

Funk met Cloninger eight years ago.

“She sold me trophies when I was doing my kids baseball team,” he said. “That was a long time ago.”

The name of Funk’s business will not change. It is located at 4264 N.C. 16 N.

Of all of Cloninger’s time working, she has had no regrets opening her own business.

“I had four children, and having my own business allowed me to plan my own hours,” she said. “I was able to be involved in their lives growing up.”

Cloninger said retirement will be a change for her but she will still find a way to keep active.

“I am a busy person in nature, it will be an adjustment not having my day outlined,” she said. “I have got to find a relaxing way to use my time.”

Some of the things Cloninger wants to get more active in is her church, Denver United Methodist and spending time with Senior Citizens.

“I love the elderly,” she said. “I like to mingle with them.”

Already Cloninger knows she will continue walking three miles a day at 7 a.m. 

“I get up at 5:15 a.m. every day,” she said. “Walking will be how I start my day.”

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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