Beverly P. Lillie
Beverly P. Lillie
Marion
Beverly P. Lillie, 92, of Marion, Iowa, passed away on Monday, Oct. 23, at Terrace Glen Village. A Celebration of Love & Life will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 27, 2023, at Marion Christian Church, Marion. Immediately following the celebration, Bev’s family invites all family and friends to share a meal and fun stories at the church. A private family burial will take place at Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery in Cedar Rapids. Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Marion is assisting with arrangements.
Survivors include her children, John (Jana) Lillie of Orem, Utah; her daughter Dee (Ron) Lillie Tjaden of rural Marion; five grandsons, Adam (Julie) Conover, Holden, Mo., Cameron (Erin) Luedtke, Marion, Aaron Lillie, Somerville, Mass., Braden (Amanda) Lillie, Pleasant Grove, Utah, and Colton Lillie, Orem, Utah. Bev was also blessed with three great-grandchildren, Lillie Ann Conover, Lydia Marie Conover and Weston H. Luedtke.
Bev was born Sept. 17, 1931, in Central City, Iowa, the daughter of Heil and Naomi (Conner) Henderson. She graduated from Central City High School in 1948 and Mount Mercy College in 1974 with a degree in Elementary Education. Bev was united in marriage to Willis J. Lillie in Central City, 1954. Together they built a life for their family on the original Lillie farm in rural Marion for 55 years until Willis’s passing in 2009. In 1986, they accepted the Century Family Farm Award at the Iowa State Fair.
Bev was extremely active in her Christian faith and loved her church. She was a long-time member of Marion Christian Church and through Marion Christian she was an Elder Emeritus, led adult Sunday Schools classes for years, was involved in Stephen Ministry and participated in numerous mission trips to the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. Bev was also a licensed Disciples of Christ minister.
Bev was an avid reader and walker, loved going to square dances with Willis and was always open to learning something new and meeting new people. Professionally, Bev was a Nursing Home Administrator in Lone Tree, Iowa, was the Linn County Master Gardner Coordinator and had a ton of fun working at Growthland in Marion and retiring (finally!) from there when she was 86 years young.
Her passion was her faith and her family. She and Willis camped for decades at both the Iowa State Fair, watching grandsons show livestock and at the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. They always made sure they camped by the graveyard, so they would have quiet neighbors.
Bev acquired a ‘second family’ during her years at Terrace Glen Village. While there are no words that are adequate enough to express the family’s gratitude, the love she felt while she lived there was so appreciated and will never be forgotten.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Marion Christian Church, 1050 McGowan Blvd., Marion, Iowa.
Please share a memory of Bev at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.