Lillie Belle Ewing-Laffranchi

Lillie Belle Ewing-Laffranchi passed away unexpectedly of natural causes on Dec. 2, 2006, at the family farm south of George.

She was born May 18, 1929, on the family farm in Barton County, Mo., to Charles Orain and Roberta Adeline (Alumbaugh) Leivan. They raised various crops, pigs, and chickens and milked a herd of cows.

On Dec. 22, 1945, Lillie Belle married Carlos Glen Ewing and helped him with his trucking and coal mining business. After the hard winter of 1949, they started moving from place to place working on construction, always heading westward. They had two daughters, Carla and Christie.

After finally settling in George, Lillie Belle drove a school bus, worked as a bookkeeper, cook, waitress, and bartender besides helping in the family business of land leveling, irrigation systems/parts.

After several years of being a widow, Lillie Belle met and married Lindy Laffranchi on February 16, 1991, at an oceanfront ceremony in Laie, Oahu, Hawaii and became a "farm girl" again.

Lillie Belle was an excellent seamstress, loved to cook, garden, was an avid canner with an overflowing pantry. She enjoyed bowling, shooting pool, playing cards, and in her later years, visiting the Indian casinos. She enjoyed and helped many people over the years in countless ways and will be missed.

Lillie Belle is survived by two sisters: Nora May Murphy (James Ditmar) of Doolittle, Mo., Opal (Harold) Middleton of George, nephew, Joe Evenson of George, daughter, Carla Yuen of George. Stepdaughters: Linda Ann (Robert) Sparks of Lakewood, Colo., Kathee Laffranchi of Lancaster, Calif., Linda Kastel of East Wenatchee. Stepsons: Lanny (Kay) Laffranchi of Soap Lake, Ron (Janine) Laffranchi of East Wenatchee, Allen (Tina) Evenson of George, Gordon (Tracey) Laffranchi of Las Vegas, Nev., thirteen grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild, a brother-in-law, Eldon Eugene (Miwako) Ewing of Honolulu, Hawaii, two sisters-in-law Mary Ellen Laffranchi and Betty Laffranchi of Loleta, Calif., numerous nieces and nephews.

Lillie Belle was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Roberta, her daughter, Christie, her husbands Carlos and Lindy, a sister Lois Irene Leivan, brothers Charles Roland, Leonard Orain, Johnny Franklin and Ralph Arthur Leivan.

Funeral services will be held at 1p.m. on Friday, Dec. 8, at Scharbach's Columbia Funeral Chapel in Quincy. Concluding services and interment will follow in the Quincy Valley Cemetery. A luncheon at the family farm south of George will follow the cemetery services.

Scharbach's Columbia Funeral Chapel in Quincy is in charge of arrangements.