Obituaries : Lillian Winslow

Lillian Winslow, age 96, went home to be with her Lord on February 19, 2024.

Lillian was born on March 16, 1927, to Burdette and Jennie Koch Beck on the family farm north of Belle Plaine, Iowa. She was the oldest of 6 children. She graduated from Belle Plaine High School in 1945 and attended Iowa State College in Ames for 2 years.

On April 25, 1948, Lillian was united in marriage to Louis Winslow in the Christ United Methodist Church, Belle Plaine. This union gave life and love to three children: Francine, Doug, and Bonnie. Lillian worked tirelessly caring for her children with tender love, giving them a happy and secure home and was a partner to Louis on the farm. Lillian & Louis resided on the farm until moving to Lakeview Village in Amana, IA in 2016.

Lillian loved serving the Lord and her family throughout her life. As a lifelong member of Christ United Methodist Church, she taught Bible School, Sunday School, and Kid's Club. She was the chair-man of the church missions committee for 43 years. She and Louis regularly delivered cassette tapes of the Sunday church services to several homebound parishioners. They loved Bible study and supporting missionary work.

Lillian was instrumental in beginning the first South Benton County CROP Hunger Walk and worked on the committee for several years. She served as a Cub Scout den mother, delivered Meals on Wheels and played the piano and conducted a Bible study at the nursing home. She was a 75-year member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, holding several offices, including the office of Regent twice. She also held a number of roles in Eastern Star and served as the Rainbow Mother Advisor. In addition to all of these interests, Lillian enjoyed keeping a close connection with family and friends. She also enjoyed cooking and collecting recipes. A family favorite was her cherry pie made with homegrown cherries.

Lillian and Louis were keenly interested in local history and appreciated the work of the Belle Plaine Historical Society, of which they were members. To the museum, they donated a 15-foot U.S. flag sewn in 1888 by the ladies of the Walnut Creek community, located near their farm. They helped organize the Oak Hill Cemetery Walk for two years. In 2008, they were honored as the Parade Marshalls of the Belle Plaine 4th of July parade.

Grateful for having shared her life are her brother, Don Beck; children Francine (Harlan) Lemke of Colorado Springs, CO; Doug Winslow of Coralville; and Bonnie Winslow-Garvin of North Liberty; five grandchildren: Melissa (Dan) Sievers of Colorado Springs, CO; Sara (Jay) Haddix also of Colorado Springs; Mark (Meghan) Lemke of Flower Mound, TX; Katherine (Sam) Andrews of Belle Plaine, IA; and Elizabeth Garvin of Madison, WI; and four great-grandchildren: Anna, Caleb, Leilana, and Leo.

Lillian was preceded in death by her husband, Louis; her parents; siblings Virginia Clarahan, Bob Beck, Jim Beck, and Mary Fosse; and son-in-law Michael Garvin.

Memorial services for Lillian will be held at 11:00 AM Saturday, March 2, 2024 at Grace Community Church, 1400 8th. Avenue in Belle Plaine. Pastor Don Drahos will officiate. Burial will take place at 2:00 PM, Sunday, March 3, 2024 at the Winslow Cemetery near the Winslow farm. The funeral will be livestreamed on the funeral home Facebook page.

Visitation for Lillian will be held from 10:00 to 11:00 AM at the church preceding the memorial service. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.neuhausfuneralservice.com.

The Winslow family would like to extend our gratitude to all the staff at Lakeview Village, Colonial Manor and Essence of Life Hospice in Amana for their loving care.