Lillian Winters
Lillian M. Winters, 92, of Waukon died Saturday, September 28, 2019 at her home. Funeral services will be held Thursday, October 3 at 11 a.m. at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon with Chaplain Patrick Malanaphy officiating. Burial will be at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon. Friends may call one hour before services Thursday at the funeral home.
Lillian Mae Winters was born February 5, 1927 in Ossian, IA, the daughter of Gustav and Julia (Tollefson) Russell. She was baptized at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Castalia, attended country school, and helped her dad on the farm. Lillian also helped area families by taking care of new mothers and their families; besides caring for the children, she also did the household chores and the cooking. It was during this time that Lillian really honed her cooking and baking skills and became an amazing cook as an adult; she always made enough food to feed an army and no one could make fried chicken quite like her.
December 21, 1945, she married Lynn Marvin Winters at the Little Brown Church in Nashua. They farmed together in Allamakee and Winneshiek Counties before moving into Waukon in 1965. Lillian worked at Iowa Turkey Products in Postville for a time and also waitressed at The Fireplace in Waukon. She later worked at the speaker plant and then for Northern Engraving in Waukon, where she worked for 21 years until retiring in 1995.
Lillian loved spending time with family and friends. With her stepmother, Eleanor, she traveled to the country music hotspots in Nashville and Branson. She liked playing cards and somehow always knew what cards everyone else was holding and wasn’t afraid to let you know how to play them. She enjoyed doing crossword puzzles and planting flowers as well. Lillian liked watching golf, especially Phil Mickelson, and the St. Louis Cardinals.
She is survived by her seven children: Linda (David) Lucas of Central City, Julie (Raymond) Ryan of Cedar Rapids, Jean (Darrell) Stone of Waukon, Charles (Iris) Winters of Anamosa, Robert (Pam) Winters of Waukon, Margie (Ray) Burroughs of Waukon and Larry (Tammi) Winters of La Crosse, WI; 17 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; eight great-great-grandchildren; a brother, Norman Russell of International Falls, MN; and several nieces and nephews.
Lillian was preceded in death by her parents; her stepmother, Eleanor Smith Russell; her husband, Lynn, in 2001; two brothers, Richard and James Russell; and four sisters: Joyce Weber, Mary Russell, Gladys Little and Lois Russell.
Honorary casketbearers are Margie and Ray Burroughs, Robert Winters, Marco Walz, Kristina Hoewing, Heather and Tracey Ryan, Amy Stiennon, Rhonda Ash, Kristine Orme, Darcy Troester, and Abby, Katie, Nicole and Stephanie Winters, and Kim Rolfs. Casketbearers are Jeremy, Eric, Mark and Dillion Stone, Jesse Burroughs and Benjamin Winters.
Online condolences may be left at www.martinfunerals.com.
