L. Jean Williams

May 4, 1926 ~ September 28, 2019
Lenora Jean Williams, 93, died Saturday, September 28, 2019 in Wichita. Visitation will be from 6:30 – 7:30 pm, Tuesday, October 1, 2019, at Downing & Lahey West Mortuary. Funeral Service will be at 11:00 am, Wednesday, October 2, 2019, at Woodland United Methodist Church. Graveside Service will follow at 3:00 pm at Prairie Lawn Cemetery, Peabody, KS. In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established with: Woodland United Methodist Church, 1100 W. 15th St. N., Wichita, KS 67203; Good Shepherd Hospice, 7829 E. Rockhill St. #403, Wichita, KS 67206.
Lenora JEAN Williams was born 5-4-1926 the second of six children to Thomas and Mable Lynch in rural Butler County Kansas. The family lived in a small house with no electricity or indoor plumbing on a 40-acre farm east of Potwin. The children usually walked more than two miles to a country school. The family owned a car but no tractor. Much of the farming was done with draft animals, manual labor and occasionally a tractor borrowed from a neighbor.
She and her two sisters learned to become wonderful cooks on a wood-burning stove. All the kids learned to work hard to keep the family fed and clothed during the hard times of the 30s, and they developed strong work ethics that guided them the rest of their lives.
She attended high school in El Dorado, where she traded her cooking and domestic skills for room and board in town. She later moved to Wichita to work in a drug store downtown, where she met Vern Reid. Their first date was at The Blue Moon, a supper and dance club. Dancing was an important part of her life for the next 70 years.
Jean and Vern married in February 1948 and were happily married for more than 25 years until Vern’s death in 1973. They had two children, Jim and Marie. Jean was a model homemaker, great cook, and active in many activities at school, church, scouting and the neighborhood. She loved gardening and growing flowers.
Family has always been extremely important to Jean. She remained strongly connected with her sisters and brothers, their children and grandchildren, plus her aunts, uncles, cousins and “shoestring” relatives. Family reunions and holiday gatherings were among her favorite activities and memories.
She began working at JC Penney in Wellington to help family finances and to help fund higher education for her children. Later she transferred to Wichita’s Penney store and worked there until retirement.
She met Bob Sikes at a senior’s dance and they later married. Their enthusiasm for dance and country music continued throughout their 25-year marriage until Bob’s death in 2003.
In 2005, Jean married Richard Williams. They met at a senior center dance, dated and decided to spend the remainder of their lives together. They traveled extensively over the next decade, danced a time or two each week, and enjoyed their church friends, dance friends and their home, where they grew tomatoes and flowers. They both enjoyed good health past their 90th birthdays. Richard died in November 2018 at age 97.
Jean is preceded in death by her husbands; daughter; Marie Alder (Harper) and all five siblings. She is survived by son; Jim Reid (Donna) of Wichita; son-in-law, Randy Alder (Ruth) of Harper; five grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren.
I cannot begin to describe how much Jean Reid (my second Mom) meant to me while growing up in Westridge. She never yelled at us for our shenanigans and fed us all the time. Truly a wonderful lady who I will never forget.
In memory of L. Jean Williams, Kim Reheard Sundry lit a candle
So sorry for your loss.
Dear Jim and family, What a fulfilled life your mother lived. You did an excellent job of capturing her story in the obituary. My heart goes out to you at this time of loss. And I also didn’t know that Marie had died, so send much-belated condolences to you. With warm regards, Hal
Please accept our deepest condolences for your family’s loss.