Jean Lois (Ward) Billings

Jean Billings, of Montevideo, died on Saturday, July 21, 2001 at the Chippewa Co - Montevideo Hospital at the age of 73.

Funeral services were conducted on Tuesday, July 24, 2001 at 1:30 PM at Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Montevideo with Rev. Warren Broughton officiating.  Burial was in the Sunset Memorial Cemetery.

Jean Lois (Ward) Billings was born on April 22, 1928 in Montevideo, MN to Elmer C. and Julia H. (Johnson) Ward.  She was baptized and confirmed at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Montevideo.  She attended school in Montevideo and Ortonville, MN.  On October 14, 1943 she was united in marriage to James H. Billings in Milbank, SD.  She was a resident of Montevideo for her entire lifetime with the exception of about 4 years in Ortonville as a youth and snowbirding in Mesa, AZ.  She was a member of the VFW Auxiliary and  Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, where she sang in the choir and was a Sunday school teacher.  She enjoyed sewing, travel, crafts, music, art,  music and operated a ceramics business for a number of years.

She is survived by her husband, James; five children: Judith Fairchild and her husband Donald of Owatonna, MN, Jo Meier and her husband Lynn of Lake Benton, MN, John Billings and his wife Claudia of Neosho, MO, Jazell Lefler and her husband Mike of Sioux Falls, SD, and Judd Billings and his wife Melissa of St. Michael, MN; 12 grandchildren; 7 great-grandchildren; three brothers: Elmer Ward and his wife Carol of Montevideo, MN, Frank Ward and Galathia of Clayton, NM, and Charles Ward and his wife Mary of Osakis, MN; two sisters: Peggy Haugen and her husband James of Milan, MN and Joan Swanson and her husband John of Estherville, IA; as well as by a number of nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; one brother, Bruce Ward; and one son-in-law, David Olson.