Lillie Wood Ballard

Born September 19, 1904 to George Washington Wood and Emma Hyder Wood in Helena, TN, Lillie was the seventh of 10 children. She passed away April 28, 2010, in Moscow, Idaho. She was 105. Lillie attended school in Fentress Co., Tennessee, graduating from Stockton Valley Academy in 1929. She attended Carson Newman College in Jefferson City, TN and Tennessee Technical Institute in Cookeville, TN. She taught school in Tennessee before moving to North Carolina in 1935 and served briefly as a substitute teacher in Asheville in the 1960s. She married Lewis Britton Ballard on August 17, 1936, in Swannanoa, NC. They lived on Courtland Avenue in Asheville and in the Bee Tree area before building a home in Haw Creek, where they lived and raised their family: two sons, Roger and Blake. Lewis died in 1996 at the age of 91. Lillie continued to live in their Haw Creek home for several years. From 2004 until the time of her death, she lived intermittently in Asheville and in Moscow, ID, with her son Blake and his wife Lynda. Throughout her adult life, she was active in her church, Chunn's Cove Baptist Church (later re-named Morningside Baptist Church). She supplied flowers for the church on a regular basis for over 50 years and taught Sunday school, served on many church committees and organizations and sang in the church choir. Lillie was an avid gardener, growing vegetables, fruits and especially flowers. She won many ribbons in local flower shows and was a member and officer of the Haw Creek Garden Club until it dissolved in 2006. Lewis and Lillie kept a cow and chickens for many years and sold milk, cream, butter and eggs to neighbors. They also sold produce from their garden. She was preceded in death by her mother and father, seven sisters and two brothers and her husband, Lewis. She is survived by sons Roger (Wanda) of Raleigh, and Blake (Lynda) of Moscow, ID, 7 grandchildren: Barry Ballard (Ruth) of Apex, NC, Scott Ballard (Kayce) of Spokane WA, Brett Ballard of Moscow, ID, Kristen Ballard of Las Vegas NV, Ryan Ballard (Tracy) of Colbert WA, Chip Flisher (Nancy) and Colene Flisher of Moscow, ID; and 10 great grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Gertrude Wood of Nashville, TN, and many loving nieces and nephews who have been very close to her throughout their lives. She was fondly known to many of her nieces and nephews as "Aunt Biddie." A funeral service will be held at Morningside Baptist Church at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, followed by interment at Ashelawn Gardens of Memory. Her family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the church. Memorial donations may be made to Morningside Baptist Church, 14 Mineral Springs Rd., Asheville, NC 28805 or to the charity of your choice.