St. Clair County Obits

GEORGIA DALE KESTER

St. Clair County Courier
16 August 2006
Georgia Dale Durnell Kester was born May 25, 1917, to Otto D. Durnell and Katie Henry Durnell in Osceola. Georgia was living in Bend, Ore., at the time of her passing on Aug. 7, 2006.
Georgia Dale grew up in Osceola. She was baptized at an early age in the Osceola Methodist Church. During her school years her dad, Otto, helped run the Smith-Durnell Grocery Store. She graduated high school and went to Laramie, Wyo., to stay with her Aunt Verlie and Uncle Henry. She enrolled in the University of Wyoming and later met Adelbert Kester, whom she married in Sheridan, Wyo., in 1940.
During the beginning of WWII they had their daughters, Phyllis, in 1941 and moved to Denver, Colo., where Adelbert worked for Gates Rubber Company. When Adelbert went into the war in 1943, Georgia Dale and Phyllis returned to Osceola and lived with her parents. After the war Adelbert finished college and they returned to Osceola. She was a housewife for many years. She was active in civic affairs including the Tuesday Club and the Eastern Star. In 1953 they had their second daughter, Teddy Kay.
In the 60s they moved to Kansas where she worked in the Shawnee Mission North cafeteria and began what would be a 40 year Avon career, becoming a member of their President's Club.
Adelbert preceded her in death in 1990. She stayed close to Phyllis' family and in 2002 she moved to Bend, Ore., to be close to Teddy and her husband, Doug and their daughter, Lauren.
She leaves two daughters, Phyllis and her husband, Kermitt, Shawnee, Kan., and Teddy and her husband, Doug Richardson, Bend, Ore.; four grandchildren, Kimberly Clarkson and Mike Hall, Piper, Kan., Travis Tillotson and Lori Ann, Mildred, Kan., Shawn Tillotson and Missie, Welda, Kan., and Lauren Richardson, Bend, Ore.; great grandchildren, Ben, Elizabeth and Wesley Clarkson, Alyssa Tillotson, Misty, April, Stevia and Destiny Tillotson, Tara and Corey Denny, Rona and Dane Cable; great-great grandchildren, Aubry, America, Zia, Junior and Cadience.
Services for Georgia were Aug. 12 in the Sheldon Funeral Home with Pastor Cliff Simmons officiationg. Eastern Star reading was by the Osceola chapter O.E.S. Musical selections were "I'll Fly Away" and "Amazing Grace" with Gail Ingle, pianist and soloist. Casketbearers were Doug Richardson, Kermit Tillotson, Travis Tillotson and Shawn Tillotson. Honorary casketbearers were Ben Clarkson and Ken Tillotson. Burial was in the Osceola Cemetery under the direction of Sheldon-Goodrich Funeral Home.