St. Clair County Obits

MELA MAE CECIL

St. Clair County Courier
8 June 2007
Mela Mae Cecil, 80, Foster, died Sunday, May 27, 2007, at Willow Lane Nursing Center in Butler. She was born Aug. 10, 1926 to Davie George and Beulah Mullins Dotson in Osceola.
Mae was one of seven children. In 1946 she married Edward Ballard and had one son, Eddie Ballard. On Jan. 16, 1956, she married William "Billy" Cecil and had anohter son, Rodger James Cecil. She raised two grandchildren, Angela Ballard Swarnes and Charles Edward Ballard. Along with being a housewife, she was a loving mother and grandmother.
Mae lived with and was taken care of by Angela and her family for the last three years of her life. She enjoyed fishing, camping, canning tomatoes and teaching children to tap dance and watching them perform at local fairs and nursing homes. Mae was baptized at the Ohio Street United Methodist Church in 1938.
Mae is survived by two sons, Ed Ballard and his wife, C.J., Amsterdam and Rodger Cecil and companion, Brenda, Foster; two grandchildren, Angela Swarnes and her husband, Jimmie, Rich Hill and Chuck Ballard, Deltona, Fla.; six great grandchildren, William "Goob" Swarnes, Samantha Swarnes, Jennifer Swarnes, Shelby Ballard, Kyla Ballard and J.R. Carroll; special daughters, Patty Thomas, Butler and Sue Holsinger, Rich Hill; and many nephews and nieces.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Billy in 1999; three brothers; three sisters; and granddaughter, Lucy Ballard.
Graveside services were Wednesday, May 30, at the Oak Hill Cemetery with Fred Bisby officiating, under the direction of Schowengerdt Funeral Chapel, Butler.