Lillie Wells

Lillie Mae (Sapp) Wells, age 100, died early June 4, 2012 at Valley View Senior Life Center in Junction City, Kansas. The oldest daughter of six children, Lillie was born in Hinson, Florida August 27, 1911 to William Twitty and Lillie Viola Sapp. She moved to Abilene, Kansas as a little girl and attended the one-room school house, District #89, with her five siblings, Jim, Ruby (Englehart), Doris (Akers), Walter Twitty and Wilmet Tucker.
Having moved to Junction City following her marriage to Ivan Wells, he purchased the dream home of her high school days where she lived for 75 years thereafter. Also for many years, she and Ivan owned and worked at a local pawn shop. Upon his passing, however, she decided to sell the pawn shop and to open a Christian bookstore downtown which the Lord greatly blessed. Lillie not only had a love for the Bible which she read constantly, but also for needy souls of people who needed Christ as their personal Saviour to cleanse them from their sins with His precious Blood, thus regularly donating much to many charities and Christian organizations throughout her life.
A member of the Assembly of God in Abilene, because of declining health, the first day of spring, 2007, until January, 2011, she moved with her brother Walter to North Pole, Alaska, to live with his oldest son, Karl Walter and his wife Joyce who loved and cared for them. They also regularly attended together McGrath Road Baptist Church even in temperatures down to minus 40 F, driving twenty-one miles one way.
Being blessed by Christ with a hearty and adventurous spirit, she went dog-mushing, snow machine riding and even flew above the arctic circle to the Athabascan village Fort Yukon in a chartered flight to celebrate her 98th birthday. All that, however, being topped by her riding in a hot air balloon in Topeka last year for her 100th birthday!
Preceded in death by her beloved husband, Ivan, and all of her siblings, she is survived by many nephews and nieces, great-nephews and great-nieces as well as a number of life-long friends who loved her dearly.
Visitation time has been set for Tuesday, June 19th, 9 a.m.-11 a.m. at Penwell-Gabel Johnson Chapel, 203 N. Washington Street, Junction City, with the memorial service immediately following at 11 a.m. Lillie has asked her friend Kelta Cooper to sing "On the Wings of a Dove" who plans to bring her Karaoke machine. Additionally, GOD's eternal Word will be presented by both her former pastor, Dean Cole, and her nephew, Karl W. Sapp, missionary to Japan (since 1971) and to Alaska (since 1984) whom, along with his twin sister Mary Ann Ray of Dallas, Lillie has asked also to sing several of her favorite hymns to the glory and praise of Christ Jesus the Lord.