Obituaries
Billie Jane Walston
March 21, 1933 - September 8, 2024
- Celebration of Life
- October 19, 2024 | 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M.
-
Copper Fox
477 S 3rd St #190
Geneva, IL 60134
Billie Jane Walston passed away Sunday, September 8. 2024 with her devoted husband and her loving daughter and son by her side.
She was born March 21, 1933, in Benton, Kentucky to Trixie and Robert Hiett. Her parents proceeded her in death as did her sisters Bobbye June Hiett and Joanna Lee (Hiett) Nichols.
She is survived by her husband of 69 years Dan, her daughter Christy Walston Cooper (Brian) of Monroe, Georgia, her son Douglas Walston (Lisa), their sons and her grandsons Benton and Peyton Walston of Hilton Head, South Carolina, and her sister Gwenda Hiett-Clements of Fort Myers, Florida.
Billie grew up in Benton, Kentucky and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana with her family. She and Dan married there and began their life together. Dan’s work took them from Indianapolis to Columbus, Ohio to Morristown, New Jersey to Geneva, Illinois where they lived for over 45 years. They moved to Oak Crest Retirement Center in DeKalb, Illinois in 2020.
Billie will be remembered for her dedicated friendship, her distinctive style and her love of family. She supported Dan in his career and developed lasting friendships in each place they lived, following those families and their children throughout her life. She loved children—the boys next door, friends’ children, and her grandsons. Photos of Benton and Peyton took over home décor in later years.
In Geneva she worked at The Persimmon Tree, a gourmet kitchen store, where she honed her cooking skills. She loved to host friends and family and had an impressive collection of cookbooks and cooking equipment. And Billie did love collections. She had unique art deco figurines, frogs, antique serving pieces, and lots of Christmas figures and ornaments, and, dear to her, her angels. She had great style in décor and dressing. The bead work necklaces she made serve as a testament to her creativity.
But most of all Billie will be remembered as a loving wife, mother, grandmother and sister. Her spirit will live on in them.
The Family of Billie Walston will be hosting a Celebration of Life at the Copper Fox restaurant in Geneva, Illinois on Saturday, October 19.
Heavy hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served from 1-3pm. At 2pm Dan Fields, retired Minister at Fox Valley Christian Church, will share his thoughts.
Friends are welcome to come visit at any time and stay as long as they like. It’s a party for Billie, dress appropriately!
Copper Fox – Geneva, IL (copper-fox.com) Entrance and parking are on South Street.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Good Samaritan Fund at Oak Crest DeKalb Area Retirement Center.
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Patricia Barrett from Saint Charles, IL
"Billie and Dan were friends of ours for many years. We were part of a fun family of friends: the Kirkwoods, the Rogers, and the Ozannes. Billie was the one who put together our wedding luncheon when we were married in 1982 in Elburn at the Barrett Farm on Townhall Road. All the times she worked at the Persimmon Tree I could hardly wait to see her and thought they were so lucky to have her employed in their store. Our visits got shorter as friends and family took on lives in other parts of the states. Then I discovered they had moved from their home in Geneva and lost contact until I read her obituary in the paper this week. Our condolences to Dan who was the love of her life and family who she dearly loved."