Lillie Mae Almand

Lillie Mae Almand, 87, took her leave of this earth on December 21, 2020, at 5:34 a.m.  She was greeted by her loved ones and the open arms of her Lord and Savior.  She was born on August 6, 1933, in San Angelo, Texas, to Earnest Alonzo and Selma Blakeney Otto.

Lillie grew up in and around West and East Texas.  In her early years she at times lived in a 24 x 16 tent where there was no running water.  She bathed in the river in the summer and a number 2 washtub in the winter and had to haul water a 4th of a mile to her tent.  Not only did she help raise her younger siblings, she chopped and picked cotton, worked as a farm and ranch hand, and learned to cook family meals on a wood stove.  She attended church with her mother and was baptized as a young woman.  Lillie’s hardships in her youth helped to make her a strong, hardworking, and resilient woman.  She met and married Arthur Almand in Waxahachie, Texas in 1951.  Lillie became an instant mom to two daughters and went on to have three sons and four more daughters with Arthur.  They have numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren who were the highlight of her life.  Up until her passing, Lillie took great joy in knitting storage boxes for friends and family, scrolling Facebook, and watching family photo slide shows.  The night before she passed, Lillie asked that everyone be told she loved them and have a Merry Christmas.

She is survived by children Alice Smitherman and husband Tommy, Gene Almand and wife Shelley, Johnny Almand, Debra Mosley and husband Dewey, Teresa Jennings; son-in-law Douglas Applin, sister-in-law Pat Otto; 23 grandchildren; brothers Roy Otto and James Otto and wife Jean; sister Judy Harris and husband Chester; and numerous great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins.

Lillie is preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 38 years, Arthur Almand; children Virginia Applin, Wesley Almand, Doris Crow, Sandra Borden, Sue Roberts; son-in-law Mike Jennings, daughter-in-law Dorothy Harrington; grandsons James Smitherman and Jeffery Smitherman; great-grandson Tristan Black; sister Dora Wafer; and brothers Junior Otto, Robert Otto, Edward Otto, Gerald Otto, and Johnie Paul Otto.

Pall Bearers: Zach Denson, Nathan Denson, Jonathan Jennings, Dylan Jennings.