Avis R. Walter

Avis Ruth Walter, age 85, of Elizabeth, Illinois, died Sunday, May 29, 2011, at the Big Meadows Nursing Home, Savanna. A funeral service will be held 11:00 a.m., Thursday, June 2, 2011 at the Savanna Bible Church, Savanna with a visitation being held for one hour prior to the service at the church. Reverend Gardner Cronk will officiate. Burial will take place in the Zion Cemetery, rural Savanna. A visitation will be held from 3:00-6:00 p.m., Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at the Savanna Bible Church. Memorials may be given to the Savanna Bible Church in Avis’s memory.
Avis grew up in rural Savanna and graduated from Savanna High School in 1944. Following commencement she was employed at the Savanna Army Depot during WWII. She married Wilmer in 1946 at First Presbyterian Church in Savanna. They farmed together for 64 years near Massbach.
Avis was a people person whose home was always open. Her hospitality extended to family, friends, missionaries, teachers, interns, and passers-by. She loved to laugh, converse with friends, and share a good joke. She was fun to be around. You could hear her laughter throughout her home. Some of the most fun and memorable times where at the holidays when everyone made it home. There was laughing and joking with each other while sitting around the dining room table. She enjoyed tickling her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
She was generous in spirit and giving of her time in practical ways such as making and giving gifts. She was always there with a helping hand whenever needed. Avis took pleasure in quilting, flower gardening and bird-watching. Holidays were a highlight in her home as family and friends gathered to celebrate.
A significant milestone in her life was the day she received Jesus Christ as her personal Savior. It changed her life and that of her family. She became an active part of the community of believers called the Savanna Bible Church since 1959. She remained active until her health failed. She was a godly woman and very spiritual. The lives she touched, whether it was her children or just an acquaintance, knew how much she loved the Lord and how much the Lord loved each one of us. Mom had special empathy for the needy and for those who faced hardships in life. She was dedicated to her family and friends.
She loved her husband and six children deeply. Avis was a Mother-In-Love, and a true friend to her daughters In-Law. She disliked conflict and chose to be a peacemaker and a model of demonstrating love to others. Mom was her family’s prayer advocate. She would pray for each one of us weekly by name. We will all miss her prayer more than we can imagine. God’s grace was reflected in her life, especially during times of pain and suffering in the latter years of her life.
Avis will be dearly missed by her husband, Wilmer; three sons, Dan (Pat) Walter of St. Louis, Missouri, Bill (Cindy) Walter of Colorado Springs, Colorado and Doug (Janice) Walter of Massbach, Illinois; three daughters, Jan (Rick) Ross of Lake Zurich, Illinois, Liz (Pat) Hendren of Grand Rapids, Michigan and Joan (Jerry) Anderson of Savanna; nineteen grandchildren and thirteen great grandchildren. Avis was preceded in death by her parents.