Lillie Mae Garrett

Lillie started her life on August 4, 1944, in Indianapolis. She was born to Alma and Raymond Bennett. She grew up with one brother named John, whom she was close to, even when he teased her endlessly as older siblings will sometimes do! She also grew up with her best friend Dixie. Her and Dixie were inseparable! They maintained a lifelong friendship all the way up until Dixie passed away a few years before Lillie. When Lillie was 16 years old, she lost her father to a heart attack. She struggled a lot with that loss. Eventually, her mom decided it would be best to leave Indiana and Lillie and John followed. They headed west to Southern California, settling in Riverside. This would become a pivotal moment in time. Lillie got a job as a seamstress in a drapery shop. She developed a good friendship with her boss. One night her boss and her husband had a party. Her boss invited her. This would end up being a twist of fate for Lillie. Her boss's husband was in the Air Force, and he had invited one of his friends, who was also his coworker, to the party. This is when they introduced Lillie to Tim, who would eventually become her husband. Lillie couldn't resist a man in uniform! They found out they had many things in common and hit it off immediately! They married on April 25, 1970. They got to travel quite a bit with Tim being in the Air Force. They even got to live in Germany for several years in the early to mid-1970's and traveled to Paris, Madrid and Lillie even took a trip with friends to Holland. They went on to have two daughters, Dawn and Erica. Dawn eventually had a son named Justin and Erica had a son (firstborn grandchild) named Jordan and finally a daughter named Dayja and a stepson Deonta, that Lillie loved just as much! Lillie Loved her grandchildren dearly! They always brought a smile to her face when nothing else could! Lillie enjoyed Gardening, a passion that was passed down from her Mother and now to her daughter Dawn. It should come as no surprise that her name, Lillie, is one of the prettiest flowers. Lillie loved having family lunches and dinners. She always looked forward to the fellowship and getting to catch up on all that everyone was going on in everybody's lives from the good to the bad. The bad just meant she would pray for you! She had her favorite Mexican food that became a much-cherished tradition for lunch with Erica. Lillie also loved music very much! In her much later years, she seemed to prefer Gospel, However, she grew up in the 50's and 60's when rock and roll ruled! She absolutely loved Elvis! Her and Tim shared a passion for music, and they passed that down to their kids and grandkids! Lillie went to many concerts with Tim, even getting to see her beloved Elvis perform! She also took Dawn to several concerts, including her first one! They even seen Duran Duran twice because that was Dawn's favorite band and they both shared that love. There are so many good memories the family will have of Lillie over the years, She will be missed more than she could ever know. We will love you always and forever Momma!