Lillian May, 89, formerly of east Toledo passed away December 18, 2006 at St. Luke's Hospital after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. She was born September 23, 1917 in Logan, Ohio to Hiram and Alice (Lehman) Lanning. Lillian attended Waite High School. She married Ronald (Jack) May on July 15, 1935. Lil was an excellent guitar player and performed at local nightclubs. She also performed on local radio stations with two of her sisters and later with husband, Jack. Lil was a long time active member of the Garfield School mothers club during the elementary school years of children. She was also a very talented seamstress and made many of the children's school clothes. In 1956 she and Jack began western style square dancing. While husband Jack became a nationally known western style square dance caller, Lil did all of the business work. She published articles in local square dance magazines and was the mainstay of the square dance calling business. Lil also continued to make much of the clothing they wore during their 40 years of square dancing. Lillian will be remembered as a loving, patient, caring, dedicated wife, mother and grandmother; a talented musician and seamstress and a western style square dancing pioneer.
Lillian is survived by sons Ronald (Marian) May, Elmore OH and Michael (Debbie) May, Glendale AZ, daughter Linda (George) Hall of Toledo., brother Hiram (Beverly) Lanning, Oregon OH and sister Jeanne (Dan) Phillips, St Joseph, MI. grandchildren Kelly Chio, Tracey (Mark) Danielski, Jacqueline (Joe) Herzog, Christina (Rick) Zeithaml, Brian (Mandy) May, Zachary May and Andrew May, Tammy (Brian) Geer and Grace ( Todd) Stammen, and 11 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and husband; sisters, Mabel, Velma, Dorothy, Marie; brother, Roy.
Visitation will be held on Thursday from 2 -9 p.m. at the Eggleston Meinert Pavley Funeral Home, Oregon Chapel, 440 S. Coy Road, Oregon. Funeral services will be conducted in the funeral home on Friday at 11:00 a.m. with interment following in Lake Township Cemetery. Expressions of sympathy Lillian's memory can be made to the Alzheimer's Association of Faith United Methodist Church.
Visitation: Visitation Times
2-9 Thursday
Oregon Chapel