Lilabelle Traylor

Funeral services will be 11:00 A.M., Thursday, May 22, 2008, at Central Christian Church, Decatur, IL, with visitation one hour prior to service time at the church. Graveside services and burial will be 4:00 P.M. in Bushnell Cemetery, Bushnell, IL. Brintlinger & Earl Funeral Home, Decatur, IL, will be handling the arrangements. Memorials may be made to the Central Christian Church Cocoa (Coke) and Lilabelle Traylor Scholarship Fund.Lilabelle was born on January 25, 1915 in McDonough County to William Ross and Mary Gladys (Mamie) Huffman Beaird. She graduated from Bardolph High School in 1932 where she participated in plays and was cheerleader for the basketball team during her sophomore, junior, and senior years. She was also a member of the National Honor Society. She graduated from Western Illinois University in 1938 where she became a member of Pi Beta Pi, an honorary society for Business Ed. majors, and was also a member of Kappa Delta Pi.While going to Western she taught in rural schools in McDonough County. After receiving her B.Ed. she taught Business Ed. At Ben Funk High School near Bloomington. It was here that she met Cocoa Traylor. They married on May 25, 1940. During World War II she followed her husband in the Air Corps from 1943 to 1946. She taught Business Ed at Latham High School from 1946 until it closed. She taught at Warrensburg-Lathams Sunnyside School from 1951 to 1959, and moved with it to Warrensburg-Latham Elementary School and was there from 1959 to 1974. She and her husband retired in 1974 and spent 22 winters in Bradenton, FL. There she was an Elkette for 15 years and an Associate member of AAUW. While in Decatur she was a member of AAUW, Beta Sigma-Delta Kappa Gamma, Lady Elks, Club Continental, South Side Country Club, NEA, IEA, DARTA, Ruth Circle, Lydia, Dorcas Disciples, and Kiwaniannes. She was a member of the Merry Maidens Club, a group of high school chums who have met yearly for over 70 years.Lilabelle was President of Macon County Teachers Association whom she represented at the NEA conventions in New York City in 1965 and in Miami Beach in 1966. She also served as an IEA delegate.She and her husbands travels included all 50 states (Hawaii many times), all provinces of Canada, a cruise to Caracas, Venezuela, and several European countries. Lilabelle has a been a member of the Central Christian Church since 1957 and was recently elected there as a Deacon Emerita.She is survived by sisters-in-law Jean Beaird of Mattoon, Mary Miller of Macomb, and Georgine Traylor Baker of El Paso and nieces and nephews Carol Idleman of Mattoon, Michael Beaird of Chesterfield, MO, Gloria Clark of Bushnell, Barbara Hinytzke of Detroit, MI, Bonnie McGinley of Highland, Joe Baker of Metamora, and Becky Hakes of El Paso. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, two brothers, a sister-in-law, one niece and one nephew.Condolences may be left to the family at www.brintlingerandearl.com. "
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