Lillie Sue Roberts Lobdell Foster, 89, of Blanco, Texas, entered heaven on Wednesday, February 23, 2011, while in hospice care at Odyssey House, San Antonio. Cremation will be under the direction of Crofts Funeral Home in Blanco.

As per her wishes, there will not be a public service. A memorial has been established, and those who wish to make a contribution in memory of Lillie may do so to: Parkinson’s Disease Foundation: 1359 Broadway, Suite 1509, New York, NY 10018; www.pdf.org; or 800-457-6676.

Lillie was born September 25, 1921, in Honeygrove, Texas, to Emmit Alvin Roberts and Mary Margaret Roberts.

The daughter of a sharecropping family, Lillie’s early life was defined by the hard work and survival of living through the Great Depression as sharecroppers across Texas. Lillie enjoyed working with her hands, even as a young child, spending as much time as she was allowed with her father, learning carpentry, handy ‘man’ skills, and mechanics. Her family were devout Baptists and attended church every time they could. Lillie lost her mother when she was 13 years old. As a teenager, she worked as a roller-skating carhop at one of the first drive-through restaurants in the country.

While visiting her church “chums,” Ethelyn and Gwendolyn, she saw a photo of their brother, a dashing young army man, on their wall. After learning all she could about him, and convincing him to call off a previous ‘engagement’, she married that man, Sydney Alexander Lobdell, in 1938 and raised three daughters: Marthelyn, Sidni, and Marcella. After their nest was empty, they lived together in the Cypress Cove neighborhood of Spring Branch, Texas, for many years. Sydney passed away in 1991.

Lillie loved playing games with family and friends and enjoyed a busy social life. She enjoyed participating in activities such as bowling leagues, card games, and fundraising events for the church and local community and was always heavily involved in the PTA of her daughters’ schools. While at home, Lillie enjoyed sewing, painting, crochet, small carpentry, and crafts. She also enjoyed playing cards and games with her children and grandchildren. No matter what the project or game or whom she played, Lillie played to win (and did most of the time). She was a woman to be respected and admired. If something was to be done, whether a game of bowling, a meal to be prepared, or a craft to be made, it was to be done right or done again until it was right.

After being swept off her feet by music and humor, Lillie married her second husband, Billy Foster, on March 25, 1995. Lillie and Billy lived in Floresville and were active in church and home improvement projects together. Billy passed away in 2010.

Lillie is survived by her three daughters: Marthelyn Ann Denman of Punta Gorda, Florida; Sidni Alasandra Wickliffe of Richmond, Texas; and Marcella Faye Murrah and her husband Dan of Blanco, Texas. She is also survived by several grandchildren and great-grandchildren, including: J. Denman and his wife Agnes and children Karl and Chlodweg of Orange, France; Clark Denman and his wife Karen and children Clark, Jr., Lee Ann, Gabby, and Rachel of Hamilton, TX; Matt Murrah and his wife Karen and children Molly, Daniel, and Mae of Dallas, TX; Wesley Murrah and his wife Katy and children Caleb and Clayton of Blanco, TX; Blake Wickliffe and his wife Ginger of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Russell Wickliffe and his wife Cynthia of Cedar Creek, TX.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Emmit Alvin Roberts and Mary Margaret Roberts, sisters Mary and Bernice, brothers Roy and Bobby, by her husbands, Sydney Alexander Lobdell (1991) and Billy Foster (2010), a son-in-law, Dick Denman, and one grandson, Randy Wickliffe.

A devoted housewife, Lillie was a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who taught her children and grandchildren to love the Lord God, to honor their elders, to always do your best, and to cherish times of fun and play.