DILLARD, Opal I. (1928-2017)

DILLARD

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 5/31/2017 at 19:09:23

Opal Irene Dillard
(July 20, 1928 - February 25, 2017)

Celebration of Life Services for Opal Irene Dillard, who passed away February 25, 2017, at Good Samaritan Center in Indianola, will be held 10:30 a.m., Saturday, April 8, 2017 at Overton Funeral Home in Indianola with burial of cremains following in the Belmont Cemetery, Milo, IA.
Opal was born July 20, 1928 to Fay and Pearl Johnson in Fontanel, IA. She married Robert B. Hook in 1954 and they were blessed with two children from this union. They divorced after 7 years. Opal married Howard “Doc” Dillard in 1980 and he passed away suddenly in 1987.
Opal lived in Milo, IA for many years above Mosher Funeral Home while working for them as receptionist and services assistant. She moved with the children to Indianola and worked at DHS for over 20 years as a case worker. After retiring, she worked for Pagliai Pizza in Indianola for 4 years as a lead prep.
Opal was self sufficient and strong spirited. She loved her children immensely and would do anything in her power to help others.
Family members share memories of when Opal obtained her driver's license for the very first time in 1989. Coincidentally, this was the exact same time she purchased her first car, a new Honda Civic from a dealership in Marshalltown, IA. Since her brother-in-law worked at that dealership, he was elected to give her her first drivers training lesson. On the way home from that Marshalltown dealership to Indianola, she made it without incident.
She was a Jack-of-all-trades and this was proved by her ability to create many items such as baskets, butterflies, flowers and other decorations from mere magazines, twisties, toilet paper rolls, plastic cups, spoons and wrappers.
Survivors include her daughter, Linda Hook Ritchie; grandson, Anthony Hook; granddaughter, Kristyne Ritchie; sisters, Helen (Jerry) Weeks and Joyce (Johnson) Coffman, all of Indianola; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by a son Robert Fay Hook, husband Howard Dillard, sister Dorothy Blake, and brothers Harvey Johnson, Fay Johnson, Ben Johnson, Tommy Johnson and Wayne Henry Johnson. This memorial is provided by Overton Funeral Home, 501 West Ashland Ave., Indianola, Iowa, [http://www.overtonfuneral.com/]