Daughter of Tillman and Nellie Garland Jean R. Hunter, 84, Springfield, was called home to be with her Lord on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2006.
The daughter of Tillman and Nellie Garland, she was born on Nov. 9, 1921, in Green Forest, Ark. At a very young age, her mother and father moved Jean and their large family of nine sisters and one brother to the community of Dogwood in Douglas County, Mo.
God gave Jean a gift in her ability to care for small children. She used this talent to provide day care for over 30 years in her home and worked tirelessly in the nurseries of the church she attended. She left behind a legacy of children and families that were blessed by her loving care. Jean was a member of Seminole Baptist Temple.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Raymond, and grandson, Bruce.
Jean is survived by her son, Leonard Garland and wife, Joella, of Hartville; daughter, Linda Payne and husband, Mason, of Nixa; son, Mike Hunter and wife, Shine Ann, of Springfield; grandson, Jeff Garland and wife, Mary; granddaughter, Kim Goddard; grandsons, Zachary and Auston Payne; five great-grandchildren, Aaron, Jonathan, Bethany, Alora and Ashley; sister, Kate Frye, of St. Joseph, Mo.; sister, Iris Frye, of Ava; a brother, Howard Garland, of Springfield; sister, Cloda Hendrickson and brother-in-law, Charles, of Bolivar; and a large number of nieces and nephews.
Services were held Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2006, in the Greenlawn Funeral Home South, with the Rev. Mel Brown officiating. Burial was in the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery.
