Lillian Rose Barnes Wolverton "Granny" passed away on April 22, 2018. On September 22, 1920 Lil or Rosie (as most called her) was born in Morenci, Michigan. And she loved telling everyone that she was born exactly nine months after her father got home after World War I. Her parents were Vera Mae Johnson and Van Dale Barnes. Van Dale Barnes was a doctor, a general surgeon, and was one of the first to join the Veterans Administration after it was founded on July 21, 1930. Because of her father's work with the VA, Rosie grew up with her family all over the country first in Morenci, Michigan; Maywood, Illinois; Cranston, Rhode Island; and back to Detroit, Michigan – the Motor City. On January 10, 1942 she went tobogganing on a blind date and met the man who would change her name and life forever. Bob Wolverton couldn't understand why she went by Rosie when her first name was Lillian so he decided to call her Lil from that point on. Bob had already enlisted in the Army Air Corp and was soon called up. During World War II he was a weather man who served most of his duty in China. Lil worked full time at AT&T in Detroit. She was also in charge of developing all of Bob's rolls of film and sharing them with his family who lived only two blocks from the telephone company. Upon his honorable discharge and return from the service, Bob and Lil married on August 10, 1946. This loving couple had two children, Robert and Patricia, a.k.a. Bob and Pat.
In 1946, Bob began working on the appliance end of Nash-Kelvinator (later American Motors). He and Lil's older brother, Charlie, bought their first home, a two story duplex in Detroit. Charlie and his wife lived in the first floor apartment and Bob and Lil lived in the second floor.
Soon after they switched to Charlie's larger apartment with the arrival of Bobby in 1947 and Patty in 1949. This is where Lil got started in the first of her many careers as mom and homemaker. While Bob's career at American Motors grew, Lil's career also grew. They moved to Livonia, Michigan to a home on the corner of Shadieside and West Chicago. In addition to turning that house into a home, she became a Brownie and Cub Scout leader and she taught Sunday School at Rosedale Gardens Presbyterian Church. She later became Director of the Sunday school.
At about the time Bob and Pat were starting off to college, Lil started attending art classes at Schoolcraft Community college and later transferred to Wayne State University. In 1978, she earned her B.A. in Fiber Arts. That same year Bob retired from American Motors and the two moved to Winter Haven, Florida to begin their lives yet again.
After several years living on Lake Elbert in Winter Haven, Florida; Bob's glaucoma worsened and he lost most of his eyesight. Consequently he and Lil moved to the retirement community, Chambrel at Island Lake in Longwood, Florida. They thrived at Chambrel enjoying the other residents, good health, and regular visits by their family and friends.
Bob passed away on April 16, 2012. At that point, he and Lil had been married 65 years.
She is survived by her children, her daughter, Patricia Dale Wolverton, and her son, Robert Drew Wolverton, his wife, Kate Elmore Wolverton, their son (and her grandson), Henry Joseph “Hank” Wolverton; Lillian's younger sister, Betty Carl and many many nieces and nephews; and great nieces and great nephews. Lil will be dearly missed by all those who knew and loved her. To have enough time to gather such a large number of people, the family is planning a reunion/memorial service in Michigan in the late summer or early fall of 2019.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18