Letty Mae Morris Milligan, daughter of Elgin and Retha (Billups) Morris was born on January 11, 1928 in Ridgeway, Mo. She went to be with the Lord on November 25, 2019, in Bethany, Missouri. She was the second of three daughters.
She accepted Christ as her Savior at the age of 13 and was baptized in a pond west of Ridgeway.
She grew up in the First Christian Church in Ridgeway, Mo.
She started school in Ridgeway, Mo. at the age of five. Spent all 12 years there and graduated in 1945.
On November 7, 1945, she married the love of her life, Dwight Walton Milligan in Bethany, Mo. To this union seven children were born.
Dwight and Letty lived through 60 years of marriage on the family farm south of Blythedale. She loved life on the farm and always had a garden and some flowers. By fall, the cellar was full of home canned goods from the garden.
At the age of five, she started taking piano lessons at 25 cents a session. She played mostly by ear and liked to play âjust for the fun of itâ. She and sister, Betty Jo, played duets and performed at local functions. Dad bought her a piano and she would often be playing a tune when we came into the house.
During their married life, she attended and played the piano at the Pleasant Valley Community Church. Very seldom was a Sunday missed but when it was missed, you would hear her listening to a service on the radio. The ladies of the church would hold a 10-day Bible School each summer for the area children. They said âit takes 10 days to teach themâ knowing that might be their only time to hear the Word of the Lord.
Mom didnât know much about cooking when they started out. It wasnât long before she was fixing a feast for her family. With seven children that was a full time job. Sometimes when the meat supply was getting low, we would have âmysteryâ meat. If anyone left her table hungry â it was their fault. She was often baking bread, making little loaves for the grandchildren and making animal pancakes for a fun breakfast. The cookie jar was always filled. She would feed a houseful on many happy family gatherings.
She was a marvelous seamstress. She would take a piece of fabric and make something wonderful of it. She made most of her childrenâs clothes. She had a unique way of designing clothes and other items. She made all of the girls wedding dresses. After all those years of making childrenâs clothes, she was able to devote some time to making quilts. Every one of her children and grandchildren had a quilt. The most sought after are the ones made from the fabric scraps she had made clothes for the family.
Preceding her in death was her husband of 60 years, Dwight, daughter, Jennifer Davis, son, Donald Milligan, grandson, Lawrence Davis, grandson, Robert Milligan, granddaughter, Courtney Bain and sister, Betty Jo Gutridge.
Survivors include, Jim (Ellie) Milligan, Bethany; Dwight (Cork) Milligan, Jr., Ridgeway; Merry Jane Milligan (Bryan), Ridgeway; Julie (Jay) Bain, Cainsville; Rose Milligan, Sioux City, Iowa; sister, Jeanie Barnett, Bethany; 15 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild.
Services will be held on December 7, 2019 at the Ridgeway Baptist Church with visitation at 9:30 a.m. and service at 11 a.m. Internment following in the Rose Hill Cemetery of Ridgeway, Missouri.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Harrison County Hospice and/or the Rose Hill Cemetery.