Alta Willene Bilbrey

Alta Willene Bilbrey, born July 28th, 1936, to Elveta and Shrilda Mink, returned to The Lord on January 1st, 2025. There, she has been reunited with her parents; siblings, Gilbert, Leon, Christine, Pauline, and Enid; son, Howard; son-in-law, Penny; and grandsons, Christopher and Kenny. 

She will continue to watch over her daughter, Norma; grandchildren, Robin (Joe), Leslie (Patrick), Danielle, Amy (Matt), and Daniel; great-grandchildren, Rachel, Courtney, Jeremy, Chelsea, Faith, Kelsey, Alexis (Daelin), Savannah, Brooke, Madison, Ana, Aurora, Samantha, and August; several great-great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews from her new seat in Heaven. 

Willene grew up in Kentucky on a farm with her parents and siblings, who were raised to be hard-working and honest people, which were two significant traits that she carried with her throughout her beautiful life. She used her strong work ethic to take an 8th-grade education and turn it into a career she built from the ground up. She became a District Supervisor for White Castle until she retired in 1997 after 42 continuous years of service. 

Her hard work and dedication led to her ability to not only take care of herself but to help take care of her son, daughter, and grandchildren at every opportunity, which brought her true happiness. You could see the light in her eyes each day, even when it was hard to find, when she got her ”Jaxon kisses” and knowing Hudson would be coming soon! Nothing brought her more joy than knowing she was helping someone she loved. Whether it be babysitting, listening, dropping off a gallon of milk, coming to an event to cheer you on, secretly paying a bill, quilting a beautiful blanket, buying a first car, cooking a family dinner, planning a family vacation, or rushing over to help soothe a crying baby…..she was there for any opportunity to support her family in any way possible. Self-sacrifice was not a part of her vocabulary because, to her, there was no sacrifice involved when it came to the people she loved. 

Whether you called her Mom, Grandma, Woody, Willene, or Aunt Willene, you received the same love and commitment from her because you were family. That is her greatest legacy. You can see how her example defined the meaning of what family is and designed the standard for each of us in how we care for each other. She was a true blessing to us all. Simply being who she was began a love that will be felt for so many generations to come. While she may be gone from this earth, she will live on endlessly through each of us as we continue to share the lessons and love she showed us while she was here. 

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to our friends at Indiana Funeral Care. Visitation will be held on Friday, January 10th, 2025, from 12 pm - 2 pm at Indiana Funeral Care, Greenwood Chapel. A funeral service will immediately follow, beginning at 2 pm, and then a procession to London Cemetery for burial.