Lenora Faye Lewis Tawney

Lenora Faye Lewis Tawney, “Nonie,” passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on ¬December 9, 2020, at her home in Fishers, Indiana. She was born in East Prairie, Missouri, on March 30, 1933, the eldest daughter of Harry and Bertha Lewis.
At the age of 6, Lenora asked Christ to make her heart His home. Her life on this earth was guided by that decision and she followed her Savior faithfully and with a love that still warmly holds all who know and love her.
Lenora blessed family and friends with her kindness and giving of self during her growing-up years in East Prairie and in Sikeston. She deeply loved her parents, three brothers, two sisters, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends of Southeast Missouri and of the Chicago area, where many relatives lived. In her writings, Lenora remembers with fondness the births of her younger siblings, family events, describes her love of learning, of music, of church, and expresses from the heart the sadness of leaving home and also the hope she experienced in her steps toward the next phase of her life at Anderson College in Anderson, Indiana.
During her junior year at Anderson, Lenora met “Mr. Right,” Don Tawney, a quiet, athletic young man from South Charleston, West Virginia, who had felt the call to the ministry and had come to Anderson to prepare. Lenora and Don were married on June 28, 1954, and lived in Anderson until they were called to serve in 1956 at the South Street Church of God in Mountain Grove, Missouri.
Although Lenora served for over 50 years as a schoolteacher, she cherished and prized her true stewardship, to love as God loves each one of us. In quiet moments with her children, in a smile at the Thanksgiving dinner table, in her singing at home and in church, in these and in many more of the moments God gives to each of us she lived that love for and before all. Through many years of ministry together with Don in Missouri, Illinois, Alabama, Indiana, and Maryland, Lenora embraced servanthood, loving as Christ loved, caring, listening, holding, weeping and rejoicing, praying, and magnifying the good. In her presence God’s true nature shone with warmth and unconditional acceptance. Lenora joyfully shared her many gifts, singing in the choir, in trios, quartets, duets, solos, playing the piano for congregational singing, giving testimony, teaching in Sunday School, and offering a loving hand to hold as she visited the shut-ins, the sick in the hospital, the mourning saying goodbye to a loved one. Her humility was bold, her faith, clear but always open, never judging.
As it was and is with her Savior, Lenora could see straight through to the heart, especially with her children. When they would come to her carrying burdens, she would so easily reach all the way to the most hidden hurt, and by words and embrace give comfort. Her children carry with them now and forevermore this most valuable gift of knowing, remembering, living all over again--as if yesterday were right now--the quiet moments, the smiles, the hugs, the prayers, the sacrifices which to Lenora were never a loss of any kind. Her grandchildren weep now, but are, without reservation, knowingly blessed beyond unimaginable wealth by the gift of holding in their hearts this answer to any circumstance, need, or fear they encounter through their lives: the answer of Grandma’s love. The great-grandchildren, perhaps too young to think of such things, are blessed all the same, for they have known and will carry with them the love of the warm hugs and sweet, beautiful voice of calm.


Lenora was preceded in her passing by her beloved husband, Don, who went to be with their Savior on May 12th of this year. She was also preceded by her parents, Harry and Bertha Lewis, brothers Edward Allen Lewis, Ray Melvin Lewis, Clay Alvin Lewis, Glenn Nicholas Lewis, brother-in-law, Kelly Tawney, Jr., brother-in-law Virgil Allan Adkins, and sister-in-law, Roberta Jane Adkins.

Lenora will be dearly missed by her children, Donna, Don, Jr., Leigh Ann, and Brian; grandchildren, Derek, Evan, Joseph, J.B., Jordan, Megan, Emmaleigh, Brian, Benjamin, Tiffany, Keirsten, Kaleb, and Kage; great-grandchildren, Braydon, Sophia, Amelia, Samantha, AnaLeigh, Aubreigh, and Lillyana. Lenora is survived by her sister, Donna McGee and brother-in-law, Gerry McGee, by her sister, Betty Stanley and brother-in-law, John Stanley, sister-in-law, Paula Lewis, brother-in-law, Chester Adkins, sister-in-law, Patsy Adkins, son-in-law, Duane Hammel, daughters-in-law, Vickie Tawney and Jackie Tawney, and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

A private service will be held on Saturday, December 12th, for the wonderful blessing of Lenora Faye Lewis Tawney, good and faithful servant of God.