Violet Mcfarlane

Violet Mildred McFarlane, 98, of Lamoni, IA, formerly of Independence, MO passed away Thursday, April 24, 2008 at her home. Graveside services will be 12:00 noon, May 17, 2008 at Mound Grove Cemetery. Visitation will be prior to the graveside service at 11:00 a.m. at Speaks Suburban Chapel. Memorial contributions may be made to Outreach International. Vi was born August 11, 1909 in Bridgeport, NE to Robert Sands and Clara Emma (Teeter) McFarlane. She was the younger sister to Robert Lyle and Clara Lavon. Another brother, Richard Vincent died as a toddler. When Vi was a teenager, her younger sister, Shirley, was born. Vi was a lifelong member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, later the Community of Christ Church, and lived most of her life in Independence, MO. A graduate of William Chrisman High School, Vi graduated from Graceland College in 1938 where she was a Crescent and earned the Gold Seal for Scholarship. She received her Bachelors degree from the University of Kansas City. For 30 years she was the office manager for the Public Health Service in Kansas City. In 2005 she moved to Crown Colony in Lamoni, IA where she enjoyed the new friends she made. Vi was an adventurer. In 1968 she began her world travels with a visit to the home of her ancestors in Scotland. With friends she drove the Alaska-Canada highway before it was paved, and braved altitude sickness at Macchu Pichu, Peru. She went on an African photo safari, a trip to China, and a trip around the world. In all her travels, she was an avid photographer of wildlife, particularly birds. She was a birder her whole life and, when she became unable to travel, she enjoyed nature programs on television and the birds that came to the feeder outside her apartment at Crown Colony. When asked how many birds she had on her list, she just shrugged and admitted she’d stopped counting years ago. Family was everything to Vi. In her younger years, she was the official family photographer, and never missed a Teeter-McFarlane family reunion. She enjoyed the many visits friends and relatives made to see her after her move to Lamoni. She was disappointed that bad weather prevented her attending her niece Dorothy’s surprise 80th birthday party in April. Vi is survived by her sister Shirley Brizendine and husband John; nieces Dorothy Anderson, Alice Davis and husband Jack Minney, Barbara Higdon and husband Bill, Janet Gilberts and husband John; nephews Richard McFarlane, Larry McFarlane and wife Amy, and John Sands Brizendine. She was Auntie Vi to three generations of family, all of whom will sorely miss her, they way she lived life with gusto and the twinkle in her eye.