Obituary of Yvonne Kay Fanning

YVONNE KAY FANNING

March 1, 1938 – June 7, 2019

 

Yvonne Kay Fanning was born in Fairplay, Colorado to Lewis and Dorothy Johnson.  As a small child she moved to the Twin Falls area where they moved several times, finally settling in Twin Falls where she attended high school. 

In 1956 her first son Raymond was born at the Oak-Knoll Naval Hospital in Oakland, California.  In January, 1964, Yvonne married George Fanning in Twin Falls, Idaho.  A few short months later they moved to Nyssa when George was hired by the Nyssa School District.  And that is where she put down roots and stayed for the rest of her life living in the same house for 54 years.

After moving to Nyssa she had three more children – two daughters Valerie and Tonya, and a second son Charlie.  They later adopted grandchildren Cloudy and Ezura. 

She was an amazing seamstress sewing a majority of her children’s clothes; an artist painting in many mediums and styles such as oils on canvas, ceramics, and tole painting; cake decorating (her hobby became a career without trying LOL); a cook having delicious meals on the table at 5:00 p.m. every night.

She volunteered her time for many years in the Nyssa Lioness Club holding several offices including president.  During that time they held many fundraisers selling snow cones at various events such as the Nyssa Night Rodeo and Thunderegg Days.  The money raised was used to put on the annual Easter egg hunt for the city.  They also did early eye exams for local children.  Several years saw her volunteering to the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital by running a bikeathon.

Yvonne was preceded in death by her parents Dorthy and Louis, her husband George, both of her sons – Raymond and Charlie, and a great grandson Elijah.

She is survived by her brother LeRoy Johnson, Pullman, Washington; daughters Valerie (John), Nyssa, Oregon; and Tonya, Placerville, California.  Also her grandchildren Danielle Rios, Missouri; George Burns (Danielle), Nyssa, Oregon; Nichol (Chris), California and David, California.  She is also survived by the great grandchildren Destiny, Ebony and Ian, Missouri; and Aiden and Michael, California; Lily and Abby and Charlie, Oregon.  Cloudy, Alaska, New Hampshire.

A celebration of life will be held at the South Park in Nyssa, Oregon on Monday, June 17th, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.

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