Y'Vonne Aileene O'Dea

Y’Vonne Aileene O’Dea, age 98 of Wellsville, Kansas passed away Tuesday, March 5, 2024 at the Wellsville Retirement Community. Funeral services will be 2PM, Monday, March 11, 2024 at Wilson’s Funeral Home in Wellsville. Visitation will be from 1-2PM, one hour prior to services. Interment will follow services in the Wellsville Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Wellsville Retirement Community in care of Wilson’s, PO Box 486, Wellsville, KS 66092.

Y’Vonne Aileene O’Dea was born November 21, 1925 on the family farm south of LeLoup, the daughter of Edgar Franklin and Iva Ruth (Graybill) Gilbert. She grew up in Wellsville and graduated from Wellsville High School in 1943. She attended classes after high school to obtain her teaching certificate and she taught elementary school in LeLoup for approximately two years. In 1946, after he was honorably discharged from the Army Air Corp, Y’Vonne married her high school sweetheart, Thomas A. O’Dea. They shared over 67 years of marriage together before his passing in 2013.

Throughout her lifetime, Y’Vonne and Tom belonged to the Tauy Baptist Church, New Hope Baptist Church and the Wellsville Baptist Church. She was active on committees in her community and was a hard-working homemaker. She loved sewing, crocheting, knitting, playing piano and canning. She had a great talent and love for quilting. It was a passion of hers and her quilts were works of art. Y’Vonne taught Sunday school and her love for her Lord and bringing others to him was an important and endearing part of who Y’Vonne was. Her family was her center and she provided for and loved them immensely.

Y’Vonne is survived by her 7 children: Bradford O’Dea (Roxy) of Ottawa, KS; Tamara Quick (Julian) of Wellsville, KS; Cena Johnson (Carl) of Whitewright, TX; Odree O’Connor (Kenny) of Ottawa, KS; Melanie Bartlow of Baldwin City, KS; Tomalea Bench (Riley) of Huntsville, TX; and Octavia Ellison (Mack) of Mt. Hope, WV; 28 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews and extended family, including her Wellsville Retirement Community caregivers, staff and Scott Averill. She is preceded in death by her parents, husband, brother, Austin Allen Gilbert, son-in-law, Doug Mosher, son-in-law, Mike Bartlow, and grandson, Kevin Mosher.

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