Frances Lavan Turner

Frances Lavan Billings Turner, 79, of Concord passed away peacefully at [place] on January 15, 2016. The family will receive friends Monday Jan. 18, 2016 from 12- 2 PM at Wilkinson Funeral Home. Burial will be at West Concord Cemetery. Lavan was born on Friday, November 27, 1936 to Jackson T. and Virgie Hatley Billings. She graduated from Harrisburg High School in 1955. In 1958, she married O’Niel Turner. She and O’Niel moved several times to follow his Marine Corps career, first to Quantico, Virginia. After three years in Naples, Italy and a year in Oceanside, California, Lavan returned to Concord to be near her parents during Niel’s two deployments to Vietnam. She has lived in Concord since that time.
Lavan was truly the center of her extended family. She was a great supporter and confidante in times good and bad. “MiMi” was a friend to everyone, and would literally give the shirt off her back to a person who she thought needed it. She was a charter member of Broadus Memorial Baptist Church. Lavan is survived by her only child, Melissa (Lesa) Turner Gobble, of Salisbury, Lesa’s husband Scott Gobble, and her grandchildren Jacob Scott Gobble of Concord and Emily O’Niel Gobble of Greensboro. She is also survived by her three siblings: Jack Billings (Jo) of Kannapolis, Joan Blackwelder (Frank) of Easley, S.C., and Charles Billings (Sandi) of Kannapolis, and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents, her husband Niel, and her niece (and namesake) Julie Lavan Blackwelder. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Trading Ford Baptist Church Bible School, 3600 Long Ferry Rd Salisbury, NC 28146 or the Julie L. Blackwelder Scholarship at Winthrop University, Development Office, 216 Tillman Hall, Rock Hill, SC 29733 or to Tucker Hospice House at 5003 Hospice Lane Kannapolis, NC 28081.