Lanelle Gurnard

LaNelle "Nellie" Morrison was the youngest of four siblings, born to Joe and Grace on October 27, 1927, in Seymour, TX. She left us to go to her reward on April 26, 2012, surrounded by her family, after a 20-year battle with Parkinson's disease. She was preceded in death by her parents; one sister, Kate; her husband, Richard; and daughter, Nancy. She is survived by her son, Steve and his wife, Gloria; one brother, Mack; one sister, Margie; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. She met and eventually married Richard Gurnard on January 26, 1951, while he was stationed at Perrin Air Force Base near Denison, TX. They remained together, raising their two children, Nancy and Steven, until Richard's death in 1995. She was a devoted wife, mother and the ultimate homemaker, living the life of a serviceman's wife for 20 years - living at Air Force bases in Texas, Alaska, Washington, California and Japan. They again lived in Texas until Richard's retirement from the Air Force, and then settled in Wenatchee, WA in 1983. She was a Christian who always thought first about others - especially her grandkids. Her entire being was focused on keeping her family happy, well fed and safe. Her one job outside the home was prior to her marriage - in a Texas peanut factory. LaNelle was a wonderful cook, an avid baker and cake decorator and an artist who loved to oil paint. She loved traveling back and forth between Texas and Washington, visiting family and friends. On one trip, she actually bumped into a nice young man, as she described him, named Dale Earnhardt. She thought he might have been a race car driver because of the clothes he had on, but she wasn't sure. She was an avid gardener who loved flowers, fresh vegetables and fresh fruit that she grew. Her life encompassed growing up on a farm during the Great Depression when most meals consisted of beans and water gravy, picking cotton, experiencing family and friends fighting in WWII, Korea and Vietnam, shaking the hand of John F. Kennedy shortly before his death, and seeing her family grown and learn from her. La Nelle was a precious soul who will be missed very much and always remembered for her loving and caring nature. Funeral Services will be held Wednesday, May 2, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. at Telford's Chapel of the Valley. Concluding Services and Interment will follow at the Cashmere Cemetery. Viewing will be Tuesday, May 1, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Memorials may be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Arrangements are by Telford's Chapel of the Valley, East Wenatchee.

Lanelle Gurnard

October 27, 1927 - April 26, 2012