Barbra Rebecca Lou Lanmon, 78, of Lexington and formerly of Wichita Falls, TX, died peacefully on September 1, at her home.
She was born in Walt Hill, Nebraska on May 2, 1931, the daughter of the late James and Martha Garner, one of 13 children.
She attended Wayne State College and the University of Nebraska.
She retired to Lexington in 1999. Prior to her retirement in a career that spanned 50 years, she was a noted educator in the Omaha, Nebraska school system, a real estate broker in Arizona and a real estate developer and residential and commercial property manager in Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas.
She was a pioneer woman's executive who started a company called Becky's Originals and Decorating Crafts in 1965. She opened and operated a small chain of stores in the mid-west and produced a 30-minute television program in which she starred called "Decorating Crafts with Becky" that was syndicated in 38 states.
She was the first female chief executive of a company to receive a federal Small Business Administration loan. She was also named Woman of the Year by Women's Day in 1966.
As a business and civic leader in Wichita Falls, TX, she was an advocate and successful fundraiser for many charities including Hospice, the American Heart Association, the Mental Health Association, the public library and Boy Scouts.
She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother and was preceded in death by her husband, Dwight Ira Lanmon and many of her brothers and sisters. She is survived by her daughter, Sydney Leigh Wade of Lexington and her grandsons, Larry Stanton Wiese of Lexington, Mason L. Wiese of Burkburnett, TX, Dwight J. Wade of Lexington and Spencer K. Wade of Chicago, IL.
A memorial service for friends and family will be held on Friday, September 4, at 2:00 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church. Arrangements are being handled by Harrison Funeral Home and Crematory. A second memorial service will be held at the Floral Heights United Methodist Church in Wichita Falls, TX, at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Rockbridge Area Hospice or the Kappa Alpha Order Educational Foundation.
