Olive Lavonne Hudgens
Olive Lavonne Hudgens passed quietly from this life at Kiowa Manor on January 8, 2021 at the age of 99 years, 5 months.
Olive was born to Orville and Ruth Allen on August 8, 1921 on the family farm at Byron. She was the oldest of six children and the only girl born to her parents.
At the age of nineteen years, Olive married Ben Hudgens and moved to the Anthony, Kansas area where they farmed for the first 11 years. They then moved into Anthony where Ben worked in carpentry for many years. Olive and Ben were married for 49 years before he passed away in February 1990.
Olive was a member of the Anthony Church of Christ. She was a shining example of the virtuous woman depicted in Proverbs 31. Olive loved her family and enjoyed being with her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and friends.
She enjoyed being with people as well as working on crafts, gardening, playing games, and traveling. She had a good sense of humor and a contagious laugh. Olive worked at the Jett’s Store in Anthony for nearly 20 years, retiring in 1986.
In 2004, Olive moved to Pratt, Kansas to be near her daughter, Mary. She later moved to Hutchinson, Kansas and moved into Mary’s home after the death of Garry, Mary’s husband.
In 2020, Olive moved back to Byron, living in the home of her son, Jim and his wife Barbara.
Olive was preceded in death by her parents, Orville and Ruth Allen; her husband Ben Hudgens; four of her brothers: Emerson Allen, Gaylord Allen, James Allen and Delmar Allen, son-in-law, Garry Bonham; and granddaughter-in-law, Janice Bonham.
She is survived by her brother Carroll (Carol) Allen, Longmont, Colorado; her three children: Allen (Fran) Hudgens, Spring Hill, Tennessee, Jim (Barbara) Hudgens, Byron, and Mary Bonham, Hutchinson, Kansas. She leaves eight grandchildren: Darren (Pam) Bonham, Jason Bonham, Jimmy (Melissa Hudgens), Sherry (John) LeVan, Mandy (Ryan) Driskill, Drew (Kate) Hudgens, Quinn (Dustin) Rayner, and Benjamin (Kendra) Hudgens; 19 great-grandchildren; and 10 great-great grandchildren.
Funeral service will be held at 1:30 p.m., Friday, January 15, 2021 at Prairie Rose Funeral Home in Anthony. Burial will follow in Spring Grove Cemetery, west of Anthony.
Funeral will be live streamed to www.facebook.com/prairierosefuneralhomes.com and will also be available after the service on Olive’s obituary page at www.prairierosefuneralhomes.com.
Registry and viewing will be held 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.
Memorials in memory of Olive may be made to the Church of Christ and may be mailed in care of the funeral home.
Prairie Rose Funeral Homes, 602 E. Main St., Anthony, KS 67003, is in charge of arrangements.
