Mrs. Anita Byland

Anita J. Byland February 6, 1935 - January 11, 2018 Born in Licking River KY to Victor & Eula Lewis at home, the second oldest of four, "Jeannie or Jeanette" as she was affectionately known & called by many passed away peacefully January 11, 2018 in Mobile, AL. She grew up in Beattyville KY & Hagerstown IN before marrying her husband & moving to Indianapolis IN which became her home for more than 60 years. In the past year she had recently moved to Foley AL to be closer to her daughter due to health reasons. What many didn't know was Jeanette was a shy little redhead that went on to be a cheerleader & excelled in school that knew more about history than those that had the opportunity to travel. She was an avid reader even after school & always said as long as you read you could always do & go anywhere you wanted. She instilled this in all around her & many that knew her. There was much more to her than many knew or ever imagined. She enjoyed holiday gatherings & always had everyone to her home for those meals. The more the merrier. Everyone was welcome. She loved to cook but was the first to admit baking wasn't one of the things she did best & let others bake the cookies & pies. Jeanette worked her earlier years for Indiana National Bank (Indpls) & Philco Ford (Indpls) in the areas of finance. While she had an important role in the world of finance, her most important role would always be known for taking care of her Son Stephen. She made it her life's work to make sure he was well taken care of & he was always safe. He was most important to her than anything or anyone else. She was instrumental in involving him in many activities throughout the years. Helping form a bowling league for disabled children/adults, outings & parties that brought together many families & friends that otherwise would not have had outside socialization other than school. She was also involved in getting Stephen involved in the Special Olympics where he excelled in many activities. She drove him back & forth for over 30 years to his job as a pots washer for a local cafeteria so he could have a purpose in life & something to look forward to daily. She was also a member of Villa Baptist Church for almost 50 years joining the Church prior & being baptized in December of 1969 when Clinton Hale was the Pastor. She was a member of the choir for many years & enjoyed the many activities & gatherings the Church had to offer, attending every Wednesday evening, choir practice on Thursday's, Sunday mornings & Sunday evening's. Not to mention all of the special programs & holiday events. Her Pride & Joy came on May 9, 1991. Braden Lee Pitts her Grandson was her everything. She was affectionately his "Mam-Maw," & she was determined to see him grow up to be the Man she knew he could & would be. She always told him he could do anything he set his mind to & would do whatever it took to help him to do so. She was so proud of him & the achievements he had made in such a short period of time. Thankfully she was able to spend her last few weeks with him & her heart was full. I'm sure she'll always be his Guardian Angel. Her faith was very strong. Jeanette was very giving. She would welcome you, would help when she could & would give as she could, when she could. She would also forgive & let go......."give it to God," as she would say. She didn't like conflict. She always said while she may have been done wrong at times & hurt she also knew it was not her place to judge as that was left to the "Almighty,GOD," & he would see that justice would be done. Those that do wrong & do not admit their sins will have to pay the price one day. So she let it go & let those that did the harm live with it. She knew she could sleep at night peacefully. Lastly she always made sure she reminded us to remember where we came from regardless of how far our education or life took us. She said without our roots or our background those things didn't matter, they weren't important, without our beginning. Those that don't remember have no heart, are not thankful for hardships or humble or those that helped them along the way. They become cold & heartless & are ashamed. Become something they aren't & never were. Always remember to be who you are. You become fake & people will discard you. One day you'll yearn for that little place known "as home." If you don't you have no soul. Be genuine. Never become bigger than what you what you really are it makes you ugly. "Live life - love deeply - laugh often - take chances - remember it's okat to cry to cleanse - make many friends to be there in the end - have faith & believe - God is the only one that's actually there when you need someone - time goes fast - one day you are just beginning your life, the next day you are old - I know - I'm 82. Where did the time go?" (Quoted September 2017)*** She was preceded in death by her parents Victor & Eula Lewis. Many Aunts, Uncles & Cousins. She is survived by her children Stephen D. Byland, Foley AL & Angela L. (Byland-Pitts) Bruner, (James) Foley, AL & Grandson Braden L. Pitts of Indianapolis, IN. Brothers, Bobby G. Lewis (Verna) Ft. Collins, CO, Arthur L. Lewis (Peggy) Windsor, CO & Sister Linda Lee of Greenwood, IN. God-daughter Yvonne Beever of Austin, TX. Many Nieces & Nephews. A Memorial has been planned for Friday March 2, 2018 at Villa Baptist Church, 2650 Villa Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46203 at 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers the family has asked that donations be made to the Dementia Society of America, PO Box 600, Doylestown, PA 18901 1-800-336-3684 Special Thanks to James & Zara Mallory for the many years of friendship that turned into family.