EMMA WANDS DILLARD

Emma Wands Dillard, 92, passed away on April 8, 2025, in Anderson, Indiana. She was born on June 12, 1932, in Havana, Cuba. Her journey took her from Cuba to Florida, to Arizona, to California, to Missouri, and finally, in her later years, she settled in Indiana.

Always a hard worker throughout her life, Emma worked with her husband on their farm in Lockwood and raised their three children. She also worked at O'Sullivan Industries and Thorco in Lamar, Missouri. After leaving the farm, she spent many of her last years in Golden City.

Even after retiring, she never slowed down. An avid gardener, she was the very definition of a green thumb. If she was not found in the garden, she was always on the move with a project or just taking a walk outside. Her whole life, she accomplished more in a day than most do in two or three. When it became difficult to till her old garden beds, she simply had them raised and kept going without missing a beat. When the weather finally forced her indoors, Emma enjoyed reading and being surrounded by her family.

Emma is survived by her daughters, Cherry (Eric) Mathews and Pamela Salinas; grandchildren Jeremy Gray, Amanda (Billy) Plunkett, Emmy (Michael Yeater) Gray, Angela Gray, Charles (Shannon) Gray, and Jonathan Dillard; great-grandchildren Layla, Max, Caroline, Kinsley, Alexander, Justin, Noelle, Cain, Riley, and Miranda; great-great granddaughters Marissa and Taylyn;           her sister, Janet Edwards; and a number of nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 30 years, Chester Dillard; son, Michael Dillard; granddaughter, Elizabeth Dillard; great-grandson, Eli Gray; granddaughter-in-law, Kandi Gray; parents, Grant and Olive Wands; and siblings, Olive Bear, Rosella Niland, and Grant Wands II.

She was an amazing mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, auntie, and friend to so many—truly a beautiful woman who will be missed dearly.

"She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare to her." Proverbs 3:15.

In lieu of flowers, plant something special, a tree or a flower, and cherish her memory, hour by hour.