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BORN
1925
DIED
2020
FUNERAL HOME
Margie Rainbolt Obituary
Margie Louise (Tiny) Bowling Rainbolt joined Jesus and her late husband, Ben J. Rainbolt on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, while residing at Grace Manor Care Center in Burlington at the age of 95 after just being diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).
She had just celebrated her 95th birthday on Sept 22, 2020, with her good friend Willie Sharp with a community drive-by to drop off cards and best wishes.
She was the second of nine children of Olis A. (Ben) and Iva Mae Sawyer Bowling in Ashland, Kan.
She was born Sept. 22, 1925, on a ranch near Ashland, Kan. (south of Dodge City, Kan.).
Her big sister Betty (Sis) commented she was a "Tiny" baby and that became her nickname.
She was raised and attended country schools and school in Ashland. Tiny was good student and a champion speller. She graduated from Ashland High school in 1943.
Tiny met Ben Rainbolt before the war, during high school. The two towns they each lived in were only 15 miles apart where they had mutual friends.
Right after graduation from high school, Tiny moved to Wichita, Kan. to work as "Rosie the Riveter" in the factories with good friend, Katie Beydler, while WWII was raging.
Many letters were exchanged between Ben and Tiny. At one-point Ben was away from his unit because of a knee injury. When he finally connected with his unit, he had 44 letters from Tiny and 60 from friends and family.
Tiny returned to Ashland in 1945. Ashland celebrated the end of the war with a May Day Parade and Tiny was crowned May Queen during the parade.
Ben came home from the war in January of 1946. Ben and Tiny started dating in the spring of 1946 and married on Oct. 19, 1946.
Her wedding china from the Ashland drugstore was the first set to arrive after the war. They lived in Protection, Kan. for a short time.
Then in the spring of 1947, they packed up what little they had, left family members in Kansas and moved to the great state of Colorado.
Tiny was a charter member of the First Baptist Church of Burlington. She was a member of the Women's Missionary Union (WMU) for years.
She was an active leader of the Girls Auxiliary (GA's) and all three daughters were involved.
Next, she became a leader for the Royal Ambassadors (RA's) as son Bennie grew up. She taught Vacation Bible School, Sunday School, was a part of the Pastoral search and Kitchen/Food committees, painted a lot of parsonages, welcomed many Pastors and their families.
Most of the various pastors' kids were in her home and became best friends with her children, throughout the history of the church.
She sewed baptistry curtains, seat covers, costumes for Christmas and Easter pageants, and dresses for GA's and youth choir.
As mentioned, Tiny was a great seamstress - always making dresses for her daughters for Easter and Christmas programs, proms, and their weddings. She even made suit jackets for Bennie during his high school years.
Then she helped make curtains for one of the first new hospital wings.
Many nieces and cousins benefitted from her talent for their weddings and proms, also.
The community knew she was the person to go to for most sewing needs, alterations and more. She patched many, many jeans for son and grandsons.
In 1969 she joined her good friend to work at Willie's new flower shop. Now Tiny was making corsages and boutonnieres and tying bows for everyone in the family, and for her nieces and nephews' weddings.
She recruited brother Melvin to design a reception table that could be folded up and used around the country for weddings. Her skills as a seamstress gained her a job at D & D Cleaners in Burlington as one of her last jobs.
Most visitors to the farm and her home in town always commented about her food and the meals she provided for anyone in attendance. She was known for her strawberry rhubarb pie, rhubarb cobbler during the summer and her salsa in the fall and banana and chocolate cream pies for holidays.
She canned goods in the fall - corn, pickles and tomatoes for spaghetti sauce and salsa.
Ben and Tiny welcomed many nephews - Jim, Hap, Bob - to work summers or however long, in their home.
Harvest was always a busy time along with a gathering of neighbors and family with a lot of good food for the field and at the end of each day.
Her children brought friends and roommates home for many years to tour the farm, help move pipe, join reunions, participate in water fights, and eat at the big kitchen table.
Childhood friends said it best - "You know the Rainbolt family was always bigger than just you four kids. Ben and Tiny always welcomed us into your home until we all began to think of ourselves as Rainbolts once removed."
Tiny was involved in the Order of Eastern Star, Mother Advisor for the Rainbow for Girls, a member of the VFW Auxiliary and very involved in whatever her kids and grandkids participated in at the time.
She became an avid sports fan watching her grandsons play ball and swim. They knew they had to give her a call to tell her how the game or meet went so she could celebrate with them.
After moving to town from the farm in 1984, her home on 14th street became the "place to go" for her kids, grandkids, and nieces.
They had lunch with her, stopped off to change clothes, got a snack, played cards, Rummikub or Dominos or had some type of sewing alteration done.
She stayed in her home until 2018, when her health dictated her move to Grace Manor Care Center for a month and then to The Legacy Assisted Living at Burlington.
She continued to go exercise weekly with her good friend, Nancy James, have a coke and tour the town until the COVID-19 Pandemic forced the lockdown of The Legacy in mid-March 2020.
Preceding her in death are her parents, Ben and Iva Bowling; husband Ben J. Rainbolt, Sr; grandson Luke Douglas Howell; granddaughter Mandy Anna Johnson; sons-in-law Gary Lyle Johnson and Paul Rhoades.
Brothers Gordan Bowling; Melvin and Betty Bowling; Ocie Bowling (11/18/20); and sister Betty (Sis) (11/1/20) and husband Kenny O'Bleness. Brothers-in-law – Edwin (Norma, Neva) Rainbolt; Hap Rainbolt; Tony Yunker; Don Alexander; Don Maris and sisters-in-law Eva Davenport and Francis and Paul Edmonston; niece Stephanie Cook and nephew Jimmie Loyal Rainbolt.
Tiny leaves to mourn her passing her four children - daughter Marilyn Francis Johnson Barnhart (Delvin) of Crestview, Fla.; grandson Brad Johnson (Becky) and son Blaine of Eagle; Brett Johnson (Cait) and daughter Ayla of Englewood; daughter Benita Mae Howell (Doug) of Lakewood; granddaughter Becky Salley and daughter Gabby of Lakewood; granddaughter Joanna Sullivan (Ben) and sons Wesley and Eliot of Berthoud; grandson Daniel Howell (Elizabeth) and children August, Cora and Iris of Arvada; daughter Valerie Jean Rhoades (Joe) of Burlington; granddaughter Evonne McCormick and daughter Brittany of Aurora; grandson Coy Rhoades of Denver; and son Ben James Rainbolt, Jr (Pam) of Greeley; grandsons Matt Rainbolt of Greeley and Clay Rainbolt of Windsor.
Tiny leaves four wonderful sisters to mourn her passing: Darlene (Doll) Yunker of Dodge City, Kan.; Elaine Alexander of Kansas City, Kan.; Ann (Annie) and husband Chuck Harrod of Wichita, Kan. and Karen Maris of Ashland, Kan.
Sisters-in-law Verna Bowling and Kay Bowling of Minneola, Kan. Plus, grand-nieces and grand-nephews Larry and Betty Marie; Bob and Kathy; Lynn, Gwen, Danny and Dawna; Janet, Summer, Shari, Stan and Tim; Mark, Darryl, Trent and Todd; Gordie and Greg; Kevin and Kelly and their families.
Tiny was the last of this generation on the Rainbolt side leaving behind nieces Peggy (Lyle) Nickeson, Aurora; Patricia (Patsy or Tric) (Bill) Shipman, Greenwich, Ohio; Vickie Frasier, Montrose; Kay Chadd (Albert) of Craig and nephews Jim (Annie) Edmonston of Fernley, Nev.; Steve (Judi) Rainbolt, Burlington; Hap (Debbie) Rainbolt of Coolidge, Ariz.; Tom (Carolyn) Rainbolt, Greeley and grand-nieces and grand-nephews Starla and Cory; Amy and Darla; Chris; Tessa and Taylor; DeAnna, Tim and Virginia; Angie, Curt and Crystal; Wendy, Mae, Hannah, DeAnna, Shawn, Jeff; Travis and Suzie; and their families. Plus, many lifelong friends from her church, her 14th Street neighborhood and community.
Memorials may be made in Tiny's name in care of the First Baptist Church, 250 Cherry, Burlington, CO 80807.
A private memorial service is planned for immediate family on Dec. 4, 2020, at 11 a.m. MST, with graveside services to follow at Fairview Cemetery.
The memorial service will be live streamed from Brown Funeral Home at www.brownfuneraldirectors.com.
Tiny's family would like to thank the care givers at The Legacy in Burlington for the care and love given to her during her stay from August 2018 to September 2020. You gave her a good home and we appreciate your love and care given to Mom.
To Grace Manor Care Center, her place of transition from independent living and then her final home from Sept. 18, 2020, to Oct. 26, 2020, a big thank you. Your food was amazing, she kept talking about the flavor and variety - she loved your meals.
The nurses, nurse aides, all the PT, OT and speech therapists, housekeepers, maintenance, IT and administration - you have our deepest gratitude. Your stories of how you knew Mom or your time with Mom were precious memories for us to hear.
COVID is not nice to this age group but you all did your best to help us have quality time with Mom and to say goodbye. We are so grateful.
To Dr. Perez, Dr. Pimentel, Lori Diaz and staff at the Parke Health Center and the ER staff and Kit Carson County Memorial Hospital Staff.
We appreciate your time and care you gave Mom over the years. Our community is so lucky to have you. Please be safe. Thank you. Valerie Rhoades, Benita Howell, Ben and Pam Rainbolt and Marilyn Barnhart.
She had just celebrated her 95th birthday on Sept 22, 2020, with her good friend Willie Sharp with a community drive-by to drop off cards and best wishes.
She was the second of nine children of Olis A. (Ben) and Iva Mae Sawyer Bowling in Ashland, Kan.
She was born Sept. 22, 1925, on a ranch near Ashland, Kan. (south of Dodge City, Kan.).
Her big sister Betty (Sis) commented she was a "Tiny" baby and that became her nickname.
She was raised and attended country schools and school in Ashland. Tiny was good student and a champion speller. She graduated from Ashland High school in 1943.
Tiny met Ben Rainbolt before the war, during high school. The two towns they each lived in were only 15 miles apart where they had mutual friends.
Right after graduation from high school, Tiny moved to Wichita, Kan. to work as "Rosie the Riveter" in the factories with good friend, Katie Beydler, while WWII was raging.
Many letters were exchanged between Ben and Tiny. At one-point Ben was away from his unit because of a knee injury. When he finally connected with his unit, he had 44 letters from Tiny and 60 from friends and family.
Tiny returned to Ashland in 1945. Ashland celebrated the end of the war with a May Day Parade and Tiny was crowned May Queen during the parade.
Ben came home from the war in January of 1946. Ben and Tiny started dating in the spring of 1946 and married on Oct. 19, 1946.
Her wedding china from the Ashland drugstore was the first set to arrive after the war. They lived in Protection, Kan. for a short time.
Then in the spring of 1947, they packed up what little they had, left family members in Kansas and moved to the great state of Colorado.
Tiny was a charter member of the First Baptist Church of Burlington. She was a member of the Women's Missionary Union (WMU) for years.
She was an active leader of the Girls Auxiliary (GA's) and all three daughters were involved.
Next, she became a leader for the Royal Ambassadors (RA's) as son Bennie grew up. She taught Vacation Bible School, Sunday School, was a part of the Pastoral search and Kitchen/Food committees, painted a lot of parsonages, welcomed many Pastors and their families.
Most of the various pastors' kids were in her home and became best friends with her children, throughout the history of the church.
She sewed baptistry curtains, seat covers, costumes for Christmas and Easter pageants, and dresses for GA's and youth choir.
As mentioned, Tiny was a great seamstress - always making dresses for her daughters for Easter and Christmas programs, proms, and their weddings. She even made suit jackets for Bennie during his high school years.
Then she helped make curtains for one of the first new hospital wings.
Many nieces and cousins benefitted from her talent for their weddings and proms, also.
The community knew she was the person to go to for most sewing needs, alterations and more. She patched many, many jeans for son and grandsons.
In 1969 she joined her good friend to work at Willie's new flower shop. Now Tiny was making corsages and boutonnieres and tying bows for everyone in the family, and for her nieces and nephews' weddings.
She recruited brother Melvin to design a reception table that could be folded up and used around the country for weddings. Her skills as a seamstress gained her a job at D & D Cleaners in Burlington as one of her last jobs.
Most visitors to the farm and her home in town always commented about her food and the meals she provided for anyone in attendance. She was known for her strawberry rhubarb pie, rhubarb cobbler during the summer and her salsa in the fall and banana and chocolate cream pies for holidays.
She canned goods in the fall - corn, pickles and tomatoes for spaghetti sauce and salsa.
Ben and Tiny welcomed many nephews - Jim, Hap, Bob - to work summers or however long, in their home.
Harvest was always a busy time along with a gathering of neighbors and family with a lot of good food for the field and at the end of each day.
Her children brought friends and roommates home for many years to tour the farm, help move pipe, join reunions, participate in water fights, and eat at the big kitchen table.
Childhood friends said it best - "You know the Rainbolt family was always bigger than just you four kids. Ben and Tiny always welcomed us into your home until we all began to think of ourselves as Rainbolts once removed."
Tiny was involved in the Order of Eastern Star, Mother Advisor for the Rainbow for Girls, a member of the VFW Auxiliary and very involved in whatever her kids and grandkids participated in at the time.
She became an avid sports fan watching her grandsons play ball and swim. They knew they had to give her a call to tell her how the game or meet went so she could celebrate with them.
After moving to town from the farm in 1984, her home on 14th street became the "place to go" for her kids, grandkids, and nieces.
They had lunch with her, stopped off to change clothes, got a snack, played cards, Rummikub or Dominos or had some type of sewing alteration done.
She stayed in her home until 2018, when her health dictated her move to Grace Manor Care Center for a month and then to The Legacy Assisted Living at Burlington.
She continued to go exercise weekly with her good friend, Nancy James, have a coke and tour the town until the COVID-19 Pandemic forced the lockdown of The Legacy in mid-March 2020.
Preceding her in death are her parents, Ben and Iva Bowling; husband Ben J. Rainbolt, Sr; grandson Luke Douglas Howell; granddaughter Mandy Anna Johnson; sons-in-law Gary Lyle Johnson and Paul Rhoades.
Brothers Gordan Bowling; Melvin and Betty Bowling; Ocie Bowling (11/18/20); and sister Betty (Sis) (11/1/20) and husband Kenny O'Bleness. Brothers-in-law – Edwin (Norma, Neva) Rainbolt; Hap Rainbolt; Tony Yunker; Don Alexander; Don Maris and sisters-in-law Eva Davenport and Francis and Paul Edmonston; niece Stephanie Cook and nephew Jimmie Loyal Rainbolt.
Tiny leaves to mourn her passing her four children - daughter Marilyn Francis Johnson Barnhart (Delvin) of Crestview, Fla.; grandson Brad Johnson (Becky) and son Blaine of Eagle; Brett Johnson (Cait) and daughter Ayla of Englewood; daughter Benita Mae Howell (Doug) of Lakewood; granddaughter Becky Salley and daughter Gabby of Lakewood; granddaughter Joanna Sullivan (Ben) and sons Wesley and Eliot of Berthoud; grandson Daniel Howell (Elizabeth) and children August, Cora and Iris of Arvada; daughter Valerie Jean Rhoades (Joe) of Burlington; granddaughter Evonne McCormick and daughter Brittany of Aurora; grandson Coy Rhoades of Denver; and son Ben James Rainbolt, Jr (Pam) of Greeley; grandsons Matt Rainbolt of Greeley and Clay Rainbolt of Windsor.
Tiny leaves four wonderful sisters to mourn her passing: Darlene (Doll) Yunker of Dodge City, Kan.; Elaine Alexander of Kansas City, Kan.; Ann (Annie) and husband Chuck Harrod of Wichita, Kan. and Karen Maris of Ashland, Kan.
Sisters-in-law Verna Bowling and Kay Bowling of Minneola, Kan. Plus, grand-nieces and grand-nephews Larry and Betty Marie; Bob and Kathy; Lynn, Gwen, Danny and Dawna; Janet, Summer, Shari, Stan and Tim; Mark, Darryl, Trent and Todd; Gordie and Greg; Kevin and Kelly and their families.
Tiny was the last of this generation on the Rainbolt side leaving behind nieces Peggy (Lyle) Nickeson, Aurora; Patricia (Patsy or Tric) (Bill) Shipman, Greenwich, Ohio; Vickie Frasier, Montrose; Kay Chadd (Albert) of Craig and nephews Jim (Annie) Edmonston of Fernley, Nev.; Steve (Judi) Rainbolt, Burlington; Hap (Debbie) Rainbolt of Coolidge, Ariz.; Tom (Carolyn) Rainbolt, Greeley and grand-nieces and grand-nephews Starla and Cory; Amy and Darla; Chris; Tessa and Taylor; DeAnna, Tim and Virginia; Angie, Curt and Crystal; Wendy, Mae, Hannah, DeAnna, Shawn, Jeff; Travis and Suzie; and their families. Plus, many lifelong friends from her church, her 14th Street neighborhood and community.
Memorials may be made in Tiny's name in care of the First Baptist Church, 250 Cherry, Burlington, CO 80807.
A private memorial service is planned for immediate family on Dec. 4, 2020, at 11 a.m. MST, with graveside services to follow at Fairview Cemetery.
The memorial service will be live streamed from Brown Funeral Home at www.brownfuneraldirectors.com.
Tiny's family would like to thank the care givers at The Legacy in Burlington for the care and love given to her during her stay from August 2018 to September 2020. You gave her a good home and we appreciate your love and care given to Mom.
To Grace Manor Care Center, her place of transition from independent living and then her final home from Sept. 18, 2020, to Oct. 26, 2020, a big thank you. Your food was amazing, she kept talking about the flavor and variety - she loved your meals.
The nurses, nurse aides, all the PT, OT and speech therapists, housekeepers, maintenance, IT and administration - you have our deepest gratitude. Your stories of how you knew Mom or your time with Mom were precious memories for us to hear.
COVID is not nice to this age group but you all did your best to help us have quality time with Mom and to say goodbye. We are so grateful.
To Dr. Perez, Dr. Pimentel, Lori Diaz and staff at the Parke Health Center and the ER staff and Kit Carson County Memorial Hospital Staff.
We appreciate your time and care you gave Mom over the years. Our community is so lucky to have you. Please be safe. Thank you. Valerie Rhoades, Benita Howell, Ben and Pam Rainbolt and Marilyn Barnhart.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Published by The Burlington Record on Nov. 25, 2020.
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