Lillian E. Bean

Lillian Elizabeth Bean nee Shafer was born on September 20, 1941, in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.

She died in her sleep on December 14, 2025, at Bella Vista Homes in Washougal, Washington.

Lillian was a sickly baby. She had Cerebral Palsy. She could not keep her food down because she had a spastic stomach. She could not sit up unaided until after six months of age. At twenty-two months she could walk with great difficulty, falling all of the time. Her mother would coax her with candy bars to motivate her to walk and exercise her legs.

Lillian accepted the Lord Jesus as her Savior at the age of seven in a little country church in Nebraska. Very early in her life she determined to be a missionary some day.

The doctors said that Lillian would never finish grade school or high school, and they declared that she should not even think of becoming a missionary; however, she would pray every night, "Lord, they said that it can't be done, but, Lord, you and I will prove them wrong, Amen!" Eventually, the doctors said that by the time she was in high school she would be almost normal physically.

Then Lillian went to a summer Bible camp near North Platte in Nebraska. While she was there, she was covered with mosquito bites because the camp was near a swampy area. After she returned home, she started suffering from headaches which kept getting worse and were accompanied by other physical problems. Her fever was dangerously high, and she was admitted to the hospital. After intensive treatment, she was dismissed to return home. Six weeks later the doctors determined that she had suffered from encephalitis which set her back physically. While she had been in the hospital, she saw a vision of the Lord standing by the gate, and Lillian said, "Lord, I'm ready to come, please let me come." But the Lord replied, "Not now, Lillian, not now. I'm not finished with you yet."

Lillian went on to finish high school and Bible school. After completing deputation with four other girls, she went to Scotland to do missionary work with Gospel Projects for one summer. Later, she went again for two and one-half years.

After returning to Nebraska for recuperation, she started working at Back to the Bible Broadcast in Lincoln, Nebraska. There she met Clifford A. Bean who worked in Data Processing. He wanted to know all about Scotland because he was of Scottish descent. They dated for three months and were married on September 9, 1972.

They had one child, Jonathan David Bean, born August 20, 1976.

Lillian was preceded in death by her parents, Walter Shafer and Audrey Shafer nee Patterson.

Lillian leaves behind a brother Charles Shafer and his wife Kay of Kingsport, TN; a nephew Daniel and a niece Shawna; Clifford A. Bean of Mesa, AZ, and son Jonathan David Bean of Portland, OR.