Frankie “Lucille” Butler Wilmoth December 20, 1933 – April 17, 2026
________________________________________
Frankie “Lucille” Butler Wilmoth, 92, of Charleston, passed peacefully into the arms of the Lord on April 17, 2026. She was born on December 20, 1933, at the home of her grandmother, Olive Lyons, in Booger Hole, Dink, West Virginia.
Lucille’s first home was a railroad boxcar in Fayette County, West Virginia. Eventually Lucille moved with her parents Nathan and Sylvia Butler to a three-room home. She carried fond memories of her early years in Fayette County — particularly of the close-knit community and the elementary school she attended. While she was still in elementary school, the family relocated to Ivydale in Clay County, West Virginia.
Lucille gave her life to the Lord at the age of 14 and remained steadfast in her faith until her last breath. She graduated from Clay High School with the class of 1952, nurturing friendships formed in those early years that would endure for much of her life. Lucille’s first job was at the Blossom Dairy in Charleston, WV. She went on to work in the General Surgery Dept. at Charleston General Hospital, while studying nursing. Shortly after graduation, Lucille married Robert “Bobby” Wilmoth of Ivydale. They were married for nearly 62 years before his passing in 2014.
Their shared ministry afforded the family opportunities to travel and live across Ohio, Indiana, and West Virginia, before settling back in Charleston. As a minister’s wife, Lucille poured herself into teaching youth groups and serving through both home and foreign mission organizations. She attended West Virginia State College and went on to become Director of the Faith Advent Christian Daycare Center, a role she held with distinction for over 32 years. Lucille was also a founding member of the Central Child Care Board, through which she served the greater community for more than 40 years. Throughout those decades, she was driven by an abiding conviction that no child should ever go hungry — preparing and serving hot meals to more than 60 children daily. She loved them all as her own, keeping careful scrapbooks of their milestones and accomplishments long after they left her care.
Lucille was an avid reader, a skilled embroiderer, and a devoted gardener who found a peaceful joy in tending her yard. She had a gift for baking and a beautiful tenor voice that graced many a choir and countless moments as a soloist. She was always the first to arrive when someone was in need — often bearing a home-cooked meal and always offering a steady shoulder to lean on. Lucille had a deep and tender love for animals. Never having met a stray she could turn away, she opened her home and heart to many creatures in need, offering them both companionship and the warmth of her gentle spirit.
Preceding her in death were her husband, Rev. Robert “Bobby” Wilmoth; her parents, Nathan and Sylvia Butler; her granddaughter, Ashley Strock; her sister, Sue Sprouse; and her father, Virgil Boggs.
She is survived by her daughters, Diana Graham of Charleston, WV, and Vicky Sizemore and her husband John, both of Charleston, WV; her son, Stephen Wilmoth and Carolyn Tash, of Borden, Indiana; her granddaughters, Alysia Eary and her husband Jeff of St. Albans, WV, and Krista Wilmoth and her wife, Elizabeth Bashan of Oakland, CA; her grandson-in-law, Erik Strock of Roanoke, VA; her great-grandchildren, Sophia and Jackson Eary of St. Albans, WV, Harper and Liam Strock of Roanoke, VA, and Henry Wilmoth of Oakland, CA; her siblings, Chester Boggs of Coalton, WV, Lenora Pettit of Hartville, Ohio, and Larry Boggs of Nebo, WV; and beloved nieces and nephews. Lucille also leaves behind her two cherished cats, Tobey and Chester, her faithful companions in the final years of her life. At the time of her passing, Lucille was an active and treasured member of Faith Advent Christian Church of Charleston.
A service celebrating Lucille’s life will be held at 12:00pm on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at Hafer Funeral Home on 50 North Pinch Rd. Elkview, WV 25071. Visitation will be held from 11:00am until the time of service. Lucille will be laid to rest after a short graveside service at Moore Fork Cemetery in Big Otter, WV. Family and friends are invited to the Big Otter Senior Citizens and Community building at 3433 Big Otter Highway, Ivydale, WV 25113 to share food and community after the burial.
Online condolences may be sent to haferfuneralhome.net
Arrangements are in the care of Hafer Funeral Home, 50 North Pinch Road, Elkview, WV 25071.
