Lillie Helene Dunnigan, 73, a resident of Greensboro, North Carolina passed away on Tuesday May 26, 2015 at the Hospice Home of High Point. Lillie was born May 31, 1941 in Schoenaich, Germany the daughter of Karl Fehrle and Helene Schoeck Fehrle.
Lillie’s sister Marga had fallen in love with an American soldier that was stationed in Germany. Marga decided to take her little sister with to the dance hall to meet a young soldier that was a friend of her husband. As Lillie arrived at the dance hall there stood a young soldier wearing his Sunday best looking a bit like Elvis Presley. Who wouldn’t fall in love with that? Lillie married Charles Edward Dunnigan, and they traveled the United States with the military. They had 3 children, Mary, Charly and Donna. Sadly the marriage did not last. They decided not to divorce feeling that maybe one day they could work things out. After the separation Lillie decided to return to Germany to be close to her family. She worked for the AAFES starting out as a short order cook and working her way up to an area manager where she was responsible for running several facilities. She was loved by all the soldiers that came through Panzer Kaserne in Boeblingen Germany. She received multiple awards from the commanding staff. After retiring, Lillie moved to live with her sister Marga in Mississippi. Lillie was an adventurous soul. It was nothing for her to be invited to take part in tank maneuvers and drive a tank across rugged terrain. She participated in the flight of the Hofbraeu Zeppelin, took an abundance of snow skiing trips all over Europe, went skydiving at the age of 50. She was a fearless mother, there was a day that Charly was playing football and got hit by an opponent, and she took it upon herself to attempt to fight the whole opposing team. This awarded her the nick name “Wilde Hilde” meaning wild Hilde.
She had a love for all especially children. She adopted a child from Brazil that she sent funds to, to ensure his education and sustainability. She took in kids that had been kicked out of their homes, and helped them get back on their feet. She loved each and every one of her grandchildren. She had a special place for each one. Jessica, Jason, Kenny, Jase, Max and Josie loved her; all of them wanted her to be with them.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Charles, her sisters Marga and Karen, and her brother Harry.
She is survived by: Otto Fehrle, brother, with wife Monika residing in Germany; Mary Madsen, daughter, with husband Ken residing in Colorado; Charly Dunnigan, son, with wife Annette residing in Germany; Donna Dunnigan, daughter, residing in North Carolina; the grandchildren: Jessica, Jason, Kenny, Jase, Max and Josie.
A Service to Celebrate Lillie’s Life will be held at 1:00 p.m. Thursday May 28, 2015 at the Hanes-Lineberry Funeral Home Sedgefield Chapel, 6000 Greensboro Rd., Greensboro, NC 27407.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18