Lavelle (Bennett) Bennett-Meier

Ancestors

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Biography

Lavelle was born in 1959. She was the daughter of Elsie Elaine Johnson. She passed away in 2002.

Sources

• This is my sister, I have her death certificate

Lavelle was conceived from a love affair of her mother and a motorcyclist. He was only known as Kato and didn’t want to be bogged down with a kid. I remember my mom showing me a picture of him on his motorcycle and she always spoke about him with love and admiration. Lavelle was the love child whom was treated better than all the other 4 siblings. Our mom Elaine was still married to Wilton L. Bennett so Lavelle got his last name even though he was not her real father. Wilton was always away while in the Navy and with many women himself, she felt lonely and would frequent local bars.

Lavelle met and married Arthur Meier on Oct. 23, 1981 and had 2 children before divorcing in 1986. She became more involved in drugs but our mom, Elaine kept her out of trouble for the most part. She became pregnant a few times ending in a miscarriage from drug abuse but did go on to have 2 more children with a married man. After her mother died, Lavelle really hit rock bottom, she was kicked out on the street along with her 4 young babies. At times living out of someone’s barn or on the street begging for money. Her 4 children were found and taken away from her being placed with family members of her ex-husband. Arthur’s sister took the 3 oldest children and the other sister took the youngest son in. I was asked to go to court to have the children legally taken away so they could get the medical care they so much needed. I loved my sister so deeply but felt more important to save her children. From that day forward, she hated my guts. Even at times threatening me with a gun. I thought she would get over it over the years but she never did.

Lavelle was my favorite sister, we used to be very close before the drugs got her. She would do anything for you, give you the shirt off her back if she could. But she was a totally different person once she got hooked on Meth. Stealing from her own mom and neighbors to keep up her habit. She even sold me her step father’s car (Lon) which she did not own, (I had no idea and he was too good of a man to tell me). Lavelle was a good person and Meth took that away from her. She was arrested and forced into a rehab center in which she kept clean for 6 months. She wrote to her children and worked so hard to be better in order to get her children back. She had a boyfriend who was also an addict and not a good support for her but she loved him. The day she was supposed to graduate and see the Judge to be released, she just so happens to take another dose of Meth which since she had been clean for 6 months, it was too much for her sweet body. A nice family had been letting her store her things in their back yard shed and on July 2, 2002 which just so happened to be her 43rd birthday, they went out and found her dead lying in the dirt. The family had her cremated and I had them cut her hair so I could have a braid for each of her children and myself. I treasure that, having a small part of her. I also hold onto a little pillow she embroidered for me saying that we were sisters by birth but friends by love. I also keep a treasure box she made me with my name carved on it. My sweet sister whom I miss every day.

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