Our beloved Jean "Mimi" Sovine passed away peacefully on February 19, 2025.  She had been a resident of Downey, CA since 2017, where she lived with her husband Charles at the home of her daughter, Tammi and husband Will.  She was the daughter of the late Aden J. and Eden Donohoe Lilly.  Mamie Jean Lilly was born May 2, 1930 on the family farm (known as the Trump-Lilly Farm, Freezeland Mountain, now a historical site) in Hinton, WV, the youngest of 5 children. She is survived by her husband, Charles Wray Sovine of Downey, CA; her daughter, Tammi Humbert and husband Will of Downey, CA; her grandson Ryan Humbert, wife Kimie, and great-grandchildren Asher and Rylie of Downey, CA; and granddaughter Magen Humbert Meyers and husband Cedric of Lancaster, CA.  She is also survived by granddaughters Nicole Sovine and fiancé Cory Marshall of Las Vegas, NV; and Lauren Sovine and fiancé Tim Egan of Austin, TX; both children of her son, William Charles "Bill" Sovine who passed away in 2017. She was also preceded in death by her brother, Oba S. Lilly and her three sisters, Hazel Lilly Florence, Christine Ruth Lilly Kinzel and Grace Lilly Vines.

Mrs. Sovine was a graduate of Hinton High School. She attended Marshall University for a brief time before starting her career as a telephone operator at Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company.  She met Charles Wray Sovine at a company bowling event.  He was an usher at a local event center where they enjoyed many fun dates.  They married on March 23, 1957 and moved to Santa Monica, Huntington Park, and finally to Downey, California, where they lived for 30 years and raised their two children, Tammi and Bill.

Jean retired after 35 years with PT&T to her dream home, a log cabin that she and Charles designed and had built along the Greenbrier River in Hinton, West Virginia, to be close to her siblings.  Jean and Charles loved traveling, especially cruises, cross-country drives, and yearly visits to California.  In 2017, her daughter and son-in-law, Tammi and Will, drove them out to California to live at their home in Downey. True to her love of travel, she helped make the cross-country trip into a fun-filled "whirlwind tour," as she liked to call it. They made many fun stops along the way, including an LSU game and exploring New Orleans.

Mimi was known as a great party host, starting with dinner parties for their friends and co-workers, then big birthday parties and creative cakes for her children, and also hosting many family celebrations as their family grew.  Her family credits her with their love of family traditions, family gatherings, and celebrating anything and everything.  She loved all music, but especially big bands, Elvis, and the Bee Gees. She was an avid gardener and loved flowers, especially tiger lilies.  She was always up for teasing, having fun, eating out, road trips, and spoiling her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  She was a skilled country chef and made the best comfort food for her family, including her famous salmon patties and gravy, and her coveted turkey gravy every Thanksgiving.  She lived big and loved generously.  She will be missed so much by all who knew her and her energetic spirit.

A celebration of her wonderful life will be held at Greenbrier Burial Park in Hinton, WV on Saturday, April 19, 2025 at 1:00 pm.  It will be presided over by her nephews, Pastors Robert Kinzel and Ronald Kinzel.  All are welcome.

CONTACTS:

Tammi and Will Humbert

9321 Otto Street

Downey, CA 90240

Phone: 562-644-6857

GUEST BOOK:  Please feel free to leave condolences, stories or memories of Jean in the Guest Book below to share with her friends and family.

HISTORY:

This is the link to Jean's family farm which is now a historical site in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in southern West Virginia.  It mentions her dad, Aden J. Lilly, who purchased the property in 1912.

https://www.nps.gov/neri/learn/historyculture/trump-lilly-farm.htm