Mrs. Opal Lyalls Ballou, age 86, of Jefferson passed away Friday morning, May 8, 2015 at Ashe Assisted Living and Memory Care Center. Funeral services will be held on Sunday, May 10, 2015 at 3:00pm at Boone Family Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Russell Hart and Rev. John Elledge officiating. Burial will follow in Ashelawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 2:003:00pm on Sunday, May 10, 2015one hour prior to funeral service. Mrs. Ballou was born in Ashe County on January 9, 1929 to the late Ambrose and Leah Miller Lyalls. Opal was a member of Fletcher Memorial Baptist Church. She was a loving mother and grandmother; she will be missed by all. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Rev. Bill Ballou; three brothers, Darrell Lyalls, Jimmy Lyalls and Arvel Lyalls. Mrs. Ballou is survived by two sons, Lanny Ballou and wife, Betty, of Jefferson and Larry Ballou and wife, Dianne, of Jefferson; two daughters, Sylvia Bower and husband, Tom, of Tyrone, GA and Sheila Laws and husband, Bruce, of Jefferson; a brother, Burl Lyalls, of Crumpler; seven grandchildren, Nichole Bower and husband, Greg Moeller, Travis Bower and wife, Priscilla, Heather Fisher and husband, Stephen, Heidi Houser and husband, Chris, Bevin South and husband, Derick, Charity Ballou, Lance Ballou and wife, Emily; eleven great-grandchildren, Dane Bower, Nolan Bower, Myer Bower, Beckett Moeller, Hailey Fisher, Lilly Fisher, Braeden South, Dakin Christoferson, Kai Christoferson, Imri Walters and Cohen Ballou; three sisters-in-law, Lucille Hagin of Jefferson, Dorothy Lyalls, of Lansing and Gwen Lyalls of Mountain City, TN; several nieces and nephews also survive. The family will meeting at the home of Mrs. Ballou's daughter, Sheila Laws at 176 Willow Creek Drive in Jefferson. Flowers accepted or memorials may be made to: Ashe Assisted Living, 182 Chatty Rob Lane, West Jefferson, NC 28694 or St. Jude's Children Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105.