Wilma Lorene Thompson
Born April 16, 1927, Foyil, Ok Died July 19, 2019, Claremore, Ok
Wilma Lorene Fox Thompson was born and raised on a little farm in Delaware County, Ok. Wilma was born at home, which was commonplace at the time. One of nine children born to Homer Joseph Fox and Meadie Barton Fox, Wilma was the fourth-born and the first of three girls in the family. WIlma and her 2 younger sisters, Aunt Jewel and Aunt Lucy were best friends throughout their lives.
When she was about 20, she and her sister Jewel and their cousin Mildred, embarked on a train trip to San Diego that would change her life. There, while working as a waitress in a small cafe near the Naval base, Wilma met a handsome young Sailor from Florida who worked on a submarine and had noticed the pretty brunette and became a regular customer. Soon, the two lovebirds were on the way to Yuma AZ to tie the knot. We think Dad was underage in CA, but legal to marry in AZ
The newlyweds found a cute apartment in San Diego near the water. And in a few years , the pitter patter of tiny feet could be heard and the family building took off. It was 1951 and I was the firstborn.
The Florida of fishing lakes and deer woods and family was strong in Daddy and when his Navy stint was up, we headed to Inverness, Florida to live next door to Grandpa and Grandma, right near a lake full of lily pads, giant bass, water moccasins and alligators. It was in that period, Kathryn Kay came along in 1954.
As much as Mom enjoyed the fishing, the squirrel hunting, the giant watermelons and her new family, she pined for her own people most of whom had made the migration from Okie to California. Raising 2 little girls, without her sisters, was a problem, so before long, the growing family were living in Nipomo CA, situated a stone throw from her brothers and sisters families and soon, it's been told, Daddy was pounding his chest proclaiming "it's a boy "! Jay Sie was born and our family was complete. It was 1958.
But our travel, seeking a time and place to put down permanent roots, was not complete.
Back we went to Florida, where we settled in Palmetto, on the beautiful Gulf Coast, always near family and fishing and hunting grounds. It was here Mom became a beloved school bus driver, the source of many Family memories, including the time she had to back a school bus full of kids down the Sunshine Skyway bridge, a lesson she taught us that we are all more capable than we think we are. We lived in Palmetto for 12 years before the old urge to return to sister and family was too hard to resist. In 1968, we were Claremore, OK bound.
Mom gathered all us kids up and hurried to get us enrolled in school. We lived with Jewel's family a while as Mom looked for a house for us. We ended up on Chickasaw Street, a few houses from our grandparents, Mom and Pop. Daddy came to Claremore as soon as he could and found work in Tulsa , Mom found work in Claremore. We kids started school. I was a Senior, Kay was in 9th grade and Jaybird was starting 4th grade. It was all good for a long time.
Life twisted and turned for each of us. Dad became a licensed plumber and sprinkler-fitter. Mom became a licensed beautician.
Each of us kids followed our paths of more schooling, marriage, children with ups and downs..always with advice and support from Mom and Daddy.
Looking back, from this vantage point, it's easy to see that our Mom was a master problem solver. Whether it was substituting an ingredient in a recipe she had on hand, for one she didn't have, to the task of making a major decision such as moving us back and forth between Florida, California and Oklahoma...several times, to better provide for the kids and create a better life for all. Mom was always studying over situations, problems and potential opportunities...and finding solutions.. she was a woman of action, risk-taking, dedication , commitment, loyalty...and always Family First. She was intelligent and creative and, along with Daddy, owned a beauty salon business, an in-home day care service for infants while seeing each of graduate high school, attend college, find career paths and start families of our own.
Today is a good day to share some of Wilma's "problem-solving wisdom. Some of these nuggets are attributed to other wise women and men from our family. Some are so inside the Fox family as to be not quite understandable by others. Some make sense, some may not.
Here they are.
Lessons from our Mom:
1. Take care of your own damn self. Nobody else will." This one has always been attributed to Aunt Dorie and It sounds pretty bitter, but if you know Dorie, Jewel or Wilma....you know there is no bitterness...just honest, wise advice reminding that everyone carries their own baggage, everyone is responsible for their own happiness and to look to others for solutions to our problems is a waste of time and wasting time won't get you anywhere.
2. Live your life to suit yourself. We will all end up in a pile any way". This one sounds fatalistic and is attributable to Grandpa Thompson. But it, too, is a stark reminder that life is short and that happiness is largely a choice, and there are many decent paths to choose from....so choose well and make the best of whatever you have to work with.
3. Keep your legs a moving.
4. This one is sound advice and I always think of Mom and Miss Wilson walking around the block or Mom and Dad walking around the new Rec Center, or them walking up to the pond and back. And sure enough, when her legs gave out, she was done.
5. Fair is a goat's butt.
6. This is the inside family advice no one understands but we all have heard this used when there's whining about what's fair or not. Aunt Jewel May have to explain
7. Hair will grow back.
8. This one goes back to when Kay and I had long, blond hair in pigtails ands we spent a fun day at Coquina Beach, With with Uncle Albert, Aunt Carrie Todd and cousins Martha Jane and Barbara Jean (that's a passel of southern names, huh?). After several hours in salt water, sand and sunshine, Mom attempted to unwind those plaits. Tender-headedness and and squalling ensued. Ever the problem solver, out came the shears and in 4 swift snips, 4 pigtails hit the floor. Complaining turned to shock. Even Daddy's jaw dropped. Hair will grow back.
9.
10. That was then; this is now.
11. Ever the realist, Mom rarely seemed to look backwards. Which could be annoying when
we would try to commiserate about some trivial insult or injury, fit of pique or lapse into nostalgia. She looked in the future or lived in the present more than anyone I've known.
12. If you think you've overdone it, go for a walk.
13. Probably explains how she made it into age
And there are many more wise words from Wilma as we hear her speak in our minds. Thank God for problem solving parents. And God help us, now that both are gone and we share wise words with our young ones.
Born April 16, 1927, Foyil, Ok Died July 19, 2019, Claremore, Ok
Wilma Lorene Fox Thompson was born and raised on a little farm in Delaware County, Ok. Wilma was born at home, which was commonplace at the time. One of nine children born to Homer Joseph Fox and Meadie Barton Fox, Wilma was the fourth-born and the first of three girls in the family. WIlma and her 2 younger sisters, Aunt Jewel and Aunt Lucy were best friends throughout their lives.
When she was about 20, she and her sister Jewel and their cousin Mildred, embarked on a train trip to San Diego that would change her life. There, while working as a waitress in a small cafe near the Naval base, Wilma met a handsome young Sailor from Florida who worked on a submarine and had noticed the pretty brunette and became a regular customer. Soon, the two lovebirds were on the way to Yuma AZ to tie the knot. We think Dad was underage in CA, but legal to marry in AZ
The newlyweds found a cute apartment in San Diego near the water. And in a few years , the pitter patter of tiny feet could be heard and the family building took off. It was 1951 and I was the firstborn.
The Florida of fishing lakes and deer woods and family was strong in Daddy and when his Navy stint was up, we headed to Inverness, Florida to live next door to Grandpa and Grandma, right near a lake full of lily pads, giant bass, water moccasins and alligators. It was in that period, Kathryn Kay came along in 1954.
As much as Mom enjoyed the fishing, the squirrel hunting, the giant watermelons and her new family, she pined for her own people most of whom had made the migration from Okie to California. Raising 2 little girls, without her sisters, was a problem, so before long, the growing family were living in Nipomo CA, situated a stone throw from her brothers and sisters families and soon, it's been told, Daddy was pounding his chest proclaiming "it's a boy "! Jay Sie was born and our family was complete. It was 1958.
But our travel, seeking a time and place to put down permanent roots, was not complete.
Back we went to Florida, where we settled in Palmetto, on the beautiful Gulf Coast, always near family and fishing and hunting grounds. It was here Mom became a beloved school bus driver, the source of many Family memories, including the time she had to back a school bus full of kids down the Sunshine Skyway bridge, a lesson she taught us that we are all more capable than we think we are. We lived in Palmetto for 12 years before the old urge to return to sister and family was too hard to resist. In 1968, we were Claremore, OK bound.
Mom gathered all us kids up and hurried to get us enrolled in school. We lived with Jewel's family a while as Mom looked for a house for us. We ended up on Chickasaw Street, a few houses from our grandparents, Mom and Pop. Daddy came to Claremore as soon as he could and found work in Tulsa , Mom found work in Claremore. We kids started school. I was a Senior, Kay was in 9th grade and Jaybird was starting 4th grade. It was all good for a long time.
Life twisted and turned for each of us. Dad became a licensed plumber and sprinkler-fitter. Mom became a licensed beautician.
Each of us kids followed our paths of more schooling, marriage, children with ups and downs..always with advice and support from Mom and Daddy.
Looking back, from this vantage point, it's easy to see that our Mom was a master problem solver. Whether it was substituting an ingredient in a recipe she had on hand, for one she didn't have, to the task of making a major decision such as moving us back and forth between Florida, California and Oklahoma...several times, to better provide for the kids and create a better life for all. Mom was always studying over situations, problems and potential opportunities...and finding solutions.. she was a woman of action, risk-taking, dedication , commitment, loyalty...and always Family First. She was intelligent and creative and, along with Daddy, owned a beauty salon business, an in-home day care service for infants while seeing each of graduate high school, attend college, find career paths and start families of our own.
Today is a good day to share some of Wilma's "problem-solving wisdom. Some of these nuggets are attributed to other wise women and men from our family. Some are so inside the Fox family as to be not quite understandable by others. Some make sense, some may not.
Here they are.
Lessons from our Mom:
1. Take care of your own damn self. Nobody else will." This one has always been attributed to Aunt Dorie and It sounds pretty bitter, but if you know Dorie, Jewel or Wilma....you know there is no bitterness...just honest, wise advice reminding that everyone carries their own baggage, everyone is responsible for their own happiness and to look to others for solutions to our problems is a waste of time and wasting time won't get you anywhere.
2. Live your life to suit yourself. We will all end up in a pile any way". This one sounds fatalistic and is attributable to Grandpa Thompson. But it, too, is a stark reminder that life is short and that happiness is largely a choice, and there are many decent paths to choose from....so choose well and make the best of whatever you have to work with.
3. Keep your legs a moving.
4. This one is sound advice and I always think of Mom and Miss Wilson walking around the block or Mom and Dad walking around the new Rec Center, or them walking up to the pond and back. And sure enough, when her legs gave out, she was done.
5. Fair is a goat's butt.
6. This is the inside family advice no one understands but we all have heard this used when there's whining about what's fair or not. Aunt Jewel May have to explain
7. Hair will grow back.
8. This one goes back to when Kay and I had long, blond hair in pigtails ands we spent a fun day at Coquina Beach, With with Uncle Albert, Aunt Carrie Todd and cousins Martha Jane and Barbara Jean (that's a passel of southern names, huh?). After several hours in salt water, sand and sunshine, Mom attempted to unwind those plaits. Tender-headedness and and squalling ensued. Ever the problem solver, out came the shears and in 4 swift snips, 4 pigtails hit the floor. Complaining turned to shock. Even Daddy's jaw dropped. Hair will grow back.
9.
10. That was then; this is now.
11. Ever the realist, Mom rarely seemed to look backwards. Which could be annoying when
we would try to commiserate about some trivial insult or injury, fit of pique or lapse into nostalgia. She looked in the future or lived in the present more than anyone I've known.
12. If you think you've overdone it, go for a walk.
13. Probably explains how she made it into age
And there are many more wise words from Wilma as we hear her speak in our minds. Thank God for problem solving parents. And God help us, now that both are gone and we share wise words with our young ones.
Wilma Lorene Thompson
Born April 16, 1927, Foyil, Ok Died July 19, 2019, Claremore, Ok
Wilma Lorene Fox Thompson was born and raised on a little farm in Delaware County, Ok. Wilma was born at home, which was commonplace at the time. One of nine children born to Homer Joseph Fox and Meadie Barton Fox, Wilma was the fourth-born and the first of three girls in the family. WIlma and her 2 younger sisters, Aunt Jewel and Aunt Lucy were best friends throughout their lives.
When she was about 20, she and her sister Jewel and their cousin Mildred, embarked on a train trip to San Diego that would change her life. There, while working as a waitress in a small cafe near the Naval base, Wilma met a handsome young Sailor from Florida who worked on a submarine and had noticed the pretty brunette and became a regular customer. Soon, the two lovebirds were on the way to Yuma AZ to tie the knot. We think Dad was underage in CA, but legal to marry in AZ
The newlyweds found a cute apartment in San Diego near the water. And in a few years , the pitter patter of tiny feet could be heard and the family building took off. It was 1951 and I was the firstborn.
The Florida of fishing lakes and deer woods and family was strong in Daddy and when his Navy stint was up, we headed to Inverness, Florida to live next door to Grandpa and Grandma, right near a lake full of lily pads, giant bass, water moccasins and alligators. It was in that period, Kathryn Kay came along in 1954.
As much as Mom enjoyed the fishing, the squirrel hunting, the giant watermelons and her new family, she pined for her own people most of whom had made the migration from Okie to California. Raising 2 little girls, without her sisters, was a problem, so before long, the growing family were living in Nipomo CA, situated a stone throw from her brothers and sisters families and soon, it's been told, Daddy was pounding his chest proclaiming "it's a boy "! Jay Sie was born and our family was complete. It was 1958.
But our travel, seeking a time and place to put down permanent roots, was not complete.
Back we went to Florida, where we settled in Palmetto, on the beautiful Gulf Coast, always near family and fishing and hunting grounds. It was here Mom became a beloved school bus driver, the source of many Family memories, including the time she had to back a school bus full of kids down the Sunshine Skyway bridge, a lesson she taught us that we are all more capable than we think we are. We lived in Palmetto for 12 years before the old urge to return to sister and family was too hard to resist. In 1968, we were Claremore, OK bound.
Mom gathered all us kids up and hurried to get us enrolled in school. We lived with Jewel's family a while as Mom looked for a house for us. We ended up on Chickasaw Street, a few houses from our grandparents, Mom and Pop. Daddy came to Claremore as soon as he could and found work in Tulsa , Mom found work in Claremore. We kids started school. I was a Senior, Kay was in 9th grade and Jaybird was starting 4th grade. It was all good for a long time.
Life twisted and turned for each of us. Dad became a licensed plumber and sprinkler-fitter. Mom became a licensed beautician.
Each of us kids followed our paths of more schooling, marriage, children with ups and downs..always with advice and support from Mom and Daddy.
Looking back, from this vantage point, it's easy to see that our Mom was a master problem solver. Whether it was substituting an ingredient in a recipe she had on hand, for one she didn't have, to the task of making a major decision such as moving us back and forth between Florida, California and Oklahoma...several times, to better provide for the kids and create a better life for all. Mom was always studying over situations, problems and potential opportunities...and finding solutions.. she was a woman of action, risk-taking, dedication , commitment, loyalty...and always Family First. She was intelligent and creative and, along with Daddy, owned a beauty salon business, an in-home day care service for infants while seeing each of graduate high school, attend college, find career paths and start families of our own.
Today is a good day to share some of Wilma's "problem-solving wisdom. Some of these nuggets are attributed to other wise women and men from our family. Some are so inside the Fox family as to be not quite understandable by others. Some make sense, some may not.
Here they are.
Lessons from our Mom:
1. Take care of your own damn self. Nobody else will." This one has always been attributed to Aunt Dorie and It sounds pretty bitter, but if you know Dorie, Jewel or Wilma....you know there is no bitterness...just honest, wise advice reminding that everyone carries their own baggage, everyone is responsible for their own happiness and to look to others for solutions to our problems is a waste of time and wasting time won't get you anywhere.
2. Live your life to suit yourself. We will all end up in a pile any way". This one sounds fatalistic and is attributable to Grandpa Thompson. But it, too, is a stark reminder that life is short and that happiness is largely a choice, and there are many decent paths to choose from....so choose well and make the best of whatever you have to work with.
3. Keep your legs a moving.
4. This one is sound advice and I always think of Mom and Miss Wilson walking around the block or Mom and Dad walking around the new Rec Center, or them walking up to the pond and back. And sure enough, when her legs gave out, she was done.
5. Fair is a goat's butt.
6. This is the inside family advice no one understands but we all have heard this used when there's whining about what's fair or not. Aunt Jewel May have to explain
7. Hair will grow back.
8. This one goes back to when Kay and I had long, blond hair in pigtails ands we spent a fun day at Coquina Beach, With with Uncle Albert, Aunt Carrie Todd and cousins Martha Jane and Barbara Jean (that's a passel of southern names, huh?). After several hours in salt water, sand and sunshine, Mom attempted to unwind those plaits. Tender-headedness and and squalling ensued. Ever the problem solver, out came the shears and in 4 swift snips, 4 pigtails hit the floor. Complaining turned to shock. Even Daddy's jaw dropped. Hair will grow back.
9.
10. That was then; this is now.
11. Ever the realist, Mom rarely seemed to look backwards. Which could be annoying when
we would try to commiserate about some trivial insult or injury, fit of pique or lapse into nostalgia. She looked in the future or lived in the present more than anyone I've known.
12. If you think you've overdone it, go for a walk.
13. Probably explains how she made it into age
And there are many more wise words from Wilma as we hear her speak in our minds. Thank God for problem solving parents. And God help us, now that both are gone and we share wise words with our young ones.
Born April 16, 1927, Foyil, Ok Died July 19, 2019, Claremore, Ok
Wilma Lorene Fox Thompson was born and raised on a little farm in Delaware County, Ok. Wilma was born at home, which was commonplace at the time. One of nine children born to Homer Joseph Fox and Meadie Barton Fox, Wilma was the fourth-born and the first of three girls in the family. WIlma and her 2 younger sisters, Aunt Jewel and Aunt Lucy were best friends throughout their lives.
When she was about 20, she and her sister Jewel and their cousin Mildred, embarked on a train trip to San Diego that would change her life. There, while working as a waitress in a small cafe near the Naval base, Wilma met a handsome young Sailor from Florida who worked on a submarine and had noticed the pretty brunette and became a regular customer. Soon, the two lovebirds were on the way to Yuma AZ to tie the knot. We think Dad was underage in CA, but legal to marry in AZ
The newlyweds found a cute apartment in San Diego near the water. And in a few years , the pitter patter of tiny feet could be heard and the family building took off. It was 1951 and I was the firstborn.
The Florida of fishing lakes and deer woods and family was strong in Daddy and when his Navy stint was up, we headed to Inverness, Florida to live next door to Grandpa and Grandma, right near a lake full of lily pads, giant bass, water moccasins and alligators. It was in that period, Kathryn Kay came along in 1954.
As much as Mom enjoyed the fishing, the squirrel hunting, the giant watermelons and her new family, she pined for her own people most of whom had made the migration from Okie to California. Raising 2 little girls, without her sisters, was a problem, so before long, the growing family were living in Nipomo CA, situated a stone throw from her brothers and sisters families and soon, it's been told, Daddy was pounding his chest proclaiming "it's a boy "! Jay Sie was born and our family was complete. It was 1958.
But our travel, seeking a time and place to put down permanent roots, was not complete.
Back we went to Florida, where we settled in Palmetto, on the beautiful Gulf Coast, always near family and fishing and hunting grounds. It was here Mom became a beloved school bus driver, the source of many Family memories, including the time she had to back a school bus full of kids down the Sunshine Skyway bridge, a lesson she taught us that we are all more capable than we think we are. We lived in Palmetto for 12 years before the old urge to return to sister and family was too hard to resist. In 1968, we were Claremore, OK bound.
Mom gathered all us kids up and hurried to get us enrolled in school. We lived with Jewel's family a while as Mom looked for a house for us. We ended up on Chickasaw Street, a few houses from our grandparents, Mom and Pop. Daddy came to Claremore as soon as he could and found work in Tulsa , Mom found work in Claremore. We kids started school. I was a Senior, Kay was in 9th grade and Jaybird was starting 4th grade. It was all good for a long time.
Life twisted and turned for each of us. Dad became a licensed plumber and sprinkler-fitter. Mom became a licensed beautician.
Each of us kids followed our paths of more schooling, marriage, children with ups and downs..always with advice and support from Mom and Daddy.
Looking back, from this vantage point, it's easy to see that our Mom was a master problem solver. Whether it was substituting an ingredient in a recipe she had on hand, for one she didn't have, to the task of making a major decision such as moving us back and forth between Florida, California and Oklahoma...several times, to better provide for the kids and create a better life for all. Mom was always studying over situations, problems and potential opportunities...and finding solutions.. she was a woman of action, risk-taking, dedication , commitment, loyalty...and always Family First. She was intelligent and creative and, along with Daddy, owned a beauty salon business, an in-home day care service for infants while seeing each of graduate high school, attend college, find career paths and start families of our own.
Today is a good day to share some of Wilma's "problem-solving wisdom. Some of these nuggets are attributed to other wise women and men from our family. Some are so inside the Fox family as to be not quite understandable by others. Some make sense, some may not.
Here they are.
Lessons from our Mom:
1. Take care of your own damn self. Nobody else will." This one has always been attributed to Aunt Dorie and It sounds pretty bitter, but if you know Dorie, Jewel or Wilma....you know there is no bitterness...just honest, wise advice reminding that everyone carries their own baggage, everyone is responsible for their own happiness and to look to others for solutions to our problems is a waste of time and wasting time won't get you anywhere.
2. Live your life to suit yourself. We will all end up in a pile any way". This one sounds fatalistic and is attributable to Grandpa Thompson. But it, too, is a stark reminder that life is short and that happiness is largely a choice, and there are many decent paths to choose from....so choose well and make the best of whatever you have to work with.
3. Keep your legs a moving.
4. This one is sound advice and I always think of Mom and Miss Wilson walking around the block or Mom and Dad walking around the new Rec Center, or them walking up to the pond and back. And sure enough, when her legs gave out, she was done.
5. Fair is a goat's butt.
6. This is the inside family advice no one understands but we all have heard this used when there's whining about what's fair or not. Aunt Jewel May have to explain
7. Hair will grow back.
8. This one goes back to when Kay and I had long, blond hair in pigtails ands we spent a fun day at Coquina Beach, With with Uncle Albert, Aunt Carrie Todd and cousins Martha Jane and Barbara Jean (that's a passel of southern names, huh?). After several hours in salt water, sand and sunshine, Mom attempted to unwind those plaits. Tender-headedness and and squalling ensued. Ever the problem solver, out came the shears and in 4 swift snips, 4 pigtails hit the floor. Complaining turned to shock. Even Daddy's jaw dropped. Hair will grow back.
9.
10. That was then; this is now.
11. Ever the realist, Mom rarely seemed to look backwards. Which could be annoying when
we would try to commiserate about some trivial insult or injury, fit of pique or lapse into nostalgia. She looked in the future or lived in the present more than anyone I've known.
12. If you think you've overdone it, go for a walk.
13. Probably explains how she made it into age
And there are many more wise words from Wilma as we hear her speak in our minds. Thank God for problem solving parents. And God help us, now that both are gone and we share wise words with our young ones.
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