© Tammie Chada

Nethlee ( Bledsoe) Willingham

Submitted by: Sue Hearon

Nethlee Bledsoe Willingham was born October 17, 1920, at Calhoun (LeFlore County) Oklahoma to William McKinley (Bill) Bledsoe and Delia (Gamble) Bledsoe. She died Monday afternoon, December 16, 1996, at the Pauls Valley General Hospital. She was 76.

Nethlee Willingham has been a long-time resident of the Maysville area. She grew up in LeFlore County near Milton, Oklahoma. She went to school there and on December 15, 1936, she married Burl Willingham. They enjoyed almost 60 years of marriage. The family moved to Maysville about 1947, when Burl went to work for Warren Petroleum, west of town. Nethlee was a 20-year employee for the state of Oklahoma. She worked at Norman for a year and for 19 years at the Pauls Valley State School in the nursery. She was a dedicated employee and loved the little handicapped children at the school. She was a dedicated wife, mother, and grandmother.

She is survived by her husband, Burl Willingham, of the home; three daughters, Betty Albright of Maysville, Martha Willingham of Oklahoma City, and Mary Gunter of Lindsay; one son, Buck Willingham and his wife Janie of Maysville; eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; one sister, Mrs. Ottie Adams of Orville, Calif.; other relatives and friends of the family made through the years.

She was preceded in death by her parents, one daugher, Carol Haslam, in 1984, and brothers Harley and Homer and one sister, Naomi.

Funeral services will be held Thursday afternoon, December 19, 1996, at 2 p.m. at the Abundant Love Church with Rev. Charles Dean and Rev. Danny Gamble officiating with burial in the Maysville Cemetery under the direction of John Williams of Winans Funeral Home, Maysville. Visitation hours at the funeral home are 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. any day.

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