Dale Cemetery

Dale, Pottatomie County, Oklahoma

© Lehman Funeral Home
Submitted by: Terry Dudley

Flora Mae Bissell Mannon

July 16, 1933 ~ February 7, 2022

Flora Mae (Bissell) Mannon was born July 16, 1933 in Wanette, Oklahoma to Herbert Otis and Bertha Cal Dona (Turner) Bissell. She was the eighth of eleven children and her nickname was Flora Bell. She was the only one of her siblings born in Oklahoma while her family was there harvesting. After the harvest time was over, and it was time for the family to go back home to Arkansas, they traveled by covered wagon. She grew up harvesting blackberries and cotton, among other crops.

Flora graduated from high school in Mena, Arkansas in 1950 at the age of 16. She was an excellent student who enjoyed writing, especially poetry. She also enjoyed cooking and sewing, and was known for being highly skilled at both.

For a time, Flora worked as a waitress and later, while working in the office of a meat packing plant, she met one of the employees, Kennth Sosby Mannon. After he wooed her through letters, they married in Wichita, Kansas on April 15, 1952. Later they worked together building airplanes.

Kenneth and Flora had one daughter, Virginia Gail (Mannon) Palmer and son-in-law, Thomas Charles Palmer. They had two grandchildren, Jeremy Lee Lay and Rebecca Michelle (Lay) Lancaster, and grandson-in-law, Noah Lee Lancaster. They also had three great grandsons, Tristan Noah, Bryce Hansard, and Brayden Lee Lancaster, whom Flora referred to as her boys, and she loved them dearly. She loved cooking for them, especially hot tamales, sweet corn, and deserts of all kinds.

After having her daughter, she became a stay-at-home mom, then grandma, then great-grandma. In her younger days, she enjoyed traveling the country with Kenneth and their daughter Virginia, while Kenneth worked as a pipeliner. She always worked hard, even when that involved caring for the farm animals. Her most important vocation, however, was as a Bible teacher. From childhood, she always had strong faith in the Bible and always wanted to share her beliefs with others. After a very thorough study of the Scriptures, she dedicated her life to Jehovah God and was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses on August 4, 1956. She was well known for her zeal to share accurate knowledge from the Bible with all she met. She wanted to help others have the beautiful hope of the Paradise Earth that she held dear and to have a close relationship with Jehovah God, like she did. She always sought to be a footstep follower of Jesus and had strong faith in his sacrifice. She held dearly to the promise of the resurrection. Psalm 37: 10, 11, 29 and Revelation 21: 3, 4 were among her favorite Scriptures.

Kenneth and Flora’s home and property in Choctaw were always kept pristine. One might have seen their expansive garden as a fore-gleam of the Paradise Earth. They were known for working hard in the garden and sharing the fruitage with others. They were also known for their beautiful flowers, especially colorful poppies.

Soon, in fulfillment of another one of her favorite Scriptures, Acts 24:15, we will be able to welcome her and Kenneth back in the resurrection of the righteous, as we know that their names are written in Jehovah God’s book of remembrance, spoken of at Malachi 3:16.

She will be interred next to Kenneth at the Dale Cemetery in Dale, Oklahoma at a private service.