Nina June Wilkins

© Davis Family Funeral Home

Submitted by: Sharon

© Davis Family Funeral Home

Nina June Wilkins
June 22, 1941 - May 25, 2025

Nina Wilkins was 83 when she passed away on May 25, 2025. The proud Cherokee woman and longtime area resident was dearly cherished by her extended family and friends and will be missed by all who knew her loving spirit.

Nina June Ashwood was born at home on the family dairy farm in Muskogee on June 22, 1941, to Robert Franklin and Clara Lee (Foreman) Ashwood. Growing up, Nina loved her Grandma Foreman, who lived across the pasture, because Grandma's house was where the cousins would be. Family continued to be one of the guiding lights in Nina's life journey.

Nina graduated from Oktaha High School in 1959. While living in Claremore with her sister Joyce, Nina worked as a secretary at First Baptist Church, where she met a church member, Bill Franklin. The young couple got married on November 12, 1960, and moved to Sand Springs, where he passed away far too early on February 9, 1969.

Nina later went to work as a secretary at Prattville Plumbing and, in time, fell in love with her boss, Kenneth Wilkins. They were married on July 6, 1972 and moved to a farmhouse in South Coffeyville in 1975. Together, they raised five kids and worked on the farm. To this day, the kids have fond memories of taking care of their animals and raising a huge garden they worked by hand. In 1993, Nina and Kenneth moved to their final home in Copan, which the kids recall had the best view and the most beautiful sunsets. Kenneth and Nina enjoyed life there and 46 years of marriage before he preceded her in death on April 6th, 2019.

While Kenneth was alive, they especially enjoyed spending time together at home and on the road. They relished traveling to flea markets, steam engine shows, tractor shows, and seeing all that retirement offered them. Nina's other passions were family first - her kids and grandkids were always on her mind. She enjoyed collecting thousands of rocks, growing flowers, watching birds, going on spontaneous adventures, tromping through cemeteries, and reading books of all kinds.

Nina loved to entertain her family and friends, and she really loved to scare people and play a good prank, sometimes even using pyrotechnics! She was game to dress up in Halloween costumes or any other excuse she found to dress up. Nina loved the family's Redneck Country Christmas tradition that started in 2008, complete with props and costumes.

Nina was preceded in death by both her husbands: Bill Franklin in 1969 and Kenneth Wilkins in 2019, as well as her parents, Robert Franklin Ashwood and Clara Lee Ashwood, and her siblings, Clara Joyce Kizzia and Robert Eugene Ashwood.

Nina is survived by her sister, Carol Boyd, five children: Randy (and Judy Kay) Wilkins, Stan (and Nikole) Franklin, Stephanie Franklin, Jenifer (and Barry) Miller, and Nancy (and Roger) Burdick. She will also be deeply missed by her best friend, Gladys Martin.

Other survivors include her eight grandchildren: Wayne Alan Wilkins, Daniel Franklin, Katy (and Garrett) Giles, Wesley Franklin, Michael Miller, Joshua Miller, Sam (and Jessica) Burdick, Chris Burdick; and one great-grandchild, Lincoln Giles.

Visitation will be held Thursday, May 29th from 11am - 8pm. Services will be held, Friday, May 30th, at 1:30 pm at the Davis Family Funeral Home - Dewey Chapel, 113 S. Osage, Dewey, OK.

Services are under the direction of Carter Davis and the Davis Family Funeral Home - Dewey Chapel. Online condolences and remembrances may be shared with the family at www.DavisFamilyFuneralHome.com.

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