Born, June 19, 1915 in Franklin Co, AL, died
December 2, 2011 in Garland, Dallas Co, TX.
Random bits about the woman I knew for more than 47
years as my loving mother-in-law and friend.
Thelma was the youngest child of William Clifton
Britton and Mary Amanda Louvon Upton Britton.
Her mother died in the flu epidemic of 1918 when Thelma was 3 and her
father and oldest sister died in the measles epidemic of 1920. Their grandmother and aunt placed the
surviving four daughters and one son in the Buckner’s Orphanage in Dallas soon
after their father’s death.
About age 19 when Thelma left the orphanage she
joined her sisters in West Texas, working as a waitress in small town cafes in
the oil field. There she met and married
Forest William Reece June 18, 1939. They
had Forest William Reece, Jr, Ronald Edward Reece and Angela Kay Reece-Wilson.
Thelma loved music and was in a girl’s singing group
while in the orphanage. She also learned
to embroider and decorated some beautiful pillowcases and tablecloths.
She learned a lot of cooking skills from her
mother-in-law and enjoyed trying out new recipes. I enjoyed working with her in the kitchen
when we were making some ordinary family meals and when we put on a big spread
for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Most of all she loved her family and was so proud of
her children’s and grandchildren’s accomplishments.
Thelma was also proud of me and my crafting
skills. She bought fabric and asked me
to sew clothing and comforters. She
appreciated butterflies and when I sewed a lapghan using a fabric with
butterflies it became a daily-use object.
She loved both her family of brother and sisters and
her extended Reece family. She was
happiest when she was giving and doing for others. She had many friends in the oil field camps
where they lived and in Andrews where she lived from 1966 to 2001.
There was so much more to Thelma than wife and
mother. I am so glad to have known her
and had her in my life for so many years.
2 comments:
What a beautiful tribute to what sounded like a wonderful woman. I'm so sorry for your loss.
Your mother-in-law bore many similarities to my own mother-in-law, who passed on several years ago. She was born in December of 1914. She was also 3 yrs of age when her own mother died in the flu epidemic of 1918. Her father died while she was young, and she was sent off by her grandmother and aunt to live in an orphanage (other sibs were either older and on their own, or taken in by other family members).
Very sweet tribute Pat. I'm sure she cherished you very much.
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