Friday, June 18, 2010

Miss Ya, Wilma Bussey

Wilma Bussey is moving to Collinsville with her daughter Susie and family

A favorite friend is Wilma Bussey.  I worked with her in 1980 when we both were Census Enumerators in Cherokee County.  I had known her well before that--- Her son Kyle Bussey and I were in the same grade and in classes where the students sat in alphabetical order, I was usually right after Kyle.  Kayl and I have been friends for amny years, too.  My mom was his Fourth Grade teacher. 

I love Wilma for a bunch of reasons.  One is that she is a true blue Democrat and I could always talk politics with her without being traumatized by some irrational far-flung nihilism.  We were dedicated Mike Synar supporters.  She recommended me for a post on the Board of Directors of Legal Services of Eastern Oklahoma, Inc. 

When Susie was just little, her husband Chief became partially paralyzed and spent most of the next 30 years bedfast.  It attests to a family's tenderness that someone could live 30 years under their care.

But here's my favorite story about Wilma.  (I have other favorite stories about Kyle.... for another day perhaps.)  She loved "The Tules" which was her cane brake in the yard.  She loved wild flowers.  She thought it best not to mow, because it was so sweet to have the butterflies.  She lived on the end of a block at a dead end next to a pasture, so what difference did it make if a widowed woman did not operate a golf course lawn?   Her neighbor complained about the wildlife attracted to the wildlands of her yard.  The city tried to make her mow.  So, we had her lawn dedicated as a wildlife habitat and the newspaper took our side of things.  Yay Wilma!  Love you so much!!!

Wilma and her youngest daughter and family are moving to Collinsville.  We attended a lil party for her at Cherokee County Nursing Home last week.  Morgan's Bakery had decked out a beautiful spread of cakes, and I tried Red Velvet Cake.  Kyle, I wish you could have been there... I'd like to give you a hug.

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