Obituary - Johnnie Edna Willingham-Kelly
Imperial Valley Press - California
March 23,1920 - Feb. 6, 2003

Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday in Frye Chapel & Mortuary in Brawley for Johnnie Edna Willingham-Kelly, 82, of Brawley, who died Thursday in Pioneers Memorial Hospital in Brawley.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Full Gospel Church in Brawley. Pastor Thomas Charlton will officiate. Burial will be in Riverview Cemetery in Brawley.

Mrs. Willingham-Kelly was born March 23,1920 in Cloves, N.M. She married Rollie Guy Willingham.

on Feb. 9,1935, in Portales, N.M. In 1950, Mrs. Willingham-Kelly and her husband were pastors of Full Gospel Mission in Portales, N.M. In 1952 the family moved to Brawley, where they founded the Full Gospel Church and were pastors until her husband's death on Oct. 8,1978.

In August 1985, she married Ray Kelly. Together they were pastors of the Pentecostal Church of God in Tuttle, OK., and later moved to Brawley.

Family members say Mrs. Willingham-Kelly was a prolific letter and poetry writer as well as an avid doll collector. The family also says she was a wonderful cook and a gifted seamstress. In her later years she crocheted afghans for her children and grandchildren.

In addition to her first husband,Rollie Guy Willingham, Mrs. Willingham-Kelly was preceded in death by her sister, Ruth Sanders of Broken Bow, OK., and a granddaughter, Carylon of Brawley.

Survivors include her husband, Ray C. Kelly of Brawley; sons, John T. "Tommy" Willingham of Fremont, Charles Willingham of Springdale,AR and David Willingham of Tulsa, OK.; daughters, N.Ann Stidham and Barbara Charlton, both of Brawley, Linda LeMarie of Sacramento, Margaret Parks of El Cajon and Janice Lualln of La Mesa; sister, Belle Wesson of Clovis, N.M. and Betty Jones of Williamsburg, N.M.; 19 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, two great-great- grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
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PRECIOUS JEWELS
By Edna Willingham-Kelly – 1990

Today as I pondered the gold and the silver too

The refining process they must go through
First to be dug from their hiding place secure
Taken to a place to be made pure

Put into the fire, not a pleasant place to be
But only the fire can from impurities free
The diamond hidden so deep in the earth
To the eyes of men, of such worth

Pressured by rocks, dirt, impurities too
Until the day they are dug and brought into view

Then to be cut, sometimes again and again
The finishing process will begin

They are ground and polished until their brilliance we see

Then to be examined with great care just to be

Just a tip of the tool to drill in the ground
Or perhaps in a watch to be worn all around
Could be something beautiful that last for awhile

To be admired, bring joy, or even a smile

Could it be our life is gold, silver, maybe diamonds too?

But God allows the cutting and polishing with great care

Like the things of the earth however precious they be

Must be processed if the world is ever to see
A likeness of our Savior mirrored in our life
Only He knows how much grief and strife
But we know our God lives us so very much
He is never far away, always in touch

A home he has prepared we are in refining time

Getting ready for that home for which we pine
We may not appreciate the fire we must go through

Or the cutting and polishing that God must do
But in the end a vessel for His use we will be
Until the day He comes and sets us free

From the world's pain, heartache and strife
To that home to have a new body, have a new life
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The Life & Times of
Edna Bacon Willingham
Family History Project

By Renee Robertson
July 14,1995

Sources:
1. My Great Grandmother ( referred to as Grandmama in the Story) Johnny Edna (Bacon) (Willingham) Kelly ( on my mother's side)
2. My Grandmother ( her eldest daughter) Nancy Ann (Willingham) Stidham Johnny Edna (Bacon) (Willingham) Kelly, my Great Grandmother, whom I call Grandmama and shall refer to her as , herein. Grandmama was born in 1920 in the
City of Clovis, New Mexico. Her mothers name was Ona Kindness (Goldman) Bacon. Ona was born October 20,1901. Grandmama's father's name was John Adosia Bacon, born June 20,1897. Both of Grandmama's parents were born in Evensville, Arkansas. Her parents grew up together in the same area and they attended the same schools.

John and Ona Bacon were married December 19,1917. They had four daughters.Grandmama was the oldest of their daughters. In the following order after Grandmama was her sister Mary Belle (Bacon) Wesson, whom is called and shall be referred to as Belle. Belle was born October 2,1924. Ruth Adosia (Bacon) Sanders was born October 10,1927. The youngest sister's name is Betty Faye (Bacon) Jones. Betty was born April 22,1930.

While speaking with Grandmama, she shared with me her earliest childhood memory which was at the age of four years old. This was the age she recalled her sister Belle was born. Her dad worked on the railroad. Sadly, during her age of just four years old she became a very sick little girl. Because of her illness her parents felt it best that she live with her grandparents on their ranch.

The ranch was located near the Pecas River in De Baca County, New Mexico. Grandmama recalled the smell of the food, so vividly, of when she had first arrived at her grandparents ranch. This was probably due to the strict diet the doctor had put her on. Her diet consisted of crackers and buttermilk. This was all the food she was able to keep down. Grandmama remembered that she did have a piece of watermelon. This piece of watermelon caused her mother to get very upset because her mother just knew that the piece of watermelon could have killed her.

In the 1920's Grandmama's grandparents owned several sections of land where their ranch was located. After a few months of living with her grandparents on their ranch, her parents leased a house from her dad's parents and moved about a mile away from the main ranch. The section of land her parents leased, she recalled, was reasonably priced and referred to as the School Section. The house had just two rooms and had what was called then, a dugout. Half of the house was considered normal, but where the kitchen began it was simply dug into the earth. The purpose of this was to
keep the house cooler.

During Grandmama's early years her family was considered to be well to do. Grandmama's grandparents owned their ranch, and owned Bacon General Store.They also owned the Post Office. To have money in the bank and savings as her grandparents in Taiban, New Mexico also, was considered very good.

Grandmama's grandpa lost several thousands of dollars in 1926 in the Taiban Bank. That same year he also became very ill and passed away a very short time later. Before he passed away he had sold the general store and the post office. He set that money aside for his children. Grandmama's parents moved into the main ranch house
with her grandmother.

School was always a favorite place for grandmama. She enjoyed reading books. She loved to learn, so very much. She recalled her and her sister riding a horse to school because it was too far to walk alone. When the school teacher lived with them at times, the teacher would walk with them to school. When the teacher was not living with them and they were supposed to ride their horse to school, most often they would still have to walk alone. What would happen, alone the way to school their cousins would take their horse away from them and leave them to walk alone.

At the age of seven years old, Grandmama said she received her first store bought item. Her dad had bought her and her sisters a coat when he was in Fort Worth, Texas. He was
in Fort Worth, Texas because he was selling a load of cattle. Grandmama said, " I will never forget my store-bought coat. The coat was plaid with brown, and red, and tan colors". Her father also brought home with him from this cattle selling trip a new 1927 Model A car.

Grandmama's mother was a mid-wife to many woman around the area where they lived. Most woman never saw a doctor before, during, or after child birth. If a mother did not have enough breast milk to feed their infants they would feed them horses milk. They believed that horses milk was better for an infant than cows milk. A mother would use any kind of bottle they could find to use to feed their child. A nipple would be made for the bottle by sewing an inner tube over it.

Most people did not see a doctor, even if they were dying. Home remedies and medicines were used. Some basic necessities were coal oil, turpentine, greases, kerosene, cloverine salve, quinine and black draw tea. (All remedies except the salve and tea was for sore throats and croup, the salve was used for burns cuts and scrape, quinine was used for malaria and chills. The tea was used for constipation.)

In 1930 grandmama's dad decided to sell his part of the ranch and move to a farm in Floyd, New Mexico. This was a big adjustment for Grandmama. Grandmama had been use to a one room school house that combined kindergarten through eighth grades. The school had about fifteen kids in all. Attending Floyd School now, there were about thirty five students in her class alone.

Grandmama began telling me a story about Christmas time one year. How she had really wanted a doll. No one in her family had toys. Grandmama remembered the closest thing she ever had as a toy to her was a pet lizard. She had this lizard for several weeks. Christmas was celebrated around the community Christmas tree. All of the towns people would join in on the festivities. The tree was decorated with colorful little dolls and were later given out to the children. She recalled when there were only two dolls left on the tree, she prayed that her two sisters would get them, but that did not happen. Grandmama's father did not belive that children should have Christmas or receive presents, she said.

When Grandmama was fifteen years old she started dating Rollie Guy Willingham. He was twenty five years old. There dates consisted of only attending church on Sundays, and that was it. Grandmama's dad did not like the age difference and so he told her to stop seeing him and he would take to church instead. Her dad knew she loved to go to church and did not want her to walk alone. She and her father went together, but it only lasted about a month. So she began to see Rollie Guy Willingham again. Her dad became furious at her and said she could not see him anymore. Grandmama said, she did not say another word about it.

Rollie Guy Willingham, called and known as Guy, but to me he was Granddad and I shall refer to him as Granddad herein. Granddad and Grandmama became married on February 9,1935. Grandmama's family was unaware of them getting married, only one block from where they were standing in the court house. Just being fifteen years old, my grandmother told the clerk a different story in order to get their marriage license. After they got married, they immediately caught a train out of town and spent the night on this train. The following morning they caught another train returning home the next day.

Grandmama's dad was very furious when he had found out that she and Granddad had married. He went to the clerks office to verify what he had heard. Two years later their first child was born. John Thomas Willingham was born in Portales, New Mexico. That same year, he was born, the crops were so bad the cotton had to be left in the field for the cattle to be turned in on it.

In 1938 many people everywhere had to let their fields go and move to town. Granddad had to move his family into Portales, New Mexico. In that same year Nancy Ann (Willingham) Stidham was born. Two years later Barbara Joyce (Willingham) Charlton was born. In 1941, this same year, Granddad started working for the railroad. The family had to move again. They moved to Clovis, New Mexico.

In 1945 my grandparents had their fourth child. Linda Sue (Willingham) Page. Grandmama said that was about all they had, four children when they moved to Brawley, California to work in the fields. Granddad had a heat stroke, and after only six months in Brawley, they moved to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.

Two more children were born. Charles Wayne Willingham was born in 1950 and David Lee Willingham was born in 1952. They then decided to give California another try and moved back to Brawley. Granddad worked in the cotton fields and was in charge of a crew. Grandmama also helped out in the fields whenever she was needed.

Granddad went into the Hay Contraction business in the year of 1954. He also built and began a church, know as the Full Gospel Church still today, in Brawley. Grandmama ran a bailer to help them conserve money and good help was unreliable. In 1955 Margaret Carol (Willingham) Parks was born. Two years later passed, their eighth and final child was born, Janice Kay (Willingham) Luallin.

In 1972 Granddad sold his hay contracting business to his son-in-law, Carl Stidham. Carl is married to his eldest daughter, Nancy Ann. Granddad passed away while he was preaching his Sunday evening sermon. This was a very devastating time not only for the family but for the church also. Tom Charlton, the husband of his daughter Barbara Charlton, then assistant pastor became the pastor, and continues to pastor the Full Gospel today. Grandmama kept herself busy raising her children. She wrote and still writes today beautiful poems, and short stories. She writes tons of letters and loves to talk to anyone about the Lord. She always makes quilts, Afghans, pot holders, and so many pretty hand made items.

In 1986 Grandmama married pastor, Ray Kelly. Grandmama has know Ray for thirty-eight years through his evangelistic ministry. They both live in Brawley and have lots of love in their hearts of gold.
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Edna like to write poems, here is 2 of her last ones:

Mother's poems written 04/04//99

The Choices We Make by Edna Willingham-Kelly

The choices we make usually can't be changed you know
If they hurt others in time, it will show
No one lives to himself you see
So when we leave this world, what will it be?
Did the choice offend another,
Maybe a friend, sister or brother?
We may never know the ears shed
By others before they rested in bed.
So, they were wrong, but can't we see
That we must have forgiveness, just let it be
we can't take back things that were said,
or actions by which others were led.
Only one time will we travel this way,
Whatever regrets, what can we say
What can we say when the time has come
to face the Lord and and deeds we have done?
So friend my choice today, what will it be,
Help my life be what would Jesus do if He were me?
I have today on life's road
Lord that I may lift another's load.
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Is Jesus really leading me down this path?
Have I incurred His favor or wrath?
Jesus says the rain falls on the just and unjust,
So I lean upon my Lord , I know I must.
One day the sun comes shining through,
Until that time, nothing I can do,
But trust my Lord, watch and pray
Though I can't see He's making a way.
We are not children of chance, we have a Friend
Who is always there, will until the end.
I'd like the rose, but not the thorn
But into a world of conflict we were born
To over come, is this not our goal?
One day complete spirit, body and soul.
We will labor on until the change come
When the way is hard to our God we run.
we're safe in His care, He's in control
The body may grow weak, but strong the soul.
Each day is a new challenge you see
We face a battle, you and me.
One day no sorrow, tear,or pain
A crown of life we will gain.