Biological Father Michael Alton Boudreaux Adopted and raised by Forest Pridgen
A life well lived! Leah Gertrude Pridgen Wilson, age 86, died peacefully, on March 2, 2018 at Texhoma Christian Care Center. A celebration of her life will be at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, March 23, at Grace Church Chapel, 5214 Stonelake Dr., in Wichita Falls, with Pastor Reggie Coe, presiding. It was her desire that her body be willed to science at UT Southwestern. Leah G. Wilson was born November 10, 1931 in Corsicana, TX to Margaret Browne Boudreaux and Michael Alton Boudreaux, Sr. Her stepfather, Forrest B. Pridgen, became her father when he married Margaret in 1936 and made it official when her name was legally changed to Leah Gertrude Pridgen. Most of her life, she was known as Gertrude or "Trudy." Later, she chose to use her first name and thereafter was "Leah." Although Forrest Pridgen ("Pop" to the four Wilson kids) was not her birth father, he was a very important and influential part of Mom's life, loving her and encouraging her love of history and genealogy. Mom's maternal grandparents, Walter and Gertrude Browne, were not only her grandparents, but were another set of parents for many of her formative years. She attended Benjamin Franklin Elementary, Zundelowitz Jr. High School, and Wichita Falls High School. While at WFHS, she sang in Acapella Choir and played violin in the WFHS orchestra. She graduated in 1948 and received recognition from Louise Kelly for some of her writing. Ms. Kelly became her mentor through her college years, when she majored in English and history. Mom became a member of First Baptist Church (FBC) as a young child and had attended as long as she could remember with her family. She was involved in youth groups, including Senior Choir and Church Orchestra, as well as Bible Memory groups. She attended Baylor University in 1948 and 1949. She was very involved in music, drill team, a dorm devotional group, and Sunday morning missions. Just a while later she played with the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra. She attended Midwestern University (now Midwestern State University) from 1949-1952, when she majored in art and music. She worked at Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. as a long distance operator from 1951-1953. Mom married our father, Norman Wilson Sr., on December 13, 1953. During her early married years, Mom worked with teen girls at FBC as a Sunday School teacher and Youth Group Director. She was a long-time member of the Harmony Club Music Study and Performing Group and was president in the club's Silver Anniversary Year, 1960-1961. Mom re-entered Midwestern in the 1960s, persevering as a single mom to complete her education and graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in English and history. During her MU years, she had poetry published in the MU Magazine, a real honor for her. Her teaching career began at Iowa Park High School (1965-1966); Sidney High School (Ohio) from 1966-1969; Training Institute of Central Ohio (Columbus) 1970-1976; was a Social Worker and Treatment Team Coordinator at Cuyahoga Hills Boys School (Cleveland) from 1976-1977; Dallas ISD from 1978-1980; and Electra ISD from 1980-1982. Mom was committed to furthering her education and persevered in her quest to complete a Masters Degree. She worked diligently on accumulating post-graduate hours between the years of 1967-1977 in the fields of psychology and counseling at Bowling Green State University (Ohio); Miami University (Ohio); University of Maryland, through which she wrote Child Studies; Xavier University (Cincinnati); and National Defense Education Act Institute/Earlham College (Richmond, Indiana). This interesting journey included one or more of her kids accompanying her to these campuses, keeping her company (and awake!) as she traveled and helping her prepare for tests by reading notes along the way. A particularly interesting summer was when she spent several weeks in Richmond, Indiana at Earlham College. She made arrangements for the two youngest to stay at home in Sidney with a trusted caregiver, sent her oldest boy to Texas to stay with our aunt, and her daughter accompanied her to Richmond. Following retirement from teaching, Mom was a child care worker at FBC and assistant to the director and pre-school teacher at The Learning Center, First Presbyterian Church. She was also a nanny-sitter until her second retirement in 2006. She continued to work part-time as a receptionist at Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services and receptionist at The Place, formerly the Young Women's Christian Association. One of Mom's favorite projects was genealogy. She worked on unearthing family history for 35 years, researching the Browne, Williams, Rosson, and Lewis families, and according to Mom, traced some of the lineage to the 1400s and 1500s. Parts of our family vacations included old cemeteries, courthouses, and Civil War sites. Because of her research, she was eligible to be a member of Daughters of the American Revolution, another honor. Mom's other favorite activities included Wichita Falls Symphony concerts and other recitals in Wichita Falls, participating in the First Baptist Church Intercessory Prayer Group, women's Bible studies, and mentoring singles. In later years, while attending Evangel Temple, she loved the Precious Pearls Women's Bible study. She loved being part of the WFHS reunion committees and one of the most fulfilling times was planning and participating in the 50th and 60th Reunions. Mom is survived by four children: Sara Wilson Gamble (Art); Norm Wilson, Jr. of McKinney; John Wilson and Thomas Wilson, Sr. of Wichita Falls; five grandchildren: Chad Gamble (Brenda) of Round Rock; Tech Sgt. Thomas Wilson, Jr. of Tinker AFB, OK; Quinn Wilson of Austin; Roman Wilson and Adam Wilson of Wichita Falls; five great-grandchildren: Mary, Brandon, Daine, Baylor, and Lilly-Grace Leah. She is survived by her sisters, Sally Harris (Zeek) of Austin; Marcine (Boudreaux) Guyon (Scott) of Katy; Eyvette (Boudreaux) Noack of Rosharon; and Michael Alton Boudreaux, Jr. (Candy) of Katy. She also had a precious niece, Holly Grabow Magazzino (Giovanni) of Sermoneta, Italy and special nephew, Gil Grabow of Alpine, with whom Mom had a wonderful bond. Leah was pre-deceased by her mother, Margaret Pridgen and her fathers, Michael Boudreaux, Sr. and Forrest Pridgen. There were so many highlights in Mom's life, many of which may be overlooked here, but not intentionally! Her little sister, Sally, was born just shy of Mom's 15th birthday in 1946. What a blessing! Mom took her two oldest on their first airline trip in 1967. Mom found her Boudreaux siblings in Houston about 35 years ago, and finding them was wonderful for her. She had dear lifetime friendships with special friend Georgia Lawler Masteller, whose mother was a friend of Mom's grandmother when they lived in the Southland Addition as children, as well as Bebe Martin Combs and Helen Teague Aldrich, with whom Mom attended school from first grade through to high school graduation. Their friendship lasted for decades after their school years. Mom re-connected with Linda Musgnug Snider from her teaching days in Ohio and enjoyed Linda accompanying us in events when we visited Sidney, Ohio. Mom was "found" by another Sidney student, Janet Smith Hampton, after Janet had searched for her for over 40 years (their reunion was a joy to behold!). Mom was an optimist, and insisted that we focus on the positive, not the negative, when looking back on her life. She made life FUN for her children many, many times. We redeemed pop bottles to come up with enough money to have inexpensive adventures. Then, there were the free activities that Mom dreamt up and made them fun. When other children might have grumbled at going to museums, concerts, or plays, Mom's attitude about the adventure of these outings helped to make them educational and FUN. She was pleased when randomly, folks would stop by our table when we ate out on one of these cultural outings and commented about her well-behaved children. When Mom made the move to long-term care at TCCC, she embraced the change from independent living to make the best of the new life. She got up every morning and "plugged in" to Bible studies, Bingo, dominoes, and other activities with special friend, Jo Jennings. Mom proved one can make new friends throughout one's life. She and Jo were the dynamic duo! A special thanks to those who cared for Mom with love and friendship at Texhoma Christian Care Center (TCCC) and with Hospice of Wichita Falls. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in her name to Texhoma Christian Care Center, 300 Loop 11, Wichita Falls, TX 76306 or Hospice of Wichita Falls, 4909 Johnson Rd., Wichita Falls, TX 76310. It's hard to forget someone who gave us so much to remember.
A life well lived! Leah Gertrude Pridgen Wilson, age 86, died peacefully, on March 2, 2018 at Texhoma Christian Care Center. A celebration of her life will be at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, March 23, at Grace Church Chapel, 5214 Stonelake Dr., in Wichita Falls, with Pastor Reggie Coe, presiding. It was her desire that her body be willed to science at UT Southwestern. Leah G. Wilson was born November 10, 1931 in Corsicana, TX to Margaret Browne Boudreaux and Michael Alton Boudreaux, Sr. Her stepfather, Forrest B. Pridgen, became her father when he married Margaret in 1936 and made it official when her name was legally changed to Leah Gertrude Pridgen. Most of her life, she was known as Gertrude or "Trudy." Later, she chose to use her first name and thereafter was "Leah." Although Forrest Pridgen ("Pop" to the four Wilson kids) was not her birth father, he was a very important and influential part of Mom's life, loving her and encouraging her love of history and genealogy. Mom's maternal grandparents, Walter and Gertrude Browne, were not only her grandparents, but were another set of parents for many of her formative years. She attended Benjamin Franklin Elementary, Zundelowitz Jr. High School, and Wichita Falls High School. While at WFHS, she sang in Acapella Choir and played violin in the WFHS orchestra. She graduated in 1948 and received recognition from Louise Kelly for some of her writing. Ms. Kelly became her mentor through her college years, when she majored in English and history. Mom became a member of First Baptist Church (FBC) as a young child and had attended as long as she could remember with her family. She was involved in youth groups, including Senior Choir and Church Orchestra, as well as Bible Memory groups. She attended Baylor University in 1948 and 1949. She was very involved in music, drill team, a dorm devotional group, and Sunday morning missions. Just a while later she played with the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra. She attended Midwestern University (now Midwestern State University) from 1949-1952, when she majored in art and music. She worked at Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. as a long distance operator from 1951-1953. Mom married our father, Norman Wilson Sr., on December 13, 1953. During her early married years, Mom worked with teen girls at FBC as a Sunday School teacher and Youth Group Director. She was a long-time member of the Harmony Club Music Study and Performing Group and was president in the club's Silver Anniversary Year, 1960-1961. Mom re-entered Midwestern in the 1960s, persevering as a single mom to complete her education and graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in English and history. During her MU years, she had poetry published in the MU Magazine, a real honor for her. Her teaching career began at Iowa Park High School (1965-1966); Sidney High School (Ohio) from 1966-1969; Training Institute of Central Ohio (Columbus) 1970-1976; was a Social Worker and Treatment Team Coordinator at Cuyahoga Hills Boys School (Cleveland) from 1976-1977; Dallas ISD from 1978-1980; and Electra ISD from 1980-1982. Mom was committed to furthering her education and persevered in her quest to complete a Masters Degree. She worked diligently on accumulating post-graduate hours between the years of 1967-1977 in the fields of psychology and counseling at Bowling Green State University (Ohio); Miami University (Ohio); University of Maryland, through which she wrote Child Studies; Xavier University (Cincinnati); and National Defense Education Act Institute/Earlham College (Richmond, Indiana). This interesting journey included one or more of her kids accompanying her to these campuses, keeping her company (and awake!) as she traveled and helping her prepare for tests by reading notes along the way. A particularly interesting summer was when she spent several weeks in Richmond, Indiana at Earlham College. She made arrangements for the two youngest to stay at home in Sidney with a trusted caregiver, sent her oldest boy to Texas to stay with our aunt, and her daughter accompanied her to Richmond. Following retirement from teaching, Mom was a child care worker at FBC and assistant to the director and pre-school teacher at The Learning Center, First Presbyterian Church. She was also a nanny-sitter until her second retirement in 2006. She continued to work part-time as a receptionist at Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services and receptionist at The Place, formerly the Young Women's Christian Association. One of Mom's favorite projects was genealogy. She worked on unearthing family history for 35 years, researching the Browne, Williams, Rosson, and Lewis families, and according to Mom, traced some of the lineage to the 1400s and 1500s. Parts of our family vacations included old cemeteries, courthouses, and Civil War sites. Because of her research, she was eligible to be a member of Daughters of the American Revolution, another honor. Mom's other favorite activities included Wichita Falls Symphony concerts and other recitals in Wichita Falls, participating in the First Baptist Church Intercessory Prayer Group, women's Bible studies, and mentoring singles. In later years, while attending Evangel Temple, she loved the Precious Pearls Women's Bible study. She loved being part of the WFHS reunion committees and one of the most fulfilling times was planning and participating in the 50th and 60th Reunions. Mom is survived by four children: Sara Wilson Gamble (Art); Norm Wilson, Jr. of McKinney; John Wilson and Thomas Wilson, Sr. of Wichita Falls; five grandchildren: Chad Gamble (Brenda) of Round Rock; Tech Sgt. Thomas Wilson, Jr. of Tinker AFB, OK; Quinn Wilson of Austin; Roman Wilson and Adam Wilson of Wichita Falls; five great-grandchildren: Mary, Brandon, Daine, Baylor, and Lilly-Grace Leah. She is survived by her sisters, Sally Harris (Zeek) of Austin; Marcine (Boudreaux) Guyon (Scott) of Katy; Eyvette (Boudreaux) Noack of Rosharon; and Michael Alton Boudreaux, Jr. (Candy) of Katy. She also had a precious niece, Holly Grabow Magazzino (Giovanni) of Sermoneta, Italy and special nephew, Gil Grabow of Alpine, with whom Mom had a wonderful bond. Leah was pre-deceased by her mother, Margaret Pridgen and her fathers, Michael Boudreaux, Sr. and Forrest Pridgen. There were so many highlights in Mom's life, many of which may be overlooked here, but not intentionally! Her little sister, Sally, was born just shy of Mom's 15th birthday in 1946. What a blessing! Mom took her two oldest on their first airline trip in 1967. Mom found her Boudreaux siblings in Houston about 35 years ago, and finding them was wonderful for her. She had dear lifetime friendships with special friend Georgia Lawler Masteller, whose mother was a friend of Mom's grandmother when they lived in the Southland Addition as children, as well as Bebe Martin Combs and Helen Teague Aldrich, with whom Mom attended school from first grade through to high school graduation. Their friendship lasted for decades after their school years. Mom re-connected with Linda Musgnug Snider from her teaching days in Ohio and enjoyed Linda accompanying us in events when we visited Sidney, Ohio. Mom was "found" by another Sidney student, Janet Smith Hampton, after Janet had searched for her for over 40 years (their reunion was a joy to behold!). Mom was an optimist, and insisted that we focus on the positive, not the negative, when looking back on her life. She made life FUN for her children many, many times. We redeemed pop bottles to come up with enough money to have inexpensive adventures. Then, there were the free activities that Mom dreamt up and made them fun. When other children might have grumbled at going to museums, concerts, or plays, Mom's attitude about the adventure of these outings helped to make them educational and FUN. She was pleased when randomly, folks would stop by our table when we ate out on one of these cultural outings and commented about her well-behaved children. When Mom made the move to long-term care at TCCC, she embraced the change from independent living to make the best of the new life. She got up every morning and "plugged in" to Bible studies, Bingo, dominoes, and other activities with special friend, Jo Jennings. Mom proved one can make new friends throughout one's life. She and Jo were the dynamic duo! A special thanks to those who cared for Mom with love and friendship at Texhoma Christian Care Center (TCCC) and with Hospice of Wichita Falls. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in her name to Texhoma Christian Care Center, 300 Loop 11, Wichita Falls, TX 76306 or Hospice of Wichita Falls, 4909 Johnson Rd., Wichita Falls, TX 76310. It's hard to forget someone who gave us so much to remember.
Biological Father Michael Alton Boudreaux Adopted and raised by Forest Pridgen
A life well lived! Leah Gertrude Pridgen Wilson, age 86, died peacefully, on March 2, 2018 at Texhoma Christian Care Center. A celebration of her life will be at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, March 23, at Grace Church Chapel, 5214 Stonelake Dr., in Wichita Falls, with Pastor Reggie Coe, presiding. It was her desire that her body be willed to science at UT Southwestern. Leah G. Wilson was born November 10, 1931 in Corsicana, TX to Margaret Browne Boudreaux and Michael Alton Boudreaux, Sr. Her stepfather, Forrest B. Pridgen, became her father when he married Margaret in 1936 and made it official when her name was legally changed to Leah Gertrude Pridgen. Most of her life, she was known as Gertrude or "Trudy." Later, she chose to use her first name and thereafter was "Leah." Although Forrest Pridgen ("Pop" to the four Wilson kids) was not her birth father, he was a very important and influential part of Mom's life, loving her and encouraging her love of history and genealogy. Mom's maternal grandparents, Walter and Gertrude Browne, were not only her grandparents, but were another set of parents for many of her formative years. She attended Benjamin Franklin Elementary, Zundelowitz Jr. High School, and Wichita Falls High School. While at WFHS, she sang in Acapella Choir and played violin in the WFHS orchestra. She graduated in 1948 and received recognition from Louise Kelly for some of her writing. Ms. Kelly became her mentor through her college years, when she majored in English and history. Mom became a member of First Baptist Church (FBC) as a young child and had attended as long as she could remember with her family. She was involved in youth groups, including Senior Choir and Church Orchestra, as well as Bible Memory groups. She attended Baylor University in 1948 and 1949. She was very involved in music, drill team, a dorm devotional group, and Sunday morning missions. Just a while later she played with the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra. She attended Midwestern University (now Midwestern State University) from 1949-1952, when she majored in art and music. She worked at Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. as a long distance operator from 1951-1953. Mom married our father, Norman Wilson Sr., on December 13, 1953. During her early married years, Mom worked with teen girls at FBC as a Sunday School teacher and Youth Group Director. She was a long-time member of the Harmony Club Music Study and Performing Group and was president in the club's Silver Anniversary Year, 1960-1961. Mom re-entered Midwestern in the 1960s, persevering as a single mom to complete her education and graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in English and history. During her MU years, she had poetry published in the MU Magazine, a real honor for her. Her teaching career began at Iowa Park High School (1965-1966); Sidney High School (Ohio) from 1966-1969; Training Institute of Central Ohio (Columbus) 1970-1976; was a Social Worker and Treatment Team Coordinator at Cuyahoga Hills Boys School (Cleveland) from 1976-1977; Dallas ISD from 1978-1980; and Electra ISD from 1980-1982. Mom was committed to furthering her education and persevered in her quest to complete a Masters Degree. She worked diligently on accumulating post-graduate hours between the years of 1967-1977 in the fields of psychology and counseling at Bowling Green State University (Ohio); Miami University (Ohio); University of Maryland, through which she wrote Child Studies; Xavier University (Cincinnati); and National Defense Education Act Institute/Earlham College (Richmond, Indiana). This interesting journey included one or more of her kids accompanying her to these campuses, keeping her company (and awake!) as she traveled and helping her prepare for tests by reading notes along the way. A particularly interesting summer was when she spent several weeks in Richmond, Indiana at Earlham College. She made arrangements for the two youngest to stay at home in Sidney with a trusted caregiver, sent her oldest boy to Texas to stay with our aunt, and her daughter accompanied her to Richmond. Following retirement from teaching, Mom was a child care worker at FBC and assistant to the director and pre-school teacher at The Learning Center, First Presbyterian Church. She was also a nanny-sitter until her second retirement in 2006. She continued to work part-time as a receptionist at Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services and receptionist at The Place, formerly the Young Women's Christian Association. One of Mom's favorite projects was genealogy. She worked on unearthing family history for 35 years, researching the Browne, Williams, Rosson, and Lewis families, and according to Mom, traced some of the lineage to the 1400s and 1500s. Parts of our family vacations included old cemeteries, courthouses, and Civil War sites. Because of her research, she was eligible to be a member of Daughters of the American Revolution, another honor. Mom's other favorite activities included Wichita Falls Symphony concerts and other recitals in Wichita Falls, participating in the First Baptist Church Intercessory Prayer Group, women's Bible studies, and mentoring singles. In later years, while attending Evangel Temple, she loved the Precious Pearls Women's Bible study. She loved being part of the WFHS reunion committees and one of the most fulfilling times was planning and participating in the 50th and 60th Reunions. Mom is survived by four children: Sara Wilson Gamble (Art); Norm Wilson, Jr. of McKinney; John Wilson and Thomas Wilson, Sr. of Wichita Falls; five grandchildren: Chad Gamble (Brenda) of Round Rock; Tech Sgt. Thomas Wilson, Jr. of Tinker AFB, OK; Quinn Wilson of Austin; Roman Wilson and Adam Wilson of Wichita Falls; five great-grandchildren: Mary, Brandon, Daine, Baylor, and Lilly-Grace Leah. She is survived by her sisters, Sally Harris (Zeek) of Austin; Marcine (Boudreaux) Guyon (Scott) of Katy; Eyvette (Boudreaux) Noack of Rosharon; and Michael Alton Boudreaux, Jr. (Candy) of Katy. She also had a precious niece, Holly Grabow Magazzino (Giovanni) of Sermoneta, Italy and special nephew, Gil Grabow of Alpine, with whom Mom had a wonderful bond. Leah was pre-deceased by her mother, Margaret Pridgen and her fathers, Michael Boudreaux, Sr. and Forrest Pridgen. There were so many highlights in Mom's life, many of which may be overlooked here, but not intentionally! Her little sister, Sally, was born just shy of Mom's 15th birthday in 1946. What a blessing! Mom took her two oldest on their first airline trip in 1967. Mom found her Boudreaux siblings in Houston about 35 years ago, and finding them was wonderful for her. She had dear lifetime friendships with special friend Georgia Lawler Masteller, whose mother was a friend of Mom's grandmother when they lived in the Southland Addition as children, as well as Bebe Martin Combs and Helen Teague Aldrich, with whom Mom attended school from first grade through to high school graduation. Their friendship lasted for decades after their school years. Mom re-connected with Linda Musgnug Snider from her teaching days in Ohio and enjoyed Linda accompanying us in events when we visited Sidney, Ohio. Mom was "found" by another Sidney student, Janet Smith Hampton, after Janet had searched for her for over 40 years (their reunion was a joy to behold!). Mom was an optimist, and insisted that we focus on the positive, not the negative, when looking back on her life. She made life FUN for her children many, many times. We redeemed pop bottles to come up with enough money to have inexpensive adventures. Then, there were the free activities that Mom dreamt up and made them fun. When other children might have grumbled at going to museums, concerts, or plays, Mom's attitude about the adventure of these outings helped to make them educational and FUN. She was pleased when randomly, folks would stop by our table when we ate out on one of these cultural outings and commented about her well-behaved children. When Mom made the move to long-term care at TCCC, she embraced the change from independent living to make the best of the new life. She got up every morning and "plugged in" to Bible studies, Bingo, dominoes, and other activities with special friend, Jo Jennings. Mom proved one can make new friends throughout one's life. She and Jo were the dynamic duo! A special thanks to those who cared for Mom with love and friendship at Texhoma Christian Care Center (TCCC) and with Hospice of Wichita Falls. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in her name to Texhoma Christian Care Center, 300 Loop 11, Wichita Falls, TX 76306 or Hospice of Wichita Falls, 4909 Johnson Rd., Wichita Falls, TX 76310. It's hard to forget someone who gave us so much to remember.
A life well lived! Leah Gertrude Pridgen Wilson, age 86, died peacefully, on March 2, 2018 at Texhoma Christian Care Center. A celebration of her life will be at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, March 23, at Grace Church Chapel, 5214 Stonelake Dr., in Wichita Falls, with Pastor Reggie Coe, presiding. It was her desire that her body be willed to science at UT Southwestern. Leah G. Wilson was born November 10, 1931 in Corsicana, TX to Margaret Browne Boudreaux and Michael Alton Boudreaux, Sr. Her stepfather, Forrest B. Pridgen, became her father when he married Margaret in 1936 and made it official when her name was legally changed to Leah Gertrude Pridgen. Most of her life, she was known as Gertrude or "Trudy." Later, she chose to use her first name and thereafter was "Leah." Although Forrest Pridgen ("Pop" to the four Wilson kids) was not her birth father, he was a very important and influential part of Mom's life, loving her and encouraging her love of history and genealogy. Mom's maternal grandparents, Walter and Gertrude Browne, were not only her grandparents, but were another set of parents for many of her formative years. She attended Benjamin Franklin Elementary, Zundelowitz Jr. High School, and Wichita Falls High School. While at WFHS, she sang in Acapella Choir and played violin in the WFHS orchestra. She graduated in 1948 and received recognition from Louise Kelly for some of her writing. Ms. Kelly became her mentor through her college years, when she majored in English and history. Mom became a member of First Baptist Church (FBC) as a young child and had attended as long as she could remember with her family. She was involved in youth groups, including Senior Choir and Church Orchestra, as well as Bible Memory groups. She attended Baylor University in 1948 and 1949. She was very involved in music, drill team, a dorm devotional group, and Sunday morning missions. Just a while later she played with the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra. She attended Midwestern University (now Midwestern State University) from 1949-1952, when she majored in art and music. She worked at Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. as a long distance operator from 1951-1953. Mom married our father, Norman Wilson Sr., on December 13, 1953. During her early married years, Mom worked with teen girls at FBC as a Sunday School teacher and Youth Group Director. She was a long-time member of the Harmony Club Music Study and Performing Group and was president in the club's Silver Anniversary Year, 1960-1961. Mom re-entered Midwestern in the 1960s, persevering as a single mom to complete her education and graduated in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in English and history. During her MU years, she had poetry published in the MU Magazine, a real honor for her. Her teaching career began at Iowa Park High School (1965-1966); Sidney High School (Ohio) from 1966-1969; Training Institute of Central Ohio (Columbus) 1970-1976; was a Social Worker and Treatment Team Coordinator at Cuyahoga Hills Boys School (Cleveland) from 1976-1977; Dallas ISD from 1978-1980; and Electra ISD from 1980-1982. Mom was committed to furthering her education and persevered in her quest to complete a Masters Degree. She worked diligently on accumulating post-graduate hours between the years of 1967-1977 in the fields of psychology and counseling at Bowling Green State University (Ohio); Miami University (Ohio); University of Maryland, through which she wrote Child Studies; Xavier University (Cincinnati); and National Defense Education Act Institute/Earlham College (Richmond, Indiana). This interesting journey included one or more of her kids accompanying her to these campuses, keeping her company (and awake!) as she traveled and helping her prepare for tests by reading notes along the way. A particularly interesting summer was when she spent several weeks in Richmond, Indiana at Earlham College. She made arrangements for the two youngest to stay at home in Sidney with a trusted caregiver, sent her oldest boy to Texas to stay with our aunt, and her daughter accompanied her to Richmond. Following retirement from teaching, Mom was a child care worker at FBC and assistant to the director and pre-school teacher at The Learning Center, First Presbyterian Church. She was also a nanny-sitter until her second retirement in 2006. She continued to work part-time as a receptionist at Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services and receptionist at The Place, formerly the Young Women's Christian Association. One of Mom's favorite projects was genealogy. She worked on unearthing family history for 35 years, researching the Browne, Williams, Rosson, and Lewis families, and according to Mom, traced some of the lineage to the 1400s and 1500s. Parts of our family vacations included old cemeteries, courthouses, and Civil War sites. Because of her research, she was eligible to be a member of Daughters of the American Revolution, another honor. Mom's other favorite activities included Wichita Falls Symphony concerts and other recitals in Wichita Falls, participating in the First Baptist Church Intercessory Prayer Group, women's Bible studies, and mentoring singles. In later years, while attending Evangel Temple, she loved the Precious Pearls Women's Bible study. She loved being part of the WFHS reunion committees and one of the most fulfilling times was planning and participating in the 50th and 60th Reunions. Mom is survived by four children: Sara Wilson Gamble (Art); Norm Wilson, Jr. of McKinney; John Wilson and Thomas Wilson, Sr. of Wichita Falls; five grandchildren: Chad Gamble (Brenda) of Round Rock; Tech Sgt. Thomas Wilson, Jr. of Tinker AFB, OK; Quinn Wilson of Austin; Roman Wilson and Adam Wilson of Wichita Falls; five great-grandchildren: Mary, Brandon, Daine, Baylor, and Lilly-Grace Leah. She is survived by her sisters, Sally Harris (Zeek) of Austin; Marcine (Boudreaux) Guyon (Scott) of Katy; Eyvette (Boudreaux) Noack of Rosharon; and Michael Alton Boudreaux, Jr. (Candy) of Katy. She also had a precious niece, Holly Grabow Magazzino (Giovanni) of Sermoneta, Italy and special nephew, Gil Grabow of Alpine, with whom Mom had a wonderful bond. Leah was pre-deceased by her mother, Margaret Pridgen and her fathers, Michael Boudreaux, Sr. and Forrest Pridgen. There were so many highlights in Mom's life, many of which may be overlooked here, but not intentionally! Her little sister, Sally, was born just shy of Mom's 15th birthday in 1946. What a blessing! Mom took her two oldest on their first airline trip in 1967. Mom found her Boudreaux siblings in Houston about 35 years ago, and finding them was wonderful for her. She had dear lifetime friendships with special friend Georgia Lawler Masteller, whose mother was a friend of Mom's grandmother when they lived in the Southland Addition as children, as well as Bebe Martin Combs and Helen Teague Aldrich, with whom Mom attended school from first grade through to high school graduation. Their friendship lasted for decades after their school years. Mom re-connected with Linda Musgnug Snider from her teaching days in Ohio and enjoyed Linda accompanying us in events when we visited Sidney, Ohio. Mom was "found" by another Sidney student, Janet Smith Hampton, after Janet had searched for her for over 40 years (their reunion was a joy to behold!). Mom was an optimist, and insisted that we focus on the positive, not the negative, when looking back on her life. She made life FUN for her children many, many times. We redeemed pop bottles to come up with enough money to have inexpensive adventures. Then, there were the free activities that Mom dreamt up and made them fun. When other children might have grumbled at going to museums, concerts, or plays, Mom's attitude about the adventure of these outings helped to make them educational and FUN. She was pleased when randomly, folks would stop by our table when we ate out on one of these cultural outings and commented about her well-behaved children. When Mom made the move to long-term care at TCCC, she embraced the change from independent living to make the best of the new life. She got up every morning and "plugged in" to Bible studies, Bingo, dominoes, and other activities with special friend, Jo Jennings. Mom proved one can make new friends throughout one's life. She and Jo were the dynamic duo! A special thanks to those who cared for Mom with love and friendship at Texhoma Christian Care Center (TCCC) and with Hospice of Wichita Falls. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in her name to Texhoma Christian Care Center, 300 Loop 11, Wichita Falls, TX 76306 or Hospice of Wichita Falls, 4909 Johnson Rd., Wichita Falls, TX 76310. It's hard to forget someone who gave us so much to remember.
Family Members
Children
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
