Emilia Yvonne Johnson

Emilia Yvonne LeFevre Johnson She is a daughter of Oklahoma, hailing from Bartlesville oil country. This is Emilia’s story. 5:15 pm, she would arrive home from work (Somers Insurance, Lindsay); have supper on the table by 5:30 pm as we watched Walter Chronkite. At 6 pm, the dishes were in the dishwasher and she was sitting down at her sewing machine working on the next project. How did she do that soooooooo fast?? The woman had a motor, for sure. Then the Carol Burnett Show would come on and things would stop as we all laughed out loud, sometimes to tears. She enjoyed canning from the garden. All sorts of pickles, beets and green beans. Inside each jar of green beans, she added a tiny bit of bacon grease for flavor………no wonder! She made the most awesome beans and cornbread. Sunday pot roast was a tradition held well into the second generation. She could talk for what seemed like hours to her buddy, Sally Huey. She simply loved being around her friends, very social. Band parents, school teachers and church friends were her circle. She would probably LOVE facebook! Emilia really loved the band; all the contests to travel to, football games’ halftimes were her enjoyment (more than the game). So, she was especially proud when the Maysville Warrior Band marched at OU games. The parades, marching contests, concert contests……..didn’t matter, she enjoyed them all. She wasn’t sure if JFK should be president (after all, he was Catholic); but, “boy, is he a good looking president or what?” I can still hear her say. She left work early when he was shot and cried the rest of the day, we all did. The next day, she bought a new pair of shoes. When Fred joined the Navy, she cried a lot….after all, it was the height of the Viet Nam War; Chronkite reminded us each day of that drama. She didn’t like or understand when change was affected by outside forces, not her doing. The day Wally and her took Fred to OKC for the sendoff, she cried all the drive home. The next day, she bought a new pair of shoes. Emilia managed the family budget; she always said, “we might not have a lot of money, but we will always have bacon.” So, somehow we always went on a traveling (camping, actually) vacation. She loved seeing the national parks, coast to coast. She made room for those trips. In fact, going to the lake in the summer months was a highlight; almost always with other Maysville campers….especially the Tevebaugh’s. Plus, we always had guests: John Gossett, Rodger Robinson, Chester Wohl, the Polk’s from Norman, etc. These activities included campfire cooking, fishing, lots of sailing…….and at night, the deadly game of cards or dominoes. I can still hear her delightful laugh during those table games while I lie on my cot “sleeping”. She poured herself into the weddings of her sons. When “that” divorce happened, she was heartbroken, and “mad”. She had a difficult time getting through it; making the subsequent weddings “tense” for her. Again, she didn’t like “change” coming from outside sources. But, the grandsons (from both Fred and Steve) helped that transition…… she was able to find delight in the new generation. Again, making things for them…….always so excited to have them at her home for a while, or on a camping trip at some lake. After each wedding, while reflecting on the life-change, she would drive to Norman and buy a new pair of shoes. Emilia met Wally at a sponsored dance for the military “boys”. The subsequent wedding and military-life took them to Dyersburg, Tennessee. She worked as an admin in one of the war departments on base; while Wally instructed B17 pilots about the new instruments for night flying. After the war, they moved to a tiny apartment on “North Base” in Norman so that Wally could attend OU. Later, it was oil. First onto the drilling rigs down in Texas; finally finding their way to the Maysville Warren Petroleum Plant. Hence, the young family settled in for a rich life together, and the occasional new pair of shoes. Emilia is survived by her husband, Wally. Married for more than 70 years, she did not want him out of her sight, to the last day. Her younger brother, Byron, lives in Georgia. And, their younger sister, Marilynn, lives in South Carolina. Two sons: Fred & Marilyn; and, Steve & Joy. 5 grandsons and 3 great grandchildren. Emilia passed away on Monday night, November 7. Peacefully. I bet she is enjoying her new pair of shoes. Private family services will be held at a later date.