A Wilson Family Tree

Notes for Ila Ruth Gathright


From http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Ila-Haralson&lc=4905&pid=185792017&mid=7445184:

Ila Ruth Haralson, 99 years old went to be with the Lord on Sunday, June 11, 2017, she was a long time resident of Lubbock, Texas. Ila was born in Foss, Oklahoma November 24, 1917 to Elmer and Rosie Gathright. Ila Gathright and James Wilton Haralson were wedded in Dill City, Oklahoma on November 19, 1939.

Ila loved her family and looked forward to having her family near her; raised her family on the farm in Morton, Texas. She loved to cook for her family and extended family loved to come to visit because of her cooking. Ila was good at any craft that she ever did; sewing, painting, etc. Ila loved the Lord and her church; always looked forward to Sundays and going to church.

Ila had a large family of 7 children and taught her children to love the Lord. Ila was preceded in death by her husband, J. W. Haralson; daughter, Wilta Haralson; two sons, Earl Haralson and David Haralson; 2 sons-in-law, Jim Muncy and James Sullivan; also preceded in death by her parents, Elmer and Rosie Gathright; sister, Audrey Wilson, and a brother Jesse Gathright.

Ila is survived by a son, Arlan and wife Betty Haralson; 3 daughters: Karin Sullivan, Cloie Muncy, Nelva and husband Rex Smith; daughter in law, Judy Haralson; 11 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren and 7 great- great -grandchildren; 2 brothers David and wife Wilma and Glen Gathright.

Ila was a long time member of Monterey Baptist Church. Memorials may be given to Monterey Baptist Church in her memory.

Pallbearers will be: Gary Durham, Dale Shaw, Sam Farris, George Jury, Steve Weir and Earnest Lykins.


Excerpts from "Conversations with Ila Haralson, Late 2014 to Mid 2015" by Betty Haralson:

[Asked about how J.W. proposed to her] Oh, I don’t remember. I think we went to a party over there about where the canyon is over yonder. We had a party there one night and we went outside and walked around and I think that’s when it was. The Sunday School class had a party, you know, kind of a picnic there where Silver Falls is or where it was as I don’t know if it is still there. I think we went out there and took a picnic supper or something, as well as I remember. Some of them went skating. They had a skating rink out there. I never had learned to skate so I didn’t skate much. Most of the skating I done was on the floor. (laugh) J.W. could skate real good. He’d skated when he lived over at Morton where they had a skatin’ rink. Me, I never had skated so he tried to help me skate. Mostly what I done was skate on the floor, fall on the floor.
. . .
Before I married J.W. we used to go to Mackenzie Park on Sundays. I loved to walk through Mackenzie Park. I think we went over there and took pictures. We’d go over there and look at the prairie dogs and then go to Mackenzie Park and walk through. That’s what I liked to do with J.W. before we got married.
. . .
As told to Carrie and Dee: We got to drink Tang sometimes. (Tang was first created in 1927) I had my first Coke after I grew up and left home.

We grew sorghum in Oklahoma. We took it to the mill where they made it into syrup to eat on bread. It was yummy.

We never had electricity until we moved to Morton.
. . .
But when we went to California, when Momma and Daddy decided to move to California, I had started to school. I think I was either 7 or going on 7. I just went to a little old country school. We had two rooms. It was about a mile or a little over a mile from where we lived. Of course, I walked to school. There wasn’t no getting in a car and driving to school in those days. I guess there weren’t no cars cause we didn’t have one and I didn’t know of anybody that did. But I guess it wasn’t too long then, cause I, uh, I was , I guess I was in second grade when Momma and Daddy decided to go to California. We had two schools out there and we walked to school. The schools were out in the country, they weren’t in town. They were out in the country. And, how you got to school? You walked. Wasn’t no riding to school.

I remember one time, we had a bunch of plum vines, plum bushes, whatever y’all call 'em, north of our house where we lived out there in the country. And you know how the wind can howl in the wintertime, just right out of the north. And it was so cold and I wanted Daddy to take me to school. Well, that wasn’t nothing doing for him. He wouldn’t do it. So, I started off over to the school and the wind was out of the north and we had that line of plum bushes out there north of the house. I decided it was too cold to walk to school. I went out on the south side of that plum thicket and it was, uh, I guess it must have been between our house and the road. Well, I got out there and decided it was too fast and cold so I just go over behind the plum bushes and proceeded to stay out. I probably was bawling but I decided to stay at home that day because I wanted Daddy to hitch up the wagon and take me to school and he wouldn’t do that. I decided, no I ain’t going to school so I got out there in that plum thicket. (Laughing as she tells it) I was probably just bawlin’ like crazy, anyway, when he got through, uh, when he found out, when he got through with me, yeah, I was bawlin’. But I agreed to go to school and I still had to walk. I guess I was really late cause no telling how long I bawled out there. I don’t know what I thought, I should have known my Daddy enough to know he wasn’t gonna hitch up that wagon to let me have a ride to school. I don’t know how, umm, it must’ve been over a mile to over there at that school. Our house wasn’t on the road but was on the road that went east and west. And so….I had to walk. Nobody but me to go with or anything. I was just a little old six year old. I don’t know it I was six years old or not because I started to school when I was five, so I might have been only five. I just did not want to walk to school in that storm or whatever it was. It wasn’t a storm, it was just cold like we had down there.

Note: Some of the information in these pages is uncertain. Please let me know of errors or omissions using the email link above.    ...Mike Wilson
Page generated on 14 September 2024