Billie Ann Wharton

Born on Christmas in 1937, Billie Ann Wharton passed away on December 8, 2019. She married Dennis Wharton her husband of 60 years during which time they raised five children and for several years parented a couple grandchildren. She is survived by her brother Bob Chapman, daughter Kevin Ostrander; 15 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren. Billie Ann's parents were not well off. As a youth they lived in a very small "shotgun" house in Berryhill. She shared a room with her brother. The house had no running water or inside facilities. There was an outhouse which she remembered as bitter cold during winter and rancid in the summer. Bathing required drawing water from a well, heat it on a small gas stove; then fill a large round laundry tub within which to bathe. She recalls that many times her father, a rather large man would bathe first and she last. They later moved into a small apartment across the street from the now long-gone Coliseum in downtown Tulsa where they felt blessed to have a closet large enough to serve as second bedroom and access to the necessary facilities and utilities. After a year or so they moved again. This time to a larger upstairs apartment behind Cain's Ballroom. She would sometimes comment that she could still hear music of Bob Wills resonating into her bedroom, and sometimes a ruckus beneath her window as the drunks rolled out at closing time. The family was finally able to afford to rent a two bedroom house in West Tulsa. It had a stairwell to an attic she converted into her own bedroom and shared with her dog "phoebe". Behind the house were Frisco Railroad tracks along which slow moving freight trains passed. Many times, she would "hop" onto the side of a flat car for transport to her best friend's house a half-mile down line. She married Calvin Bain in 1957 and was three months pregnant when he died the following year. Billie Ann was very sharp witted and would not hesitate one second to put anyone in their place if out of line, including her husband. But she was also very kind and compassionate. More than a few times she would go to Walmart to look for a shopper with small children who appeared to be financially struggling. If the cart contained cereals and real food rather than junk stuff, she would follow the person to check out and pay their tab. It was her way to Pay-it-Forward. With a knack for landscaping and love of creating a beautiful yard she would put together the most outstanding in the neighborhood. Her creativity and excellent taste also extended into the furnishings and decor within the house. She once found a baby squirrel that had fallen from a tree in the front yard. It was brought into the house, warmed and fed until it matured, then released into the back yard. To her shock and glee that squirrel would occasionally scratch the screen door wanting to come in. When opened it would race to the kitchen counter, leap up and be fed. That incident led her to obtain a wildlife rescue permit for baby squirrels. Over the next decade or so she took in a total of fifty-five, of which only four didn't make it to maturity. She has been a wonderful, caring and passionate wife to her husband and will be very much missed. Each afternoon over the past several years she has prayed the Catholic 3 o'clock devotional in remembrance of Jesus and the time of day it is believed he died on the cross. She is now in his presence. She asked in lieu of flowers, go to Walmart and Pay-it-Forward. Moore's Rosewood Chapel 918-744-1202

Billie Ann Wharton

December 25, 1937 - December 8, 2019