Clyde Nelson Emigh departed peacefully from this life on December 31st after celebrating his 98th birthday just days prior. He leaves behind his wife of 76 years, six children, and a host of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Clyde was born on December 29, 1925 to Frank Allen Emigh and Jessie (McKinney) Emigh. He was the eldest of three siblings.
After graduating from Tulsa Central High School in 1944, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and graduated from the AAF aircraft radio mechanics school in Madison, Wisconsin. He was a radar operator in Seoul, South Korea before being honorably discharged in 1946 as a Private.
He met his longtime sweetheart, Eula Mae (Walker) on a blind double-date at Chandler Park in 1947 and the two were wed just two months later on July 5 in a backyard ceremony with only four family members present. He proudly adopted Eula's daughter, Nina.
The couple continued to add to their family with the births of Clyde Allen, David, Janet, Brenda, Ralph, and Teresa.
The Emighs briefly lived in Oklahoma City and Coffeyville before settling down in the same West Tulsa home that they lived in for the final fifty-plus years of Clyde's life on Earth.
Clyde was a good father, raising his family in a Christian household, and always stressed the importance of church. He loved his kids and always made it known how proud he was of them.
He was a hard worker, evidenced by his immaculately maintained lawn that he mowed by himself well into his 90s.
He was passionate about nature, particularly birds, and enjoyed reading his National Geographic collection. He was a beekeeper for many years, built birdhouses for martins, and once made the paper for catching 68 crappie with a pair of friends at Lake Tenkiller.
He raised pecan trees in his final home, grafting and planting several in his backyard orchard. He was always picking them and cracking them by the thousand to eat, sell, and cook with.
He loved taking his children on road trips in the family station wagon and was a big sports fan, pitching for the Carter Oil and Home Garden Assembly softball teams. He was also a master smoker of meats.
Clyde was a supervisor at Carter Oil for 20 years and worked in sales at Tulsa Camera Record for 20 years before retiring in 1991. In his retirement years he became an avid researcher of his family genealogy.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, George, his son, David, and many good dogs over the years.
He is survived by his wife Eula Emigh of Tulsa; little sister Emily Timmons of Arizona; daughter Nina Lewis of Port Orange, Florida; son Clyde Emigh and Dorothy Stice of Tulsa; daughter Janet and George Alphin of Pocahontas, Arkansas; daughter Brenda and Donnie Odle of Sand Springs; son Ralph Emigh and Dianne Culleton of Nowata; and daughter Teresa and Thad Marcum of McAlester, as well as 16 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
The funeral service will be held at Moore Funeral Home at 1403 S. Peoria, Tulsa, Friday at 1:00 p.m., followed by a short graveside service at Ridge Lawn Cemetery in Collinsville. Rev. Faron Kelly will be officiating.