Wilma C. Easley

Wilma C. Easley, age 95, of La Grande, passed away on June 9, 2007 at her home. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, June 14, 2007 at 2:00 p.m. at the First Christian Church in La Grande. Private burial will be at the Hillcrest Cemetery. Arrangements are entrusted to Daniels Chapel of the Valley.

Wilma was born on February 29, 1912 in Courtland, Kansas to Kenneth C. and Zelma Young Thomas. She was a leap year baby, also known as a "Jolly Skipper". The first year of most centuries doesn't have 366 days. The exceptions are those divisible by four. Thus in the year 2000 she and all the other leap-year babies became the first in 400 years to celebrate a birthday in a century year. She was the oldest of nine children and grew up on a wheat farm in Western Kansas. She attended school in Menlo, Kansas and graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder in 1933. Wilma taught school in Menlo, Kansas and Cortez, Colorado until her marriage on July 6, 1940 to Carlos E. Easely. In 1943 they moved to La Grande where they have resided for over 60 years and were married just shy of 67 years.

Wilma was a homemaker and an active community volunteer in addition to her teaching years. She was secretary at the La Grande Senior High School in the early 1950's and taught Latin and Math there until retiring in 1966. Her community activities included being a member of the La Grande First Christian Church, where she was a church Deaconess, a Sunday School teacher and the church Financial Secretary. She was a lifetime member of P.T.A., was a scout leader and served on the Elections Board and helped pass special budgets for schools and the city. She was also a member of Delta Kappa Gamma teacher's sorority, the Retired Educators, Chapter I of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), the E.O.U. Faculty Wives organization, a special friendship group of "42" players, as well as being a Hospice Volunteer and past member of the Library Board.

Wilma and her husband, Carlos helped many college students and families get a start in life over the years. Her personal interests included gardening, knitting, baking, reading, volunteering and dominoes, but most of all being wife and mother.

Survivors include her husband, Carlos of La Grande; children and their spouses, Elizabeth and Elburn Cooper and Carol and Richard Haddock, all of La Grande and Tom and Mona Easley of Corvallis; grandchildren, Christine (Haddock) and Dan Harpel of Ft. Collins, Colorado, Chad and Christy Haddock of Sherwood, Oregon, Elissa (Easley) and Matt Wells of Myrtle Point, Oregon and Dara (Easley) and Tom Jones of Albuquerque, New Mexico; great grandchildren, Austin and Ashley Haddock of Sherwood; siblings, Elvera Curless of Concord, California, Kenneth and Juanita Thomas of Clinton, Oklahoma, June Claar of Wichita, Kansas and Beulah and Dalton Mimms of Hereford, Texas; sisters-in-law, Marge Bennett of Reno, Nevada and Ruby Heflin of 29 Palms, California; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, siblings, Galen Thomas and Marvin Thomas, Doris Hardman and Ruth Davis.

Memorials may be made in Wilma's memory to the First Christian Church Memorial Fund, Oregon State P.E.O. Sisterhood Charitable Trust, La Grande Public Library, or GRH Hospice in care of Daniels Chapel of the Valley, 1502 7th Street, La Grande, Oregon 97850. Please visit a shut-in in her memory.