Beulah Eileen Wright's Obituary
Beulah Eileen O’Dell Wright was born on November 26, 1924 in Cardin, Oklahoma. She died on August 24, 2015 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, attaining the age of 90 years, 8 months and 29 days. Beulah started her life in Cardin (in Ottawa County, just over the chat pile from Pitcher, Oklahoma. Her parents were Ray and Luella O’Dell. Her older brother was Dean. While she was little, the family lived in various locations, sometimes with her Grandmother O’Dell. The family ended up moving to Alfalfa County in northwest Oklahoma into the town of Cherokee. They moved into a small two-room house. After a few months, the family was able to find land northwest of Cherokee where they lived and worked as the property as tenant farmers. This place was known as “The Cox Place” even today. The land is in the middle of what is called “The Sand Hills” just north and east of Great Salt Plains. This is where the family settled down and took root. During her school years in Sand Hills, Beulah and Dean attended Locust Grove School. It was a one room schoolhouse for grades 1-8. Most days, Beulah and Dean walked 5 miles there and five miles back, in bad weather, they rode double on a horse. For High School, Beulah attended Byron High School, graduating in the spring of 1943. On Easter Sunday, 1942, Beulah and a group of girls took cookies and sweets to a detachment of Army Air Corps servicemen stationed on the edge of the Salt Plains. The men were there training as Flight Control Operators coordinating practice bombing runs in the Salt Plains. That Easter Sunday, Beulah met Walter Wright from Mississippi. He was stationed in Oklahoma City and his group would spend two weeks in Oklahoma City and two weeks in Salt Plains. Any free time Walter had from his training while at the Salt Plains, he spent with the O’Dells. He would assist with the farm work, help Beulah herd the turkeys and enjoy many home cooked meals. When training was complete, Walter went onto other stations, then overseas. After Beulah’s graduation, she went to onto Oklahoma City and got a job with the Douglas Aircraft factory. She was a Riveter on the fuselage section of DC-2s and DC-3s. For the duration of WWII, the friendship that started in Alfalfa County grew stronger and blossomed into a long distance romance by way of military V-Mail. Walter was honorably discharged from his military service in August 1945 and on September 17, 1945 he and Beulah were married in Cherokee, Oklahoma. They moved to Mississippi and started a family. Cheryl arrived September 15, 1946 and Ray came on board July 19, 1950. During the time in Mississippi, the family lived in Jackson, Brookhaven, Gulfport and Biloxi. In 1953, the Wright Family moved to Shawnee, Oklahoma. During this time, Beulah would take her children to Sunday school and sometimes stay for the worship service. Walter was working Sundays as club pro at the Country Club. He did attend evening services during the winter’s months. In October 1954, the pastor and his wife visited the home. It was during that visit that both Walter and Beulah felt the tugging of the Holy Spirit and surrendered their hearts and lives to God through His Son Jesus Christ. Their new births led to a home and church environment that helped their children recognize the conviction of the Holy Spirit; that were are sinners and that Jesus is our only hope. He, instead of us, died for our sins on the cross, resurrected from the grave and lives forever!!! With this example their daughter, Cheryl, accepted Christ at VBS in 1956. Walter and Cheryl’s search for a better livelihood took them from Shawnee to Lawton to Alva then to Springer, Ok. Through these moves, the family didn’t neglect to worship and study in God’s Word. About the time the family moved to Springer, their son, Ray, with Beulah’s council and guidance, accepted Jesus in the summer of 1959. In 1966, the family moved to Broken Arrow and joined South Lakewood Baptist Church. They fit right into the church and continued to grow in their faith with bible study and service in the church. Beulah was active in her Sunday school class, Ladies Auxiliary, Vacation Bible School, Nursery, AWANAS and anywhere else she was needed. As longs as she was able, Beulah was a strong link in the church’s prayer chain. Beulah was preceded in death by her parents, Ray and Luella O’Dell, her brother and sister in law, Dean and Lucille O’Dell and the love of her life, her husband, Walter. She is survived by her daughter and son in law, Cheryl and Mick Thurber, son and daughter in law, Ray and Vicky Wright, grandchildren, Laura Wright, John and Caysie Wright, Katy and Nate Geist, Erin Thurber, Sara Thurber, David Wright and Annie Thurber and her great grandchildren, Peyton and Kylie Geist as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Beulah was at times a “Martha”, a “Mary, a “Ruth” & a “Naomi”…however she is remembered, let it be said “He children shall rise up and call her blessed”. Graveside services will be 9:00 a.m. Friday, August 28, 2015, Floral Haven Memorial Gardens, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma with Memorial Services following at 11:00 am Friday, August 28, 2015 at the South Lakewood Baptist Church, 6108 E. 20th St., Tulsa, Oklahoma. Family will receive friends from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 27, 2015 at the Floral Haven Funeral home Chapel, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
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