Wilma D. Hope's Obituary
Wilma Dean Hope (October 8, 1929 – March 2, 2019) Wilma was born in Foss, Oklahoma to Archie and Mary (Sallee) Raimer. She lived and worked on a dairy farm with three sisters, Lavern, Betty and Carolyn, and a brother, David. She married Billy Joe Bennett in 1946 and they raised three sons, Billy Jodan, David Loye, and Michael Ray Bennett. In 1980 Wilma married Johnny Hope and was married to him until his death in 2004. Wilma was gregarious and spirited. She often said (referring to herself) that “dynamite comes in small packages.” She liked meeting new people and making new friends. She loved making people laugh and always had a funny story to tell. She poked fun at her family and friends and was often looking to banter with someone. She loved colloquialisms and used them often. • “I’m in great shape for the shape I’m in” • “I may not always be right, but I’m willing to be forgiven” • “whatever hits the fan won’t be distributed evenly” • “if you lie down with dogs- you will get up with fleas” • “those of you who think you know it all are very annoying to those of us who do” • “One good thing about stupidity…..you can be sure its genuine” • “Before you shoot your mouth off, be sure your brains are loaded” • “I will do anything you can get me to do” • Her favorite poem: “Be all you can, act like you are Shine like a glowworm if you can’t like a star Pull like a pully if you can’t like a crane, Work as a wheel greaser if you can’t drive the train.”Wilma was a fighter. She was a proud self-sufficient woman who did not easily ask for help. She was stubborn, determined, and never gave up. Growing up and working on a dairy farm, she learned a strong work ethic. She said, “I cut it, mowed it, raked it, bailed it, bucked it, fed it, milked it, bottled it, and drank a lot of it!”Wilma was preceded in death by her father, mother, brother, sister Lavern Rogers and son Michael. She is survived by her sons, Jodan and David Bennett, step-sons Phil and Steve Hope, step-daughter Melody Whitby, her sisters Betty and Carolyn, her grandchildren Jason, Caleb, Zachary, and Jacob Bennett, great grandchildren Addison, Hadley and Olivia Bennett and several nieces and nephews.A funeral service will be held Wednesday March 6, 2019 at Floral Haven 6500 South 129th East Avenue, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma at 12:30 p.m.
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