Elizabeth L. Wilkerson

Elizabeth "Betty" Lynn Wilkerson passed away July 14 at Hillcrest Hospital in Tulsa, Okla. at the age of 65 years.

She was born March 29, 1943 in San Antonio, Texas, the daughter of C. C. "Mac" and Geneva D. (Fuzzell) McCutchen. She was raised and attended schools in Norman, Okla., Bartlesville, Okla., Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Okla. where she graduated from high school before attending Northeastern Oklahoma State University in Tahlequah, Okla.

She was married to Leroy Wilkerson on May 29, 1964 in Tulsa. To this union were born three daughters, Stephanie, Melanie and Natalie. Their early married life was spent in Tulsa, Okla., St. Paul, Minn., Pensacola, Fla., Santa Ana, Calif., and Jacksonville, N. C. before moving to Cleveland in 1970 following her husband's discharge from the U.S. Marine Corps.

Betty was employed for a number of years but spent most of her "working life" raising a family because she was firm in the conviction that her greatest contribution would be in taking care of her children and grandchildren. She truly devoted her life to her family, doing everything within her power to meet their needs and provide comfort, encouragement and support. She was a devoted mother to her daughters, and grandchildren as well as many of their friends and classmates who frequently referred to her as "Nan".

Friends and family members marvelled at her ability to put the needs of others ahead of her own. Her home was always open to friends and members of her family and she frequently hosted gatherings to celebrate special events in the lives of others. In spite of her degenerating health in recent years, she spent a great deal of time tending to the needs of her mother and mother-in-law as they both went through the rigors of aging as well as the needs of her three daughters and their respective families.

She was a gifted artisan and spent many years producing beautiful tole paintings as well as decorative fabric and woodcrafts which she marketed through retail shops and at numerous art and craft shows in Oklahoma and other states, including the popular craft shows in May and October each year at War Eagle, Ark. To assist in those endeavors, she "recruited" her daughters, mother, husband, and numerous friends and relatives using her "friendly" powers of persuasion.

Betty enjoyed traveling across the country with her husband in their motorhome and was able to spend time and enjoy many scenic wonders in every state except Alaska. Failing health during the past several years made those travels more difficult but she found the means to make each trip an enjoyable and memorable experience for herself and everyone around her.

She was preceded in death by her father in 1984 and by her mother six weeks ago to the day. She is survived by her husband of 44 years, Leroy Wilkerson of the home in Cleveland; a brother, Walt and Dena McCutchen of Lexington, S. C.; three daughters, Stephanie and Arlie Lucente of Cleveland, Melanie and Mark Allen of Tulsa, Natalie Stewart and Keith McCaslin of Cleveland; five grandchildren, Courtnie Comfort of Cleveland, Kalob Stewart of Yukon, Okla., Paige Stewart of Cleveland, Malorie and Mason Allen of Tulsa; and one great-grandson, Trenton Scott Rigsby of Cleveland.

Other survivors include her mother-in-law, Vera Wilkerson of Cleveland; a sister-in-law, Donna Beard of Naples, Fla.; three brothers-in-law, Larry & Diana Wilkerson of Sand Springs, Okla., Ron and Marsha Wilkerson of Jenks, Okla., and Rick Wilkerson and fiance, Kimberlie Nelson, of Tulsa in addition to numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and a host of extended family and friends.

Memorial services will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, July 19 at the Westport Baptist Church. Interment will be in Woodland Cemetery under direction of the Chapman-Black Funeral Home.