Tamza Elaine Black

Tamza Elaine Aultman Black commenced her Journey to Heaven on May 29, 1953, as the ninth child of Frank and Vinitta Perrin Aultman. She was blessed with six additional siblings as she was raised in a close and loving family in Tifton, Georgia. Her early travels and development through her journey where enhanced by her older siblings. Frank, Billy, Linda, Carolyn, Jayne, Marsha, Deborah and Roger as they assisted their mother in the raising of the younger children. An early relationship with Jesus Christ was encouraged through attendance at various Baptist Churches throughout the Tifton area.

Tamza was raised in Tifton attending school there, graduating from Tifton High School alongside her brother in 1971. During her teen years she also learned the importance of work as she was employed as a hostess at the local Shoney’s, where sister Carolyn also worked.

Tamza was later married to Fred Woodall and relocated to Jacksonville, Florida. While in Jacksonville, she attended Beauty School where she developed the skills to provide her needs and resources to become self-sufficient. Upon completion of Beauty School, Tamza accepted employment as a hair stylist at Ben and Kay’s Beauty Shop. Following a divorce from Woody, she met and later fell in love with her future husband, Gene Black. The couple was married on May 10, 1976, in Cleveland, Oklahoma. They established their home in Reston, Virginia and Tamza immediately accepted employment as a stylist in a prestigious salon in Georgetown, Washington D. C., Rose Raynor’s. She was blessed in with the birth of her son, Travis Gene Black on May 12, 1977, at the Bethesda Naval Hospital.

The couple moved to Barbados in 1978 where Tamza made many new lifelong friends. As the Commanding Officer was single, Tamza became the First Lady of NAVFAC Barbados with Gene as Executive Officer. She excelled in this roll, embracing the new responsibilities to assist spouses and sailors living abroad for the first time.

Upon the decommissioning of the Naval Facility, Tamza, Gene and Travis moved to Pensacola, Florida. After a short time there, Tamza and Travis returned to Tifton as Gene was assigned to USS Lexington in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Rekindling her relationship with family was extremely important to her as she returned to her roots.

In 1980, they moved to Cleveland, Oklahoma to assist in the operation of the Chapman-Black Funeral Home. For nearly a year, they resided in Edmond, Oklahoma where Tamza volunteered at a local nursing home providing haircare for the residents. They returned to Cleveland in 1981, and Tamza obtained her Oklahoma cosmetology license and opened her own salon, Styles by Tamza which she operated for nearly 15 years before helping to establish Chapman-Black Floral Designs as a florist and purchasing agent for the gift shop.

Traveling was an important part of her life as the couple traveled throughout the United States in their RV. She often reflected on favorite trips to Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Colorado, South Texas and the coast of California. She also enjoyed cruising with family and friends to exciting places like, Hawaii, Bermuda, Aruba, Panama Canal, and both the Northern and Southern Caribbean. Her favorite place to travel was Naples, Florida where they spent three winters and were anticipating many more before being diagnosed with lung cancer.

In 2010, the most significant event in her life occurred with the birth of her granddaughter, Kendra Elaine Black. The blessing of life changing for Tamza as she welcomed the challenge of assisting Travis and Kari in the raising of their beautiful daughter. They spent countless hours together from birth until present day. Tamza loved teaching Kendra to count, read, write and to enjoy life to the fullest. They were fortunate to take many trips together including the San Diego Zoo and National Zoo in Washington D. C., not to mention trips to Disney World, Universal, NASA in Houston, several cruises and other fantastic places along the way. Her love for Kendra was immeasurable and unconditional. A relatively recent trip to the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum was most rewarding.

Tamza loved her family and was also available to assist her mother, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews when ever the need arose. She was baptized at the First Baptist Church in Cleveland, Oklahoma in 1981 and her love of her savior, Jesus Christ was evident on a daily basis.

One of her other passions was her dogs. She loved them and was really close to her Great Danes, Thor and Sassy, as they could be seen sticking their head out her Suburban traveling down main street in Cleveland and everywhere she went. Upon the death of Sassy and later Thor, Tamza spent a few years without a dog companion but about four years ago fell in love with a Golden Doodle, Buddy.

Tamza passed from this life and entered into heaven on October 22, 2022, at the age of sixty-nine years, four months and twenty-three days. She was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers, Frank (Bim) Aultman and Lieutenant Commander William (Bill) Aultman, United States Navy Retired; four sisters, Sandra Aultman, Ilene Kent, Jayne Tripp and Linda Childers.

She is survived by her husband of forty-six years, Gene of the home; her son and his wife, Travis Gene and Kari Groves Black of Bixby, Oklahoma; two step-grandchildren, Ryan Fowler of Oklahoma City and Laci Lankford of Tahlequah, Oklahoma; granddaughter and mini-me, Kendra Elaine Black of Bixby, Oklahoma; three brothers, Roger Aultman of Tifton, Georgia, Terry Aultman of Jacksonville, Florida and Stanley Aultman of Quincy, Florida; and five beautiful sisters, Carolyn Holsenbeck of Tifton, Georgia, Marsha Aultman of Tifton, Georgia, Deborah Culpepper of Poulan, Georgia, Wanda Smith of Tifton, Georgia and Norma Aultman of Tifton, Georgia. A host of other relatives and friends to celebrate her arrival to heaven.

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