William Glenn Lincoln

William Glenn Lincoln was born October 30, 1922, the fourth of eight children of James and Marsha (Carter) Lincoln. The Lincolns raised alfalfa, corn, sweet potatoes and watermelons on a 165-acre homestead staked by Williamís grandfather, Thomas E. Lincoln during the 1983 Cherokee Land Run. The land provided, even during the Great Depression, for his family. Bill often said that they had plenty to eat of those years in the depression. But being full of energy and dreams and with little or no money and even less to do, he ran away from the family farm to join the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) at the age of fifteen. He signed on with the CCC Program in Pawnee in 1937, joining thousands of other Americans in camps designed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt to provide employment, shelter and food to Americans who wanted to work and couldnít find it. Bill wound up in Tuolumne, California where he waged war on gooseberries that were choking the trees in the Stanislaus Forest. Most workers earned $22 a month, keeping $8 and sending the balance home. Bill considered himself lucky as he earned $45 a month as a project assistant and leader. He later worked in camps in Sunbeam and Grand Junction, Colorado building irrigation canals which are still operating today. Bill returned to Oklahoma and went to work at Sheffield Steel making 46 cents an hour. He was married to Edna Sue Honeycut of December 28, 1942, returning home from his honeymoon he says to ìthe only letter FDR ever sent me,î a draft notice. Bill and his three brothers all served during World War II. Bill served in the United States Army at Fort Ord, California and came through the war years unscathed. After his honorable discharge from the military in 1946, Bill returned to Sheffield, where he put in eighteen years before becoming a union representative for the United Steel Workerís Union. Bill traveled the country for the union, becoming the head of the Kansas City office and serving at one time as the head of the Sand Springs Local. He retired to the family homestead at the age of fifty-eight. His leisure years were interrupted by the 1984 Mannford tornado which took house, barn and garage while he and his wife took cover in their storm cellar. A man full of memories and stories, Bill was never at a loss for words except when he lost the love of his life, Edna on July 15, 2002. He would make the drive nearly every day to Sinnet Cemetery near old Keystone across the Cimarron River from his homestead to have lunch at her graveside. He often recalled the times of his youth like when a band played at an Old Mannford Community gathering in 1936. He said he knew he was hearing something special. The great sound that day turned out to be Bob Willis and the Texas Playboys early on in the bandís career. Geography and history always fascinated him and he gave the credit to a great teacher, Zola Bellis Sample. ìI learned more in that year than I ever did,î he said of the time he spent in Mrs. Sampleís Class. He remembered his teacher riding a horse to teach at his school and how she was always willing to stay after school to help her students. Bill was a member of the Lionís Club in Mannford and a longtime member of the Mannford Masonic Lodge. He often recalled his father telling him, ìif youíre going to sell the homestead, sell it to somebody within the family.î Bill and his siblings have been true to their fatherís wishes. He still retains 135 of the original 165 acre homestead, the lost 25 acres designated as a flood plan when Lake Keystone was built. On Sunday, October 3, 2010 the life of the adventurous boy who took off for California went full circle as Bill passed away peacefully near the homestead his parents and grandparents loved so dearly. Bill is survived by his brother, Charles Lincoln of Meeker, Oklahoma; two sisters, Shirlee and her husband Ray Ostensen of Tulsa, Oklahoma and Beverly Storts of Mannford, Oklahoma; numerous nieces and nephews and other friends and family that mourn his passing. In addition to his wife, Edna Sue, Bill was preceded in death by his parents and four other siblings.