Dorothy Lee Wightman, 89, of Panama,
Oklahoma, left this earth
to be with her savior on November 15, 2013. She passed very peacefully at her
daughter’s home surrounded by loving family, her private nurse Heidi and her
Hospice caregiver in Polson,
Montana.
Dorothy was born at home in Milford, Texas
on June 19, 1924 to Mary Lee and Oather Ray Farmer, the oldest of 5 girls. The Farmers were actual farmers and she knew
the business end of a cotton sack from an early age. When she talked about picking cotton, she
admitted to hiding behind her partially full cotton sack and using it as a
backrest when she was tired of picking.
When asked about her favorite childhood memory, she talked about galloping
horse rides with her father. She
graduated from Keller
High School in Keller, Texas
and married James Strickland. They had
two daughters, Nelmalee and Julia. She
then married Harold Keller and relocated to Perryton, Texas. They had five children: Danny, Burl, Vickie,
Curtis & Rebecca. She relocated to
Liberal, Kansas
in 1959. Finally, she met and married
the love of her life, Bart Wightman whom she got to be with for 25 wonderful
years. Bart had one son, Bill Wightman,
who was welcomed into the family. In the
late 1970’s, she and Bart retired from the Post Office and moved to Panama
Oklahoma where they lived their lives together serving the Lord at Poteau
Valley Baptist, fishing, boating and visiting
with all their children, grandchildren, great-grands and great-great-grands. Bart went to be with the Lord in 1993.
Dorothy was a fiercely loving Mother and her children meant the
world to her. She was hardworking woman
and a tireless servant for her church.
She could always be counted on to clean for services, cook for church
suppers, work the bus routes, weekly visitations, etc. Her church family was very important to her
and she attended 3 or more services every week.
In her spare time she enjoyed gardening, cooking, sewing and remodeling
projects.
Dorothy was preceded in
death by her sister, Flossie Burns; half-sisters, Juno Farmer Hall & Fairy Nell Farmer Turner; half-brothers, Wendall Farmer & Earl Dean Farmer; her granddaughter, Pepper Dawn Keller;
Grandson, Chad Daniel Keller and great-grandson, Jared
Clifton Plunk.
She is survived by three sisters;
Modell (and Hugh) McKay of Ft. Worth, TX; Ruth Bussell of Hico, TX and
Rosemary (and Eddie) Teague of Ft. Worth, Texas. Her children: Nelmalee
Plunk of Oklahoma City, OK; Julia (and Gail) Flowers of
Independence, KS; Danny (and Dianna) Keller of Lawrence, KS; Burl (and
Jan) Keller of Turpin, OK; Vickie (and Dana) Hemphill of Bigfork, MT; Curtis
(and Carol) Keller of Ft. Smith Arkansas; Rebecca (and Milton) Nickel of
Polson, MT and Bill (and Marilyn) Wightman of Gilmer, TX; She leaves 14 grandchildren, 30 great
grandchildren and 9 great-great grandchildren.
(at last count)
A public viewing is scheduled at Evans
Miller Funeral Home in Poteau on November 27th from 6:00 to 8:00
p.m.
Funeral Services will be held on Friday
November 29, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. at Poteau
Valley Baptist
Church with services by
Reverend Jim Parsley. Burial to follow
at the Fairview Cemetery, Panama, Oklahoma where she will be laid to rest beside her
beloved husband, James Barton Wightman.
