Wilma Aberta Bickford

BICKFORD, STEPHENS, ISETT, MOLLE, MATTHEWS, GRIFFITH, SKELLEY, MADDUX, HJERLEID, JURGILL, IVES, KUTKOMP, MCCULLEY, STINEMAN, PETERSON

Posted By: Connie Street, volunteer (email)
Date: 9/11/2003 at 02:14:31

June 6, 2002, newspaper unknown

Wilma Aberta Bickford

Wilma Aberta Bickford, 85, formerly of Wapello, died Sunday afternoon, June 2, 2002, at the Prairie Ridge Care and Rehab at Mediapolis, Iowa. The daughter of Sidney T. and Adah J. Stephens Isett, she was born March 16, 1917 in Wapello. She married Lyle H. Bickford on September 28, 1937 at Saint Louis, Missouri.

She graduated from Wapello High school in 1936.

Wilma was a homemaker and had worked at the Hedges Drugstore and also at Stella's Smart Shop, both in Wapello.

She is survived by her husband, Lyle of Wapello; two daughters, JoEllen Molle of Wapello and Kay and Richard Matthews of Wapello; three grandsons, Jeff and Tish Molle, Luke Molle, and Mason Matthews, all of Wapello; a nephew Richard Isett of Salem, Illinois, two nieces, Barb Griffith of Yarmouth, Iowa and Grace Skelley of Bluffton, South Carolina.

She was preceded in death by her parents; a granddaughter, Monica Kay Matthews; a sister, Harriet Maddux; and three brothers, Joe Isett, Gene Isett and Ewing Isett.

The funeral service for Wilma Bickford will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, June 6 at the Dudgeon-McCulley Funeral Home at Wapello with the Reverend Kenneth Frans officiating. Burial will follow at the Wapello Cemetery. Music will be provided by Phyllis McCulley, organist, and Korkee Carruthers, vocalist, singing "How Great Thou Art" and "Just a Closer Walk With Thee." A recorded selection of "Snowbird" by Ann Murray will be included. The pallbearers will be Jeff Molle, Luke Molle, Mason Matthews, Richard Isett, Dennis Molle, Gavin Hjerleid, Ed Jurgill, and Larry Bickford. Honorary bearers will be Bill Ives, John Kutkomp, Raymond McCulley, Delno Stineman and Fred Peterson. Flower attendants will be Phyllis McCulley and Julie Hjerleid. Honored caretakers are the staff at Prairie Ridge Care and Rehab at Mediapolis.

Wilma loved birthdays or simply reasons to celebrate. She was a loving, giving, and caring person. Her family came first and yet her daughters became second as the grandsons took over first place. She loved the sporting events to cheer on her grandsons or simply to cheer the home team or participants. She also enjoyed dancing, growing roses, bike riding, swimming, gardening, cooking, baking, boating, and camping. She had belonged to a sewing club and a card club. She was a Life Member of the D. A. V. auxiliary at Burlington and had been a member of the VFW Auxiliary at Wapello. She had also been a member of the Merry Makers Club at Wapello.

Visitation was Wednesday at the funeral home where the family met with friends in the evening.

A Memorial Fund has been established for the benefit of the Wapello Volunteer Fire Department, the Wapello Rescue Unit and the Wapello Community Ambulance Service.

(I am not related to this person.)