Evelyn Jean Hammond-Willingham

Evelyn Jean Hammond-Willingham Longtime Seminole City Leader Evelyn Willingham passed away Saturday after a brief hospital stay. She was very active in the community and had a great passion for making Seminole a better place to live. Evelyn was involved with many organizations in her life including Seminole Girls Softball, the Chamber of Commerce, the Arts Council of Seminole, various civic organizations, the Seminole City Council and most recently, the Oklahoma Oil Museum. Evelyn was born September 26, 1942, to Woodrow and Lorene (Love) Fite in Binger, Oklahoma. She grew up in Bakersfield, California and Paden, Oklahoma. Shortly after moving to Seminole with her family, Evelyn co-founded Sooner Chemical Corporation and helped build it into one of the larger petrochemical companies in the southwest. Sooner Chemical sold to Philadelphia Quartz in 1981 and Evelyn then started Sooner Chem Liners. She later decided to leave the oilfield and opened Let’s Sew on Milt Phillips in Seminole. While there, Evelyn began selling radio advertising for KWSH of Wewoka. Evelyn was a tireless worker and was very successful in all of her ventures. Later in life, Evelyn focused her energies on giving back to the community of Seminole. She very much enjoyed being a city council member and returned to the oilfied as the director of the Oil Museum. She was involved sinceoilfieldception of the Oil Museum and is largely responsible for making it what it is today. One of Evelyn’s favorite hobbies was gardening. She proudly gave most of her harvest away to friends and family. Evelyn also loved to sew, knit and needlepoint. She was a member of Beta Sigma Phi sorority, a Seminole Rotary Club officer, Seminole Kiwanis, the Red Hat Society, and the Maple Grove “ Strothers Chapel Restoration Committee”. Evelyn leaves behind to cherish her memory, husband Billy Jack of the home, sons and daughters-in-law, Bobby and Debbie Hammond of Shawnee, Chris and Kristi Hammond of Seminole, Rick and Melissa Willingham of Yukon, daughter Kathy Carter of Shawnee, daughter and son-in-law Cynthia and Jerry Little of Choctaw; Eight grandchildren, Candy Lozier, Tanner Wallace, Greg Little, Chris Little, Laura Little, Karli Hammond, Cade Hammond, Justin Willingham and Jaycee Willingham. Evelyn also had two great-grandchildren Cadence and Bailey Wallace. Also surviving Evelyn are a brother and sister-in-law, Richard and Wilma Fite of Paden, Oklahoma, brother and sister-in-law Steven and Marie Fite of Poteau, Oklahoma and sister Ellen White of Shawnee and many nieces and nephews. Evelyn had some very special friends whom she considered as sisters; Pat Howard of Midwest City, Gail Swindell of Oklahoma City and Joan John of Omaha, Nebraska.   Eveyln is preceded in death by her parents and one son-in-law Ric Carter. A special thanks to Joshua and Nathan Shirley who were two special neighbors who helped Evelyn with yard work and with many things around the house. Funeral Services will be 1:00 P.M., Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at the First United Methodist Church with Bill Wantland officiating. Burial will follow at Maple Grove Cemetery. Casket bearers will be Matt Lozier, Chris Little, Greg Little, Bryan Shirley, Joshua Shirley and the sixth bearer will be absent in memory of her close friend Dan Wallace. Honorary bearers will be Jim Morgan, Thad Ashcraft, Steve Nelson, Tim Poplin, Chuck Chadick, Mike Dundee, Steve Saxon, John Griffin, D.D. Patterson, Kenny Pryor and Stu Phillips. The family request Memorial Donations be made to the Oklahoma Oil Museum. Funeral Information: July 14, 2010, 1:00 PM First United Methodist Church located at 910 W. Wrangler Blvd., Seminole, OK 74868