Katie J. Delp

Katie was born on August 18, 1921, in Weinert, Texas to David Franklin Nicholson and Flora Owretha Bledsoe. She was raised on a farm during the Great Depression and was the eldest of five children. In 1939, she graduated from Mattson High School.

After high school, Katie came to Los Angeles, California with her aunt and uncle to look for new opportunities. Once there, she found a job at American Screw Products where she met her life-long girlfriends. Having a talent for cooking, Grandma and her friends opened a restaurant together. It was at this restaurant that she met her husband, William Luther Delp, who was a frequent customer.

William and Katie married June 1, 1946 and raised their three children; Billy, Linda and Star in Baldwin Park, California. In 1978, William and Katie retired to Huntington, Arkansas near family and friends. Katie became a member of the Dayton Baptist Church which she called her second family. She diligently cared for her son, Billy Delp, who lost his battle with cancer in 1995. William and Katie were married for 58 years, until William’s passing in 2004.

In October of 2012, Katie reluctantly moved from Arkansas to California, to live with her daughters. We all know that Arkansas was where her heart was.

Katie never met a stranger. All were invited into her home and were made to feel a part of the family instantly. Katie was a caregiver, who loved to help anyone in need. She loved to bowl, play cards and Yahtzee and could put on a dinner spread for large numbers with very little notice. She was famous for her “biscuits and gravy” as well as “beans and cornbread”. She was the matriarch for her large family and was often called upon for opinions and advice by each of her children and grandchildren.

We all feel blessed to have had her in our lives for 92 years and know that her legacy will live on with her 2 daughters, 9 grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren, and 5 great-great, grandchildren, 2 brothers and 2 sisters.

Funeral service will be 3:00 pm Saturday, April 5 at Dayton Baptist Church with burial at Clarks Chapel Cemetery under the direction of McConnell Funeral Home of Greenwood.