Orpha Pauline Cecil

Orpha’s life began September 4th, 1917 with parents John W. Cecil and Aura L. Bailey Cecil in Calumet about 12 miles southwest of El Reno, Oklahoma. Family moved to Weatherford, Oklahoma when she was 2 1/2 and then to Hydro, Oklahoma when 5 1/2. She graduated from Hydro High School in 1935 and College at Southwestern State in Weatherford in 1939 with majors in education and accounting. Orpha taught at Hopewell School northwest of Hydro from 1939 to 1941 when she moved to Oklahoma City with mother and sister. She attended business school and also became skilled on the comptometer. Her work history as bookkeeper, credit, and collections specialist began in 1942 with National Biscuit Company for 9 years (some in Kansas), Eastman Kodak for 25 years, Anesthesia Scheduling until she retired. Orpha was active in volunteer work, church, Portland Ave senior center, various clubs, organizations. She was a member of May Avenue United Methodist Church. Orpha enjoyed crocheting and ceramics. Orpha felt a great loss when Nola Dean Cheney, her friend of over 60 years passed. Surviving cousins are Sue Ann Funkhouser, Bobby McCann, Harry Stiers and a host of others to many to name. At 97, Orpha moved to Texas with Kathy Emanuel Davis, niece and Ed Bailey. Quoting Orpha: “You want to go, just tell me when and I’ll be ready” or “When somebody wants to go somewhere I ask ‘What time? Do you want me to be downstairs’?”. Hallmark Hospice provided support early while Orpha continued going to eat, movies, plays, holiday events, and even traveling to Arizona in March 2016 to visit her sister Roberta Emanuel Pradeau and Al. She was active in Wayne Johnson Senior Center in Texas and was a volunteer with Catholic Charities Senior Services, honorary member of the Saltwater Garden Club and Third Friday Dinner Club in Bayou Vista, Texas. At her 99th birthday open house, new friends were served on ceramic leaf plates and cups that Orpha had made. She was discovered laughing which was rare, accepting gifts, and talking about this event for the last 2 weeks of her awesome life. Kathy was honored to be at the bedside playing her flute as Orpha passed at 12:06am September 17, 2016.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to: American Macular Degeneration Foundation 1-888-622-8527 or online under To Orpha Cecil.

A woman of great tact, intelligence, and experience.

You have encouraged me to:

Overlook people’s quirk,

Allow in situations, no smirk

Mingle at play and at work

Handle financial dirt,

Consider more than a causal flirt,

Enjoy life’s given dessert,

And when needed, be curt.

Happy 99th Birthday!! Love, Kathy