Ida Mae Strickland

Ida Mae Nichols Strickland was born June 20, 1924 in Dudley, Texas. She formerly lived in Wink, 1935; graduated from Odessa High School in 1941; moved to Abilene, then Orange in 1942; and finally in 1946 settled in Trent and worked as secretary to the superintendent at Merkel High School. She passed away Wednesday December 7, 2016 in her daughter's home in Merkel where she received many guests.

Ida Mae was a member of the "Greatest Generation". That membership is tough to get. She earned it by being born in 1924 and living through the Depression of 1929. Her father died in 1930. When she was six, her mother made her a woolen coat of many colors from material others had given the family. Her stepfather took the family to Wink to work in a west Texas oilfield at the age of 11 and she worked for 25 cents a day staying with women who had just given birth. WWII came along in 1941; she married and had her only child in 1942. Her husband was shipped overseas to England on the Queen Mary HMS and in 1943 she moved to Orange, TX and worked in the shipyards as a secretary. Her mother, stepfather, and 13 year old sister moved along with her so someone could take care of the baby.

Ida Mae always made friends; that was her most outstanding quality, that and she could work without tiring. She passed that on to her family. Something else that was outstanding about Ida Mae - she was voted the Texas State Top Girl's Athlete in 1941 at the State Meet held in Fort Davis; her sports were volleyball, softball and basketball. She and her husband also taught all of the nieces and nephews to drive a standard shift in the summers during the 1950's.

Ida Mae had seven events at the end of her life to count as blessings. Randy Nichols came to live with her for nine years before his death. He did all her work, repairs, mowing, cooking and much more. Young Molly Matties was her last renter (what a sweetheart she was), level headed, worked hard and was kind to an old lady. Pat Logan (just down the road) shared Sunday meals, shopped for her and visited for hours. Her nephew, David Nichols did repairs, bought and installed air conditioners, lit pilot lights and did numerous other things; plus just spending a lot of hours just visiting. Then she met Carolyn Sims when Carolyn brought the first Meals on Wheels to her, (those two were so much alike, they had a special bond.) They went out to eat and also visited Ida Mae's friend in Coleman and just enjoyed visiting for hours. Then the children of Lena McWilliams (a dear friend who has gone on) came to visit one afternoon. Jerry and Kay McWilliams drove in from Andrews, Tellie and Frank Upp from Buffalo Gap, and Katie McWilliams Moore was there by proxy to be sure. This was such a special time for Ida Mae; she talked about it for the longest. Ida Mae and Lena met the first time the Grahams visited the Trent Church of Christ. Lena invited the family home for dinner that day. A 70 year friendship was begun in 1946. The last thing to happen was Oldham Lane Church of Christ invited her to a widow's luncheon. One of the helpers/organizers, Annette Davidson (who is a good friend and lives in Dudley) invited Ida Mae to ride with her. Annette said that Ida Mae acted as happy as if the whole thing had been done in her honor. "All good and perfect gifts", you know...

Ida was preceded in death by her parents, Alice Stephenson and Oben Nichols; her stepfather, R.E. Taylor; husband, F.A. Strickland; first husband, Onis Graham; stepson, Tim Strickland; grandson, Graham Kolpin; nephew, Randall Nichols; and cousin, John Harrison.

Survivors include her daughter, Carolyn West and husband, Jerry of Merkel; granddaughter, Kelly Kolpin of Denver; two great-grandchildren, Grete and Lennon Kolpin of Richardson; several nieces, Lee Scott of Austin, Billie Jean Busby and husband, John of Orange, Susan Free and husband, Bill of Bryan, TX, and Deborah Dye and husband, Nellis from the Texas coast; several nephews, Bill Nichols of Plano, David Nichols and wife, Robbyn of Dudley, and Richard Nichols of Abilene; two step-children, Alton "Scooter" Strickland, and Fay Smith and husband, Roger of Weimer, TX; three cousins who kept in touch, Dorothy Ann Wimberly, Rita Harrison, and Charles Harrison and wife, Lorna all of Abilene.

Many good friends have visited in these last days and her days have been cheered considerably. Urban Bright, an old friend and frequent visitor, told Ida Mae, "You have always looked for the good in people and found it."