Billie Sue Olea

Billie Sue Olea, 88, passed away peacefully with her daughters Denise and Sandy by her side on April 15, 2025. She was born on July 24, 1936, in Quitman, Georgia and moved to Yuma when she was 14 years old.

She worked at Mountain Bell Telephone Company at the switchboard when you actually could talk to a person and retired after 17 years. For 21 years she enjoyed her true passion and joy, working with her many students at Crane Elementary School District as an Instructional Aide. To those students lucky enough to benefit from her years there, she was known as Miss Billie. If you ever had an opportunity to talk with her about her kids, you would see the joy and happiness this brought her.

Besides her complete happiness and pride in her loving family, two of Billie's proudest accomplishments included her Lifetime Membership with the Fraternal Order of Eagles Auxiliary Aerie #398 and her induction into the Yuma Softball Hall of Fame - Class of 2017. An avid seamstress, reader and competitive bowler, Billie enjoyed life, a full life, but never more than on the softball field, where she was a player, a coach, and an umpire. In addition to being a proud spectator when her daughters were playing or coaching. Billie dearly loved the game and its certain that she's already organizing a team up above!

A well-known member of the Yuma community, Billie will long be remembered as a caring, devoted, and competitive member of the sporting community, but her family will always know her as nurturing, loving, and devoted.

Billie is proceeded in death by her beloved husband of 37 years, Reynaldo Olea; her sister, Venida Crawford; her brother, Louis Charles Bryson, and her great grandson, Anthony Carvajal.

She is survived by her sister, Diane Le Grand, of Santa Maria, California, and her daughters Denise Gloria of Rushville, Indiana, Brenda Gloria of Phoenix, Arizona, Sandy (Nabil) Noujaim of El Centro, California and Michél (Thomas) Eilers of Yuma. Her surviving grandchildren include Jamie, Ryan, Kimberly, Michael, Brent, Rachél, Raymond, Thomas, Lauren, and Raeann. Billie was also blessed to be survived by 14 great grandchildren, two great-great grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held on April 29, 2025, at Yuma Senior Living Center, 2600 S. 4th Avenue at 11:30 am. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make donations to Yuma Senior Living Memory Care Unit and Activity Fund.

Honorary pallbearers: Daniel Gloria, Nabil Noujaim, Jamie Click, Ryan Raike, Rachél Montalvo, Michael Carvajal and Gabriel Carvajal.