Billie Ruth Walls

Billie was born on September 24, 1928 in Bowlegs, OK the daughter of William Elijah and Lena Melissa (Miller) Gilmore. Billie grew up in Verdigris and was a 1950 graduate of Webster High School. She worked for the Vincil Company from 1951 until 1970. Billie moved to Moodys in 1982 and later to Tahlequah around 1984. She was a member of the Mothers and Daughters Craft Club and enjoyed making traditional Native American Jewelry. She was a gifted silversmith and also did engraving on mirrors and clocks. Billie was also quite an accomplished oil painter and she loved to bake. Billie won a blue ribbon for her Oatmeal Cookies at the Tulsa State fair. Billie was proud of her Cherokee heritage and in 1996, Billie published the book “Speak Cherokee Right Now”. Billie loved people and everyone who knew her returned that love equally. She enjoyed an afternoon of playing cards with her friends at Wisdom Keepers. A Christian by faith, Billie attended the Assembly of God Church. Billie passed away on June 3, 2012 at her home in Tahlequah, OK, with her family by her side, she was 83 years old. Her smile and her friendship will be missed by her family and her friends.

Billie is preceded in death by her parents, her first husband Earl Miller in 1975, her second husband, Charlie Walls in 2004, and one brother Enlo Leon Gilmore.

Those left to cherish her memory include her two daughters, Debra Annetta Bryan and her husband, Jerry of Broken Arrow, OK, and Tonda Denise Roberts of Tahlequah, OK. Billie’s legacy lives on in her 14 Grandchildren, 8 Great Grandchildren, 3 Great Great Grandchildren, as well as a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and loved ones.