Ola Ada McKinney

Ola "Ata" Ada "Dye, Allgood, Grantham, Spence" McKinney On Sunday, May 1, 1921, "Ata" Ola Ada Dye was brought into this world to Bessie (Hill) Dye and Charlie Nathan Dye in Caddo, Texas. Her daddy wanted to name her Sunday May and her momma said no! Ata, it was until they adopted the name Ola Ada. Her membership in the Church of Christ and her Lord and Savior were most important to her throughout her life. She went to be with her Lord and Savior on September 26, 2014 at Yakima Memorial Hospital in Yakima, Washington. Ola lived through the depression and came across the panhandle of Texas in a covered wagon to migrate with the family to pick cotton at the age of 7 years old. She got to attend school 4 months out of each school year and made straight A's and B' s. Her penmanship was immaculate. She almost won the State Penmanship Award in her early years and came in second place because she looped too low on her "e". Her family moved around with the migration of picking cotton, bolls, and sharecropping. She completed the 11th grade and because her teacher in Texas wouldn't loan or let use the books she needed until she could pay him the 50 cents for them. She quit school. Her greatest moments in her life began when she was born. These are a few of them. Ola went to work as a live in maid at 17 and began cooking and caring for people's homes. She made the best coconut cream pies and she was well known for her craftsmanship. Throughout her life she was a caregiver, business woman with Sears and Roebuck, business owner, housewife and career woman. Ola loved to dance and went to a dance when she was 20 years old and met and married her first husband, Norman D. Allgood on July 16, 1941 in Arizona. Their song was "In the Mood". She and Norman had 2 children, Lloyd A. Allgood and Benny D. Allgood. He was her first and true love. Norman was killed in World War II on February 7, 1945 at the Battle of the Bulge.

Ola remarried in 1947 and the marriage didn't work out. In a relationship afterwards she had her next child. Kathlyn Jo (KT) was born in 1951.

Ola worked at Tolland's Grocery Store in Arizona and in 1952 she met 3 little children, Darlene, Eddie and Randy and their father, Marshall Spence. They married in December 7,1952 and moved to Eunice, New Mexico. Together they had one more child, Deana Spence in 1955. She and Marshall were business adventurers. They owned a Dairy Queen, dairy bars, cafes and gas stations while in New Mexico. After 14 years in some moving around to Oklahoma, Texas and back to Eunice, they made the decision to move to Stilwell, Oklahoma in 1965. Oh, the change in the environment! From a little oil town in New Mexico to a hill in Oklahoma. We always laughed that it was like the Beverly Hillbilly show. We were definitely in the Ozarks. In 1976, they were divorced. She again moved on with her life. She was living in Broken Bow, Oklahoma when she met a man from Yakima, Washington, Jesse Merle McKinney. He courted her and his proposal was to have her move to Yakima and he would jokingly say "he would make an honest woman out of her and she would never have to work another day in her life." He had five children, James Merle McKinney, Evelyn Lamb, Shirley Jones, Gene McKinney and John McKinney. Ola and Jesse Merle were married on October 13, 1978. Throughout their marriage they always joked about the "Twelve Tribes" of Merle and Ola. Merle was her best friend and they loved to fish, hunt and watch baseball and football whether on TV or their grandchildren's games. They loved to cook and can their own fruits and vegetables, and have family over for big dinners and lots of laughs. They attended church regularly at Ahtanum Church of Christ and then on to Gleed Church of Christ. They lead a very busy and fruitful life. Ola became a widow for the second time in her life in 2002.

Ola was preceded in death by her mother, Bessie, father, Charlie, 5 siblings, Anita, Hill, Christine, Bobbi and Roxie, 4 husbands, Norman Allgood, Monroe Grantham, Marshall Spence and Jesse Merle McKinney, 2 daughters, Evelyn and Darlene, grandsons, Darrell Keith, John and Rick, great grandson, Jack and many other loved ones. Ola is survived by one brother, Harry Dye, sister, Jo Johnson, 10 remaining children,

Merle James (Louise) McKinney, Shirley (Don) Jones, Gene (patricia) McKinney, Lloyd Allgood, John(Betty) McKinney, Benny (Julie) Allgood, son in law Jack Warford, Eddie (Sharon) Spence, Kathlyn, (Kathy, KT) Treat, Randy (Penny) Spence, and Deana Spence, 36 grandchildren, 93 great grandchildren, 83 great-great grandchildren with 4 on the way, and 2 great, great, great grandchildren. MeeMaw, Gammaw, Maamaw, Grandma,

Granny, GranOla, Grammy, Granny Ola and Great Grandma Ola and Great-Great Grandma Ola loved you all and is so proud of you.

On behalf of mother's family, we would like to extend our thanks to the wonderful medical staff on the 5th floor of Yakima Memorial Hospital for their gentleness, kindness and support during her stay, Arriva Diabetic Supplies, Lincare in Yakima, Medicine Mart (from Ethel) loves to you, Dr. Ellison who took such good care of her until he had to move on, Dr. Lauren Smit, Dr. Prier and Dr. Ankur Rana at Pacific Crest Medical Center, Dr. Sharp and his Kari, Buffy and all the gang at Yakima Heart Center, Dr. Michael Taylor, Beverly, and the girls at Yakima Eye Care at Fieldstone, Miricle Ear staff, Memorial Home Health Services(Liz and Pam) staff, Memorial Transition Program staff, Aging and Long Term Care staff and all the others that have been missed. She loves you all as if you were her own family. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

A Funeral Service will be held TODAY, September 30, 2014, at 1:00 p.m. at Langevin-Mussetter Funeral Home with burial to follow at West Hills Memorial Park.

To share a memory of Ola, visit www.lmfuneralhome.com.