Wilma Taylor Tate

Wilma came into this world on March 7, 1925, surrounded by nurses and doctors. On Thursday, October 3, 2024, she transitioned into the wide-open arms of her Lord, Jesus Christ, peacefully, in her sleep.

Wilma was born in Grand Tower, Illinois. With her father having a good job at the local electric generating plant, she grew up in one of the few houses on her street with indoor plumbing. She was the sixth of seven brothers and sisters and worked as a telephone switchboard operator at the local phone company for a time.

She met the love of her life, Russell Tate, through his aunt Lily. They married and Wilma became a Navy wife. She was always “fixy.” (Google it) They were married on May 20, 1945, until Russell’s death on July 4, 2007.

Being a Navy family, they moved to various Naval stations throughout their marriage, before settling in Memphis in 1961.

In 1946 she gave birth to her son, Alan, and in 1958 she had her daughter, Cindy.

Wilma was preceded in death by her parents and her six brothers and sisters. She leaves behind her son, Alan (and his wife Patti), her daughter, Cindy (and her husband, David), Grandsons Todd (and his wife, Emily) and Blake (and his wife Emily. Not a typo.) and three great-grandchildren (Tate, 10, Emma Rae, 6, and James Russell, 5).

As a family, we believe that right after Jesus welcomed her to Heaven, she experienced a glorious reunion banquet with Russell and the multitude of friends and family that went to glory before her.

The last few years, Wilma was visited almost daily by her daughter. So, she heard, “I love you!” every time Cindy saw her. Even when Wilma no longer recognized Cindy, the look on her face showed that she knew this person loved her and was someone that she had loved.

The family wants to thank the management and staff of Elmcroft Assisted Living (now American House Bartlett), Culpepper Place Nursing Home (now Hearthside Senior Living Bartlett) and Quail Ridge Memory Care for their excellent caretaking of Mrs. Tate.

While we wish we could list each person at these three facilities who loved on our mother with excellence, we are limited by time and space to mention only a few. We want to especially thank Nurse Ellie and all of the other nurses at Hearthside, along with Mrs. Tate’s nighttime sitters, Adrian and Jasmine for the loving care you provided. And we want to thank her fellow resident friends at Hearthside who always kept an eye out for Wilma, trying to keep her from getting herself into trouble.

A visitation for Wilma will be held Monday, October 7, 2024 from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM at Memphis Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens, 3700 North Germantown Parkway, Bartlett, TN 38133. A funeral service will occur Monday, October 7, 2024 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, 3700 North Germantown Parkway, Bartlett, TN 38133. A committal service will occur Monday, October 7, 2024 from 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM at Forest Hill Funeral Home and Memorial Park East, 2440 Whitten Rd, Memphis, TN 38133.