Emma Jean Rigsby Mcdonald

Emma Jean McDonald was born on October 17th, 1920 in Sallisaw, OK the thirteenth child of Josiah and Hannah (Price) Rigsby. She grew up four miles east of Sallisaw on land allotted to her Mother, along with her brothers and sisters, Bubbie, May, Joe, Stanley (Punk), Charles (Bud), Jessie, Tine (Tiny), Mary, Chloe, Katherine, Helen, and Hazel. Upon graduating from Sallisaw H. S. in 1939, Emma attended college at NSU Women’s College and obtained her teachers certificate. The next two years found Emma teaching at Stone Chapel. On January 17th, 1941, she married Sanford “Sam” McDonald in Tahlequah, OK. This marriage was blessed with forty eight years and four children, Billie, JoAnna, James, and Peggy. Emma concentrated her efforts on caring for her home and her family. She spent hours in the garden raising vegetables and in the kitchen preparing the best biscuits and gravy and her famous chocolate cream pie. Later, Emma worked as a cook at the Skyline Nursing Home. Free time was spent traveling, working puzzles and reading. She hosted Bible Study in her home weekly and read her Bible daily. She had a unique sense of humor and enjoyed visiting with family and friends, and recently celebrated her 90th birthday surrounded by over forty members of her loving family and friends. A Christian by faith, she was a member of the Southpark Church of God in Tulsa, OK. The Lord called Emma from her labors on Wednesday, June 29th, 2011 in Broken Arrow, OK. She was ninety years old. She will be greatly missed by her family and many friends.

Emma is preceded in death by her parents, her husband Sam in 1989, her son-in-law, Junior Parsons, and all twelve of her brothers and sisters.

Her survivors include her four children and their families, Billie Isbell and husband Jesse of Broken Arrow, OK, JoAnna Parsons of Broken Arrow, OK, James McDonald and wife Caron of Lakeway, TX, and Peggy Duvall and husband Ronnie of Broken Arrow, OK. Emma’s legacy lives on in her ten grandchildren, Keith Isbell and wife Charla, Kevin Isbell and wife Kathleen, Raymond Del’Olio and wife Gianna, Christine Reed and husband Scott, Kayci Hamilton and husband Casey, Susan Gadberry and husband Brett, Curt Duvall, Rhonda Strahm and husband Brad, Shauna Lopez and husband Abel, and Ronale Clark and husband Justin, twenty seven great grandchildren, as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends and loved ones.