Willie Hardin Bivins

Willie Hardin Bivins, 87, of Oklahoma City, died July 14, 2011, after a long illness. She was born August 16, 1923, in Olustee, OK to the late Joseph Milton Hardin and Myra Reeves Hardin. Willie graduated from Siloam Springs (Arkansas) High School in 1941. On April 26, 1941, she married Weldon Vernor Bivins. They were married for 60 years until Weldon’s death in 2002. Willie was a stay-at-home mother while her children were young but ran a home-based photography business during those years. The family lived in Seminole, Purcell, Great Bend, KS, and Enid, setting in Oklahoma City in 1965. At age 40 she began college at Phillips University in Enid, majoring in Mathematics. She completed her degree at Oklahoma City University in 1967 and taught high school math at Putnam City High School until her retirement in 1984. She was a member of Grace United Methodist Church for 46 years. Throughout her life she gave her time and talents to the communities in which she lived. One of her favorite volunteer projects was the Contact Crisis Helpline where she served 17 years as a phone counselor after her retirement. She loved dolls all of her life and had an extensive collection from all eras. An avid genealogist, she wrote over 30 books of family history and genealogy for both hers and Weldon’s families. She was a member of DAR from the early 1960s until her death, serving in many capacities in the Oklahoma Prairies Chapter in Oklahoma City. Of all of her accomplishments she was most proud of being a wife and mother, and her greatest joy was raising her children. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her brothers, Lynn Hardin and Milton Hardin. Survivors include her children David Bivins, Sr. and wife Bonnie of Princeton Junction, NJ, Myra Monroe and husband Mike of Tulsa, Sharon Bivins, MD, of Moreno Valley, California, and Debbie McGlohon of Oklahoma City; grandchildren David Bivins, Jr. and wife Cristina, Laura Hosken and husband Dan, Brad Klingenberg and wife Barbara, Mary McGlohon and husband Austin McDonald, Alan McGlohon and Neil McGlohon; and six great-grandchildren. She had many health challenges the past several years, but she accepted them with grace and dignity and maintained a cheerful outlook. The family wishes to express their appreciation to the management and staff of Bellevue Nursing Center and Mercy Hospice for their kindness and exceptional care. Visitation will be on Sunday, July 17, from 8 am to 5 pm at Chapel Hill Funeral Home, 8701 Northwest Expressway. Private interment will be at Resthaven Memorial Gardens in Moore, followed by a memorial service at Chapel Hill Funeral Home on Monday, July 18 at 1:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to Skyline Urban Ministries, 701 NW 8th Street, Oklahoma City, 73102, or The Oklahoma Historical Society Research Division, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Okla. City, 73105.

Arrangements under the direction of Chapel Hill Funeral Home, Oklahoma City, OK.