Wilma "Billie" Bowline

Wilma Christine Bowline, known as “Billie,” of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, passed away peacefully on the evening of December 30, 2025, in the company of family. She was a cherished mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, whose love and strength touched everyone who knew her over her 100 years of life. Growing up, Billie had a very close family and a childhood filled with happy memories. She was born on November 16, 1925, in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. As a child, she loved riding her bike, jumping rope, and playing jacks. Billie moved to Broken Arrow her senior year and she quickly fell in love with it. After graduating from Broken Arrow High School, Billie went to California and worked as a riveter, helping to build airplanes during World War II. In 1946, Billie married Raymond Bowline after he returned from his service in the Navy. They built a beautiful life together, raising two sons, Steve and Mike, on property off Lynn Lane Road in Broken Arrow. Billie was a loving mother and wife, supporting Raymond in the dairy business, then in a successful construction business that he later passed to his sons, and in his favorite hobby, horse racing. Billie loved fishing, especially fishing for crappie at Grand Lake where she and Raymond had a cabin. Billie’s sons, granddaughters, and great granddaughters have many fond memories of fishing with her. Billie played cards, sewed, knitted, spent time with friends and family, solved crossword puzzles, cooked, and always sent cards on birthdays. She enjoyed following sports, especially horse racing, football, and baseball. Billie traveled to many places, including Colorado, Canado, Mexico, Hot Springs, Ruidoso, Hawaii, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Strong and resilient, Billie was the foundation of her family. She was kind, honest, and thoughtful, always caring for and checking in on her family and friends. Her quiet strength and dignity were perfect complements to Raymond’s fun-loving and spirited nature. Billie and Raymond had been married for seventy-four years when he passed away in 2020. Billie was proud of the legacy she and Raymond built. She was proud of her sons, Steve and Mike. She loved to visit with her grandchildren and to hear about their lives. She was nurturing, generous, and comforting. Billie made holidays special, particularly Christmas Eve, and no one ever left her house hungry. She loved nothing more than holding babies, and her face lit up whenever she got the chance. Billie was self-sufficient and never asked for anything, and even in her later days she chatted with, complimented, and was a joy to those who cared for her. She often said that she wanted to be one hundred years old. On November 16, 2025, Billie became a member of the Centenarians of Oklahoma, surrounded by family to celebrate. Billie was loved deeply and will be missed by many, especially her son Steve; daughters-in-law Patricia and Beverly; granddaughters Kelli, Ashley, and Courtney; great-grandchildren Kasey, Madison, Mikayla, Samantha, and Ridley; nephew Charles and niece Gail; great-great grandson Deacon; and countless others whose lives she touched. Billie is proceeded in death by her husband Raymond, her sons Mike and David, her granddaughter Kim, her mother and father Guy Lee Moore and Oma Dessa Maples Moore, her sisters Pauline and Etta Lee, her brother John, and many other family and friends. In her one hundred years, Billie showed us what it truly means to love unconditionally, to be resilient in the face of life's challenges, and to cherish family. Her memory will live on in the hearts of everyone who was blessed to know her. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Clarehouse, where Billie spent her final days in peace.

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Wilma "Billie" Bowline

November 16, 1925 - December 30, 2025