Wilma Leftwich

October 1, 1929 - November 9, 2020

Wilma Leftwich Wilma Jean Leftwich was born on Tuesday, October 1, 1929 in Kansas City, Kansas, the daughter of Albert G. and Flossie Mae (Hibbert) Andrews. She passed this life at her home in Broken Arrow on Monday, November 9, 2020. She was 91 years, 1 month and 8 days of age. Wilma attended Columbian Grade School and was president of her 1947 graduating class at Rosedale High School in Rosedale, Kansas. She was married to James Dale Leftwich on December 12, 1948 in Biloxi, Mississippi. It was a love affair which began when Dale proposed to her in the third grade. Wilma’s hobbies included candy making, cake decorating, baking Christmas goodie for family and friends and playing the piano. Wilma was a former member of Gracemont Baptist Church and director of Gracemont’s Arts & Crafts Gala from its inception in 1999. She was a member of the National Thespian Society and a Greg Shorthand penmanship national award winner. Speaker She was the preliminary speaker to Mother Theresa at a 12,000 person “Voter for the Baby” Rally in Glasgow, Scotland. Wilma shared the Speaker’s Platform with Constitutional Law Professor John Whitehead of the Rutherford Institute; Professor John Eidsmoe of Oral Roberts School of Law; Dr. Harold Voth of The Menninger Clinic; Dr. Tim LaHaye, co-author of the Left Behind Series; The Gablers, textbook evaluators; Dr. D. James Kennedy of coral Ridge Ministries; President Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford; First Lady Barbara Bush; U.S. Congressmen Jack Kemp and Chris Smith; General Dan Graham; Dennis Prager (national radio talk show host); the Minority Whip of Australia’s Parliament, members of the British Parliament, as well as Father Rapjohn of the Church of England. Wilma appeared several times on Marlin Maddoux national radio talk show “Point of View”. She spoke at many pro-family state and national conventions, including Concerned Women for America, Eagle Forum, American Life League and Australia Right to Life. Her speaking, combined with her husband’s occupation and their love for travel, took her to 16 foreign countries, 37 American states, and 2 U.S. Territories. Politics Prior to her husband serving as Chairman of the Tulsa County Republican Party, Wilma served from 1978 to 1980 as Party Vice Chairman. During their terms in office, the party hosted two presidents, a Secretary of State and numerous U.S. Congressmen and Senators. Within party activities she was best known for her influence on conservative party platforms in the area of public education and social causes. She and Dale were seen weekly at the Oklahoma Capital, lobbying for conservative causes, with her testifying at many committee, House and Senate hearings. Education During her 30 years as an education research analyst, she authored many tapes and white papers on the dangers of value-free sex education, the growing control of the federal government over education, the long-term goal of global curriculum, and the feminist socialist movement. She also conducted workshops and in-service teacher training on these subjects. Wilma was on U.S. Senator Henry Bellmon’s advisory committee on education, as well as an invited participant at his Oklahoma Governor’s Conference on Children, Family and Youth. She was asked by U.S. Senator Don Nickles to participate in the Department of Education’s Regional Hearings on the state of public education. Her testimony appears in U.S. government documents and books. Abortion Wilma’s research tape on “The Case against Abortion” was played heavily throughout the south prior to the 1976 Presidential election. Groups Wilma was the Coordinator for the Oklahoma Coalition on Preservation of the Christian Family, a member of Tulsa Women for Responsible Legislation, The Committee for Research in Education, and the National Congress for Excellence in Education. She was an appointed delegate to Oklahoma International Women’s Conference, an elected delegate to the White House Conference on Families in 1980, and a member of Hayhurst “Building Bridges” grief management support group coordinating their monthly dinners. She was a former national advisory board member of the American Life League. Awards Wilma was a Recipient of the Congress of Freedom Liberty Award, American Life League Unsung Hero Award, and Outstanding Honorary Oklahoma Eagle Award. She is listed in the 1997 edition of Marquis “Who’s Who of American Women” and has received a Who’s Who Complimentary Lifetime Achievement Award. Activities More recently, she has served as an occasional correspondent for “Entertainment Weekly” magazine. With EW interviews and known as “Nanny”, her tongue-in-cheek critiques as an invited guest of ABC’s “Bachelor” and “Bachelorette” reality shows were heard on Sirius XM satellite radio shows. She attended “Bachelor” Sean & Catherine’s wedding in Santa Barbara, California. Approach to life Life is like a roll of toilet paper, the closer you get to the end of the roll, the faster it goes! Wilma was a member of First Baptist Church in Broken Arrow. The family requests memorials to Arms Around BA, 840 South Elm Place, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 74012. Wilma is survived by, Son, Brion and wife Peg Leftwich, Olathe, KS; Daughter, Brenna and husband Steve Wolfe, Broken Arrow, OK; Grandchildren, Breia Brissey, Ian and fiancée Samantha, Brenton and wife Leslie, Aaron and wife Whitney; Great Grandchildren, Brooks, Micah, Adelyn, Gabriel, Judah, and Isaiah; Sister, Jackie and husband Gerald Fuchs, Kansas City, Missouri. She was preceded in death by, her parents, Albert and Flossie; husband, Dale; grandson, David Michael Brissey. PLACES I’VE BEEN AND THINGS I’VE SEEN & DONE Been to top of Eiffel Tower, Paris, France. Toured the Louvre seeing the Mona Lisa & Winged Victory. Went to top of Sugar Loaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Walked the beaches of Ipanema, Brazil. Flown over the Amazon River (hey, it’s BIG!). Seen European Alps. Seen Southern Alps. Saw Mt. Ruapehu Volcano erupt (New Zealand). Seen the Blue Mountains, Australia. Been in Opera House in Sydney, Australia. Saw Parade of the Penguins on Phillip Island, Australia. Drove to the Edge of the Outback. Been in the Punch Bowl Crater in Hawaii. Been to the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. Been in Glazier Bay in Alaska. Lunched at Revolving Space Needle in Spokane, Washington. Been to the foot of the Matterhorn (2 times). Visited Shakespeare’s home in Stratford on Avon. Been through the International Salt Mines (500 feet underground) in Winsford, England. Been through Westminster Abby. Seen Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Square. Seen London Bridge and Big Ben. Seen the Queen’s Royal Jewels. Been through Southwark Cathedral in London where a Leftwich ancestor and 3 others erected a monument to William Shakespeare. Looked over the Cliffs of Normandy and Omaha Beach Cemetery. Been on Piz Gloria where James Bond “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” was filmed. Ridden France’s Bullet Train (TGV) – 279 miles per hour. On 80th birthday rode in an 80 year old 12-seat single engine plane. Whale watched in Hawaii and Alaska. Attended ABC TV wedding of “The Bachelor”, Sean & Catherine Visited Beethoven’s birthplace. Looked for the Loch Ness Monster (Nessie) in Scotland. Visited Jodrell Bank (outer space listening station in England). Visited Roman Baths in Bathe, England. Visited Cheshire, the Walled City. Kissed the Blarney Stone. Visited Parliament in action. Had tea at Lloyd’s in London. Rode Narrow Gauge Train from Durango to Silverton (old mining town). Strolled down Champs-Élysées in France Drove through Arc de Triumph. Been through Cave of the Winds, Colorado. Been through Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico. Crossed the English Channel twice in James Bond hover craft. Seen White Cliffs of Dover, England. Lunched at Harrods Department Store. Been through French Alps. Been to the top of the Alps at Chamonix, France (Mont Blanc). Visited The Hague in Belgium. Walked on Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. Drove on the Autobahn. Walked the grounds of Stonehenge. Drove over Lava Beds in Hawaii. Visited Auschwitz. Strolled Tulip Fields in Holland. Roamed Dale’s Family Grounds in Leftwich, England. Walked over Roman ruins in Corbridge, England. Walked along Hadrian’s Wall. Crossed where Hannibal crossed the Alps. Attended church where Leftwich family attended in England.