Mary Eunice Oldham

Mary Eunice Oldham, 94, of Jonesboro passed peacefully on Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at the Flo & Phil Jones Hospice House.

Mary Eunice was born on January 13, 1919 at 1418 South Main Street in Jonesboro. She was the middle of three children born to Ed and Mary Cole Vinson.

When she was four, her father passed away, leaving her mother to raise three children on her own. This she did by operating a neighborhood grocery store. Though they had little money, her mother provided what they truly needed, especially a strong grounding in faith and lots of love. They moved around a lot during her childhood, but always within the city limits. Though they lived in town, she always enjoyed trips to visit her large extended family, which lived north of Jonesboro around Macedonia and Philadelphia. Her love of going to the country has lasted her entire life.

As a child she attended Fisher Street Baptist Church where she was saved and baptized, but when Central Baptist was formed, she became a charter member.

In school she played basketball at Annie Camp, and at Jonesboro High she became involved in drama. She also became a life-long avid reader. From JHS she graduated a year early in 1936 at seventeen.

Upon graduation she worked for a short time for an attorney and at Woolworth’s, before beginning a career at the Telephone Company which lasted until the early Fifties. At that time she also met and began dating Orval “Okey” Oldham, a former football star at Arkansas A&M (now ASU), who was working at a gas station in town.

With the coming of World War II, Mary Eunice continued to work at the Telephone Company while Okey went to work at a war plant in Jacksonville. Their romance continued as Okey hitchhiked to and from Jonesboro whenever he had a few days off. This led to that magic day March 21st, 1943, when they were wed in the living room of her mother’s apartment, followed by a honeymoon in Little Rock. However, they were both soon back at their jobs, with only the weekends together.

When the war ended, Okey returned to Jonesboro, and they were able to really begin their lives together. He bought his own service station at the corner of Main and Jefferson, while Mary Eunice continued to work at the Telephone Company for a few more years before beginning her real career as a homemaker. Their lives were made complete in 1956 with the birth of their son, James.

In addition to being a wife and mother, Mary Eunice was very active at Central Baptist Church. She had begun teaching Sunday School even before she was married, and continued to teach various classes for over fifty years. She was also very active in the Women’s Missionary Union (WMU) with Okey’s retirement and James going off to the Naval Academy. Mary Eunice and Okey were able to begin enjoying their leisure years. They became very involved in the Senior Adult Group at Central Baptist, with whom Mary Eunice made several trips to Glorieta NM and Ridgecrest NC.

When Okey went to be with the Lord in 1998, Mary Eunice continued to live in Jonesboro for her remaining years.

She is survived by her son, James Oldham of Ventura, CA; one nephew, Mike (Johnnye) Vinson of Houston, TX; two nieces, Doris (Doug) Burris of Austin, TX and Kathy (Steve) Pagan of Jonesboro; and a brother in law, Mavrick Cook of Jonesboro; and a host of other family and friends.

In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents, Edmond and Mary Cole Vinson; a brother, Thomas Vinson; and a sister, Virginia Cook.

Visitation will be Friday evening from 5 to 7pm at Emerson Funeral Home.

Services will be Saturday afternoon at 1:00pm at Central Baptist Church with Bro. Mike Martin officiating. Entombment will follow at Jonesboro Memorial Park Cemetery with Emerson Funeral Home in charge of all arrangements.

Honored to serve as pallbearers are Steve, Chris, and Brian Pagan, Doug, Tim, Kevin and Burris, Mike Vinson, and Bill Gibson. Honorary pallbearers are R.B. McClung, D.L. Van Cleve, Elwood Crafton, Gene McMorries, and Earnest Guiltner.

For lasting memorials the family request consideration be given to Central Baptist Church, 3707 Harrisburg Road, Jonesboro, AR 72401, in loving memory of Mary Oldham.