Ella Mae was born on May 27th, 1931, to Grover and Jesse Easter on a farm about 10 miles south of Carter, Oklahoma. She was the youngest of six kids and the only girl. Raised on the farm, and having five older brothers, she grew up quite the tomboy. There were plenty of chores to do and animals to tend to, and she did it all. Being the smallest, it was also her job to clean out the rainwater cistern, as she was the only one who could fit. She recalled as she got older, around 11 or 12, she'd ride her horse Shorty to school, and occasionally drive the family tractor to church, pulling the trailer behind, with her cousins on board. She loved living on the farm, having 360 acres to roam. But they did escape from time to time, and her father liked to take trips. So they'd load up and head out, once to California, and another time to Colorado. She especially enjoyed the trip to New Orleans, where she finally got to meet a long-time pen pal.
Starting school in the first grade with her cousins Josie and Sybil, they became inseparable, doing everything together, including sports. Basketball was her favorite and she was good. There were many games and tournaments through the years with her cousins also on the team.
Her father was a WWI veteran and all her brothers followed suit, joining different branches of the military. She had dreams of doing that as well, but it never came to pass, partly due to her meeting this really cool guy from Elk City. Her parents left the farm and moved to Elk City before the start of her senior year, but she chose to remain behind and live in the teacher's dorm, just so she could continue playing basketball at the old Highway School. But this cool guy became even more important to her, so halfway through her senior year, and after 3 months of dating, they got married. That was November 24th, 1948.
She and Delbert Oehme lived in Elk City, but not ready to give up basketball, she commuted to the Highway School her last semester. After her graduation, they remained living in Elk City, where their first two children, Donna and Ron, were born. Through the years, Del's interest in electronics led to many interesting job opportunities and in 1954, they moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where, among other things, he worked for Sandia Labs. Both Connie and Bonnie were born there and 7 years later, they moved to Lancaster, California. Ella made several life-long
friends there. She had a WW Bus and was constantly hauling her own and other's kids around, either to the park, the pool, or to church. Having always been active in church, it was here that she fully accepted Jesus into her life.
The family moved to Houston in 1964, where Delbert accepted a position in the space science department at Rice University. It was here that they truly set down roots, with the family becoming active members of Westbury Baptist Church. The kids grew up and you'd have thought Ella might have wanted to take a breather.....but NO! Over a period of 11 years, she kept a total of 97 foster kids, some for a day or two, but others for several months. It was always heartbreaking for her to let them go, but what an amazing thing she did. Her all-time favorite foster child is here today-hi, Tonna.
But while Del was with Rice, it afforded her the opportunity to travel with him, as his work took him all over. A trip to the South Pacific and Australia, while Granny J stayed with the kids for 2 months. Other trips were to Fairbanks, Alaska, Wallops Island, Virginia, and Bangor, Washington. Her favorite might have been to Arecibo, Puerto Rico, where she became the first woman to walk out onto the giant radio telescope. A trip with Mom Simpkins and family to Hawaii, and a church mission trip to Brazil were very meaningful to her. She was always grateful to have seen some of these beautiful places.
Later in life, it was the family reunions that she looked forward to the most. Reconnecting with friends and family meant everything to her. Trips in their motorhome to Minnesota, Colorado, New Mexico, Georgia and Canada were but a few, and they often hauled kids and grandkids with them on these trips.
Ella also had an amazing memory and was a true family historian-you had a question, she knew the answer. She was a huge contributor to the "Easter Family Album", a 750-page, hardback book that has everything you could possibly want to know about the Easters.
Her health failed her these last few years, but Delbert did his best, tending to her needs until his passing this last September. It was her wish to remain at home until her passing, and with the help of her daughter Bonnie, and Bonnie's daughter Sarah, along with some amazing hospice care workers, she was able to do just that.
She leaves behind 2 children, 8 grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren. After 73 years of marriage, she is now reunited with her husband Delbert and daughters Donna and Connie, in heaven. Ella has left us, but she will always be remembered.