Wilma Laura Allison

Wilma Laura Allison was born May 6, 1921 in Butler, Missouri, to Hansel Allison and Laura Smith. Wilma passed away after an amazing life at the age of 104, at her home in El Dorado Springs. Thank you to Kay, Tammy, Sue, Angie and Hospice Compassus for providing such loving care through the end.

Wilma spent her childhood in rural Missouri. She accepted Christ at the age of 12 and joined the Pleasant Springs Baptist Church. She attended and graduated from High School in Roscoe, Missouri. Wilma furthered her education by attending the Warrensburg Teacher College, in Warrensburg, Missouri, where she became a school teacher. She then taught for 2 years at Virgina Country School (one student  is in the audience today!) followed by 2 years at the Love Country School.

On May 17, 1942, Wilma married Cleo McKinley at the Pleasant Baptist Church in Oyer, MO. The newlyweds moved to Kansas City, where Wilma worked at Sears, and where she decided to make her new husband a chicken dinner in their small apartment. She killed, dressed the chicken, and then spent the remainder of the afternoon cleaning up the mess, as you could only imagine.

After the war, Cleo and Wilma moved to California to be  with their family. Cleo worked with his brothers and Wilma went to work for the Military Department.  She worked at Camp Stoneman in Pittsburg, California and at Camp Rio Vista in Rio Vista, CA. After she “retired” she was called back, then stationed in Hawaii and Alaska.

The Baptist Church remained a major part of her life through all the different states and seasons and she frequently played the organ in addition to attending.  After her final retirement, she moved to El Dorado Springs where she was a Museum Curator, painter, golfer and seamstress. She enjoyed supporting the community through many donations of her time through things such as nursing home ministries, teaching Sunday School, playing the organ and events at the Wayside Inn Museum.

Wilma is survived by her sister, Lovey M. Edmonds, and numerous nieces and nephews .

Donations may be made in Wilma McKinley’s honor to  the following organizations:  “First Baptist Church”   “Wayside Inn Museum”   “Pleasant Springs (Oyer) Cemetery”