Thelma Marie Meigs

July 28, 1928 - March 28, 2020

Thelma Marie Meigs passed away March 28, 2020 at the age of 91. She was interred with her husband at Ft. Gibson National Cemetery. A life celebration service will occur when health and safety allow. Thelma, the fourth of seven children, was born July 28, 1928 in Fort Worth Texas to Frank and Osie Mae (Carey) Evans. Due to the Depression, Thelma grew up separated from most of her siblings. She and younger sister Margaret were raised by their aunt and uncle in Braggs, Oklahoma. Tragically, Thelma’s mother and youngest sister were killed by a drunk driver in 1937. But faith in God helped her face the future from an early age. At the age of 8, Thelma insisted on being baptized in the Church of Christ prior to an impending tonsillectomy “to be ready for the worst.” Happier days followed her difficult childhood. At 19, Thelma married the love of her life, Atha Meigs, in 1947 in Ventura, California. Thelma yearned to have a Christian home and was overjoyed when Atha became a Christian a year after their marriage. Atha and Thelma often said they were blessed with a marriage that lasted 68 years because of that early commitment. Thelma also yearned to have children, but it took eight years before their only child Mary was born. Unable to have another child, Thelma opened her heart and home to the children of others. She and Atha at times fostered children from infants to teenagers. Thelma always reached out to children with songs on her guitar, puppet shows, Bible stories and treats. She started a backyard Sunshine Club, hosting up to 40 children every Saturday. She sought to keep neighborhood children away from drugs by fundraising and organizing camping trips to the redwoods to get kids out of the city and into nature. Years later when 3 beautiful granddaughters came, Thelma and Atha were thrilled and poured their souls into loving and teaching them. Time spent with the girls was filled with music, stories, games and instruction in everything from crocheting to ukulele playing. She instilled in each granddaughter a love for adventure. Thelma took great satisfaction that they became “world travelers” seeing sights and far-off lands as she had hoped to do. Thelma and Atha believed in showing God’s love by giving time and resources to those in need, the lonely and the fragile. Holding services in nursing homes, taking food to those doing without and extending a helping hand was not just service, it was their joy. Thelma led an inspiring life. She loved to be active. She often rode her bike from Park Hill to Ft. Gibson, roller skated well into her 50s and even braved the 10-foot diving board. Most inspiring perhaps was how nothing stopped her, even after losing both legs in an accident in 1987. She participated in local events, sang at churches and was quick to embrace the brand-new internet, becoming, in her words, a “cyber evangelist.” Thelma leaves behind the family that so greatly loves her— Mary and son-in-law Gustavo Rodriguez; granddaughter Clairelise and her husband Alex Kip; granddaughters Kathleen and Caroline as well as many precious nieces and nephews. In our sorrow, we take comfort that she is now beyond any pain, limitations or loneliness for her husband. And who she is will live on in our hearts and memories.