William Arthur Partain

443-16-6101

William Arthur was born in Settlement, Arkansas December 6, 1896, the sixth child of John Thomas and Julia Partain. He was 4 years old when the family moved from Arkansas to Spiro, Oklahoma. Arthur died July 15, 1968 at Stigler, Oklahoma, at 71 years of age. He is buried in Antioch Cemetery 2 ½ miles East of Stigler.

He married Lola Vancil. Lola (SSN 567-32-2149) was born November 4, 1902. She died in August of 1986 in a nursing facility in Warner, Oklahoma at the age of 83. She is buried beside Arthur in Antioch Cemetery.

Following their marriage, Arthur and Lola set up housekeeping on Bokoshe Mountain where both Doyle and Norma were born.

Children born to Arthur and Lola Partain:

Doyle - born in 1921 – died in 1923 at age two from a bowel disorder

Norma Lucille - born September 11, 1923 - married Robert Brown first and Norman Levon Wade second

Leona – born December 4, 1925 – married Monroe (Junior) Miller – died in Stigler, Oklahoma

William Arthur (Dub) – born April 12, 1935 – married Ruby – Died in 1985

Gerald Wayne Partain – born February 31, 1936 – married Yoshika from Japan – Died 1997 in San Diego, CA

Ronald – born 1938 – died in 1940 at age two from a bowel disorder

Sometime between 1923 and 1925 Arthur took the family to Chandler, Arizona. Leona was born while they were there. Arthur worked with his brother Oliver irrigating farms. Norma started the first grade while they were there.

From Chandler the family moved back up on Bokoshe Mountain where Lola’s father, George Vancil, was the schoolteacher. Lola didn’t get along with her father too well and after a strong disagreement the family moved down the hill to Bokoshe. She did not want Norma in her dad’s class. Arthur worked for a farmer near town. It was during this time that Bokoshe was hit by a devastating tornado that killed a large number of people, including some of the people in the family Arthur was working for. Arthur had the unpleasant task of helping gather up body parts.

From Bokoshe the family lived in Spiro for a while

In 1942 Arthur and his family joined several other families going to California. They stayed in Southern California where Arthur and Norma worked for an airplane factory. Norma also remembers that Arthur worked in the shipyard some during that time. Norma was still in her early teens.

The family returned to Spiro from California, but soon moved to the Stigler, Oklahoma area. They lived several places around Stigler over the years that followed. Norma remembers living half way between the communities of Kenema and Eureka and going to school at both places. She also went to school in the community of Rucker. The last house Arthur and Lola lived in was about 1 mile from the Rucker schoolhouse. Gerald and Ronald were both born in the Rucker area.

Arthur, John, and Charlie were all close during the latter years of their lives. They all lived in the Stigler area and all attended church together at the Stigler Church of Christ. I remember Arthur as being very laid-back, and easygoing, but a hard worker. My remembrances of Aunt Lola are of a woman who basically seemed to be unhappy most of the time. It seemed to me she was very negative about most everything. However, she sure could make a great vinegar cobbler.

Gerald and Leona both died from rare diseases. W.A. (Dub) and his wife Ruby were overcome and killed by carbon monoxide in a strange accident.

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