Obituary of Thelma Faye Whillock

Thelma Faye Whillock (Parrish) was born on September 29, 1932, in Ketchum, Oklahoma to parents Tommie Parrish and Thelma Parrish (Harding). She passed away on October 21, 2024, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

She was one of 5 siblings, her being the middle child. She graduated from Ketchum High School. She then went to NSU in Tahlequah and NEO in Miami to obtain her undergrad and master’s degree in teaching. She began teaching in 1951 in Kansas and taught for the next 42 years. She joined the Sapulpa Public Schools crew in 1956, teaching at Jefferson Elementary for 16 years. She then moved to an administrative assistant position for 13 years. Thelma was a N&L Delegate at a U.S. Democratic Convention in 1980.  She won many awards throughout her career, some of them being the Distinguished Service Award from the Board of Education, as well as Sapulpa Teacher of the Year in 1981,  an Excellence award in Community Education in 1983-84, and an award for Oklahoma Public Relations Association in 1987. Thelma served on the state advisory board for community education, and from 1988 to 1993 she served on the Governor’s Initiative Commission on Literacy.

Thelma loved water skiing, hunting, fishing, and pretty much anything outdoors. After retirement, she loved traveling anywhere and everywhere she could.

Thelma is preceded in death by her parents, Tommie Parrish and Thelma Parrish (Harding), her siblings Tom Parrish, Mary Brown, Sonny Parrish, and Violetta Sue Hart, her husband George Whillock, and a host of other relatives.

She is survived by her son, Tom Whillock, and her granddaughter Leslie Whillock.

Thelma lived a life full of dedication, determination and friendliness. She will be missed by so many.