McPherson Memoirs: My Mom

My mom was born on November 30, 1931 in Oklahoma City at St. Anthony's Hospital.
She is the oldest daughter of Hubert and Viola Eppler who eventually had seven children in all. Ray, Anna Lou, Tom, Don, Patsy, Binnie and David. Grandpa Eppler began his career as a oil field roughneck and ended his career as an oil field production supervisor in Whitesboro, Texas. Due to his job they had to move to Wewoka, Holdenville, Chandler, Shawnee, Waukomis and Perry, Oklahoma. My mom graduated from Waukomis High School in 1948. After high school mom attended Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma for one year (majored in business). The next year she attended Hills Business College in Oklahoma City. At the end of that year she started working at the First National Bank in Perry.

Left to Right: Mom's brother Tom, her mother holding Renee, Grandpa Grace (Mom's grandpa), my Mom holding Rodney and Mom's littlest brother, David (in front).

This is the little kitchen on Rainbow Dr. (before it was enlarged & remodeled) where my mom cooked me a hot breakfast every morning before I went to school.

Mom's parents when they were older.

Photo of Mom with her mother and her siblings (Where was Binnie?) in 1974.
Front left to right: Patsy, Viola, Anna Lou
Back left to right: David, Don, Ray and Tom

We were on vacation in Colorado in 1969 and mom is sitting on the lap of a miner!!
(He wasn't real)

Every year my mom wore pioneer clothes to the September 16th Cherokee Strip Land Run Celebration in Perry. Many times she rode in the parade on the First National Bank float. A few years ago she was named "Grand Marshall" of the parade and was rode on the first float!

Mom and Jennifer at our apartments in Orange Texas. I love this picture of them together!

More grandchildren just kept coming along! She has 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren!!

Mom and Stephanie all dressed up.

Mom holding baby John in the summer of 1991

We had a lot of family gatherings at Mom's house. We never grew tired of eating those delicious taco's!!

After dating for three months, Mom and Dad were married on June 18, 1951
in Huntsville, Arkansas. They eloped!

It was nice living so close to them for three years. We spent a nice afternoon together one Mother's Day in Wichita, KS.

Happy New Year to you too!!

Mom worked at the bank for 35 years. Mom worked at one end of the block and Dad worked at the other. In junior high I could walk from the school to their workplace if I needed to.

Mom has always loved Antiques, so after she retired she started working here a couple of days a week.

1216 Rainbow Dr....Mom and Dad lived here for 50 years! They bought this house when I was six weeks old.

Mom and Dad now live in an upstairs apartment in downtown Perry.

Here's the entrance. They building is old but very sturdy!

Their new front door.

Their new home is just right. Mom can walk everywhere she needs to go...to the dollar store, the bank, the post office, to church and to the antique store.