O'Leah Gilley

Surrounded by her family, O’Leah Henley Gilley went to rest eternally with her Heavenly Father on Friday, March 13, 2020. She was born on Aug. 11, 1918, in the former Choctaw Indian Nation of Oklahoma, to P. O. Henley and Lillie Mae Craig Henley. Leah grew up in Henryetta, OK., where she played high school basketball. After graduation, she moved to Texas, where she met and married Cleveland O. Gilley (Tebe) in 1939. After raising her two children and volunteering countless hours at East Texas Medical Center as a “Pink Lady,” she returned to school and graduated with her nursing degree. Finishing at the top of her class, she received the Florence Nightingale Award. She retired from nursing after enjoying 17 years in pediatrics. After retirement, Leah remained active as a member of Pollard United Methodist Church in the Gertrude Pitts Sunday school class. She enjoyed playing 42 and Mahjong with friends and family. Leah was a lifelong learner and a voracious reader. Throughout her life, she enjoyed traveling, doing needlepoint, fishing, hunting, and anything that contributed to her zest for life. Leah was preceded in death by her parents, her four siblings, and her beloved husband. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Larry and Terry Gilley, and by her daughter, Martha Gilley. She was proudest of all to be “MiMi’ to three grandchildren (the loves of her life), Taylor Gilley, Lindsay Gilley Duty, and Logan Gilley, and two great-granddaughters, Reece Duty and Leah Duty. Leah, being a retired nurse, would support the difficult decision made by her family to forego a gathering for visitation and a formal funeral service. The importance of doing our part to keep family and friends healthy would be exactly what she would expect of us. A celebration of Leah’s life will be held at a time when it will be safe for everyone to attend. When recently asked what was the key to living to be 101, Leah replied, “Faith and family. I love the Lord, and he loves me; and as a family we love each other.” In these trying times, Leah leaves us with the only lesson any of us really need...to love one another. Let us all honor her by doing so.

O'Leah Gilley

August 11, 1918 - March 13, 2020