Anita Jo (Beebe) Wilson was born in Ark City, Kansas on April 12, 1928. Her family was blessed four years later with another child, Anita’s younger sister. Her parents were both hard workers, with her mother working in the Bomber Plant which built war planes, therefore Anita and her sister were raised by her grandmother and an aunt. Anita Jo moved to Tulsa at the age of 14, and soon graduated from Marquette Catholic School. In 1945, at the age of 17, Anita Jo began working her first job as an elevator operator in the Kennedy Building on 4th and Boston in downtown Tulsa. During this time, a coworker introduced Anita Jo to Gordon Wesley Wilson Jr., called Buddy by his friends. Anita Jo fell in love. Gordon was from Tulsa, and as a young man served in the U.S. Navy for three years. Within one year of dating, Anita Jo and Buddy were married, on December 11th, 1946 at Brookside Baptist Church. Together, they raised seven sons, including a set of twins. Throughout this time, Anita Jo was also a dedicated volunteer at St. Francis Hospital for 30 years, while Gordon worked in the family trucking business with his father.
Sadly, Gordon passed away in November of 2008, after over 60 wonderful years of marriage. Anita Jo moved into University Village shortly after. Anita keeps very busy with her various hobbies, including sewing, shopping, especially at her favorite store, Dillard’s, and finding new treasures when shopping through the sale ads. Anita Jo is a passionate seamstress, and has created some truly beautiful items including her daughter-in-law’s wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses for another son’s wedding. Anita Jo is also very involved in various activities within University Village, including one of the plays put on by the Up, Up, and Away drama program and the community Wii bowling league. Most of all, she enjoys spending time with her friends at University Village. We are so glad to have Anita Jo as a part of our community.
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