Betty Lou Graham

Today we gather to celebrate the life of Betty Lou Graham, our beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and sister. Betty died on October 6th, a few weeks shy of her 98th birthday. Betty was born in Graham, Oklahoma on November 11, 1927. She was one of four daughters of Ezekiel Lomax and Naomi (pronounced Naoma) Laura Dawson. Betty grew up in south central Oklahoma on the Kewanee Oil lease where her father was employed. Betty graduated from the Dundee school system in 1945. There were only nine in her graduating class, as most of the boys had left to join the war effort. The children growing up there were a close-knit group and had regular reunions. She and her sisters loved to come back for their class reunions and celebrate with remaining friends and families. Her father worked as an accountant for the flourishing oil business around Ardmore. She followed in her father's footsteps becoming a bookkeeper shortly after graduating from high school. Betty married James Kenneth Waul in 1948 while he was serving in the Army at Fort Sill in Lawton. They made their home there and welcomed their first child, Marcia Ann in July of 1950. A few years after separating from the military, they welcomed their second child, Gary Steven in September of 1955. The family moved between Lawton and Oklahoma City, trading jobs with Jim's best friend, Blackie. The families were close and worked for the same company. Eventually, Jim took a job with Dulaney's, a large RCA/Whirlpool distributor, and became Regional Sales Manager for Eastern Oklahoma. In 1971, Jim was offered a District Sales Manager's job for the Whirlpool Corporation and the couple moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. In the spring of 1972, Jim had a hard attack and passed away there. With his death, there was no reason for Betty to remain in Charlotte so she and Gary moved back to Tulsa and she re-entered the work force. Betty started her professional career in banking in Oklahoma City at the First National Bank. Life would eventually lead Betty and her family to Tulsa where she worked for 12 years at Brookside State Bank, ultimately becoming an Assistant Vice President, until the family moved to North Carolina. Returning from Charlotte, Betty was the first hire for a new bank in Jenks, Riverside National Bank. The bank later became First National Bank of Jenks where Betty worked for over twenty years as Vice President and Cashier. She was active in the American Women's Banking Association's activities in Oklahoma, especially in the Tulsa Area. Betty retired in 1993 and lived for many years with her husband, Nevin "Jack" Graham, at their home in Jenks. After her retirement, she wanted to stay busy so she volunteered with the Parent Child Center of Tulsa. When her volunteer work was over, a tree was planted in the courtyard in recognition of her many contributions. Betty enjoyed many things in her life. She enjoyed her children and watched them grow into adulthood. She eagerly accepted into her family circle her son-in-law, Rob, and daughter-in-law, Julie. She also loved her two grandchildren, Kevin and Lindsey, as well as, her three great grandchildren, Maya Allen and Evelyn and Cooper Kogut. She felt blessed to have lived long enough to know and love three generations of her family. Betty was close to her three sisters, Dolores, Shirley, and Linda. They played extended card games every time they visited her and were extremely competitive. She always had a scorepad and stacks of cards at the ready when they would arrive. Her love of cards and games brought her many friends over her lifetime. Of course, cards and games were not her only love. She and her sisters were all avid readers as well. They shared books between Casper, Wyoming, Denver, Colorado and Jenks, Oklahoma. Betty even forced her son to develop a spreadsheet to track all the books so they would try not to read them multiple times as they shipped them back and forth between sisters. Betty was always quick with a smile for anyone she would meet. She lived a long and full life. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

Betty Lou Graham

November 11, 1927 - October 6, 2025