Thyra Louise Foreman

The confines of this notice are completely inadequate to accurately portray the richness and fullness of a life which Thyra herself characterized as "A Big, Marvelous life." Friends believed this wonderful lady was the living epitome of the philosophy - Go Big or Go Home! Thyra (known by her closest friends as Lea or Theo) is survived by her husband of 37 years, Russell J. Foreman; her beloved daughter, best friend, and daily care giver throughout Thyra's last year of life - Jill Blue, Edmond, OK; a son-in-law she loved beyond reproach, Michael M. Blue; and a son, Danny J. Harrison. Thyra gained three stepchildren when she married Russell J. Foreman, all of whom she loved greatly, Rusty D. Foreman of Houston, TX; Frank Foreman, Tulsa, OK; and Angela Foreman Chase, Denton, TX. Thyra inherited four grandchildren from her daughter, all of whom she simply adored - Nicholas Edson and Jared Edson, Oklahoma City, OK, Kamron Blue and J.J. Blue, Edmond, OK; Houston Harrison -son of Danny J. Harrison; and 3 grandchildren born from her (step)children: Amber Foreman and Jasper Foreman, Dallas, TX; and Andrew Foreman, Tulsa, OK. Thyra was blessed to also have grandchildren who came along through marriage: Scott and Steven Burrington; and Chris, Josh and Kiley Chase. She would come to finally have in her last years of life, 3 great-granddaughters, namely: Ne'vaeh Edson, Emily Edson and Nicole Edson. Thyra was preceded in death by her parents, Daniel J. and Thyra L. Holleyman, Kilgore, Texas, as well as older brother, Dannie Joe Holleyman, killed in a plane crash during WWII; and Gerald Gilbert ("Gibo") Holleyman, her baby brother she fought for like a mother hen, and loved his children, Deborah Holleyman Ellis, Chris and Mark Holleyman, without reserve. Thyra was born in Vernon, Texas on January 21, 1927. She grew up in the oil fields and churches of east Texas, and graduated high school in the 1943-44 school year from Londana High School. It was a challenging time and held great importance to Thyra; it was the generation where the U.S. was at war, many of the students of her senior class drafted or enrolled prior to graduation into the U.S. Armed Services where they would defend our country in WWII. Thyra was part of the U.S.O. show throughout the entire war, and volunteered substantial hours to "the cause". Because of the credo written by survivors as a result of one of the most disastrous school events in U.S. history: "No one is dead, truly dead, until no one remembers them, and no one speaks their name", it should be dutifully and honorably noted that ten-year old Thyra L. Holleyman was one of the survivors of the New London Elementary School explosion of 1937 (the largest loss of life due to a single event in U.S. history to date). New London, Texas, known at the time as the richest independent school district in the United States due to its oil wealth, was able for its time to construct a state-of-the-art school to house grades K-11. On March 18, 1937 students prepared for an Inter-scholastic meet, while the PTA met in the gymnasium. A shop-class instructor turned on a sanding machine that sparked, instantly causing the greatest portion of the building to disintegrate with an explosion that could be heard four miles away. The building lifted in the air then smashed to the ground, causing walls to collapse and the roof to fall in; burying victims in a mass of brick, steel, and concrete after the building's 2-ton concrete slab was hurled 200 feet away. Of the almost 500 people in the building, 300 students and teachers died in the blast. Thyra survived without injury. It would haunt, and at times define Thyra for the rest of her life. It can be said that survival of this horror was also the pivotal moment that caused Thyra to live her days with such vigor; and was precipitous to her embedded philosophy of the aphorism carpe diem - Seize the Day! And that she did. Thyra loved the education process and attended both the University of North Texas, Denton, TX and the University of Texas, Austin, Texas, beginning when she was 17 years old. She would go on to graduate from the University of North Texas with accolades of being a member of the Dean and President's Honor roll throughout her entire college history; the campus queen in 1947; professor's assistant; and student body officer each year of college. She graduated with both a BS and BA after 4 short years. Carpe diem. Thyra went on to become a young professor of home economics (now known as Health 301) at the age of 21, while attending the master's business program at North Texas. Always comfortable with an operational knowledge of the oil and gas industry, Thyra landed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she began a lifetime career in some sector or another of the oil and gas industry. That is, after her initial job in Tulsa for the Borden Dairy working as a nutritionist in health management (Thyra was well known in the offices for sneaking into the dairy and "skimming the top" for fresh cottage cheese). Using her business education and lifetime knowledge of oil and gas, she went to work in 1960 at the law firm of Connor, Winters, Ballaine, Barry & McGown, for a young associate attorney, Barry J. Galt (now deceased). She described that day in writings as "one of the best days of her life". When Barry Galt moved to The Williams Companies to serve as Senior Vice President and General Counsel in 1976, he took Thyra with him to operate as administrative assistant. He was known to say Thyra was his work wife, pushing him forward with determination and haste; thus, his advancement at The Williams Companies in1979 to President and Chief Operating Officer. Despite Mr. Galt's departure from TWC in 1982 when he took a position in her home State of Texas, Thyra remained employed at TWC until her retirement in 1992. She simply could not relocate to Texas, leaving children and friends behind; and never regretted her stay at TWC, working for and with distinguished executives/attorneys such as C.J. Head and Vernon Jones (one of her most treasured and respected friends), over her remaining 10 years at TWC. During her tenure at TWC, Thyra became involved with Exective Women International (EWI), and traveled about to various functions around the world. Thyra was also known for speaking to women at conferences and meetings regarding opportunity(ies) in the corporate world and the future for women in a new era. Upon retirement in 1992, Thyra followed husband Russ to Wichita, KS, where Russ had obtained a position with Boeing and gone to work during the previous year. From 1991 to 1992, Thyra traveled back and forth from Tulsa to Wichita each weekend to do laundry and cook for the week for Russ. She did so without complaint, probably because of the beautiful new home they had built on Crystal Lake (15 yds from back door to boat slip) where she moved after retirement. The pair went on to live in this dream home for 10 years. The couple built their final dream home in 2001, and in January of 2002, Thyra and Russ moved from Wichita to Edmond to be closer to her daughter and son-in-law, Jill and Michael Blue, Thyra's grandchildren and eventually great grandchildren. For several years and through her octogenarian years, Thyra volunteered at the Mercy Hospital gift shop helping families during the difficult time of having a sick loved one in the hands of Mercy, and routinely went into her own pocket to help with flowers and gift baskets for the patients. She had a secret habit of keeping $1 and $5 dollar bills in her volunteer smock to insure every child who came through the door of the gift shop was able to purchase a gift for an ill parent or sibling when they had insufficient funds for whatever they might choose. Thyra loved travel and had seen a good part of the States, Canada and Europe. In retirement, she thrived on family, good food, good conversation, and socializing - always with her million dollar grin and wonderful smile that could light up a room. In the last years of her life, Thyra slowed down a bit as back-to-back illnesses found her in Proton Therapy and brief hospital care. Her daughter, grandchildren and great grandchildren have remained by her side through it all. The family was blessed to have had both Mercy Home Health and Valir palliative and then hospice care for Thyra to enjoy being in her own bed in her own home during her last months of life. The nurses and care givers showed tremendous compassion and respect, allowing Thyra to pass into the light with dignity. They loved her as one of their own family members, cared for Russ during such time with his own illnesses, and accorded great respect to daughter Jill with her daily care of Thyra. Thyra continued to help others even after her death by donating her body to the University of Texas (Southwest) for possible study of her rare illness, examined in quest for a cure; and for donation of all skin and organs that may help in other fields of research. Typical of Thyra, she didn't want to conform to standard offering by limiting her gift to select organs. She would be over the moon to know Jill was able to secure a whole-body bequeath to the University of Texas, a Longhorn fan to the end of her days. A Celebration of Life! service for Thyra will be held at 2:00pm on May 2nd, 2014, at Smith-Kernke North Chapel, located at 14624 North May Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73134, (405) 302-0021. Please feel free, in lieu of flowers, to make donations to the Oklahoma Hospice & Palliative Care Association (OHPCA), 16307 Sonoma Park Drive, Suite 2, Edmond, OK 73013; University of Texas (Southwestern),Willed Body Program,5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, Texas 75390-9143, 214-648-2221, or to the Autism Speaks Foundation, 1060 State Road, 2nd Floor, Princeton, NJ 08540, Tax ID #: 20-2329938, in honor of Thyra's charmed and beloved grandson, J. Daniel Blue (J.J.).