Lawanda, age 94, passed away on Tuesday, March 31 in her home in Warr Acres, OK. Born on the family farm near Medford, OK, to Elmer and Lizzie (Clark) McClaflin, she was the oldest of 5 siblings.
A member of the Greatest Generation, Lawanda lived through the dust bowl depression in northern Oklahoma and through World War II. She saw her future husband, Ralph, join the Army Air Corps and serve in the South Pacific.
She graduated Medford HS in 1943 and attended Bethany Nazarene College.
She married Ralph Carl Watson in 1943 and they had 5 children: Phyllis Estelle, James Carl, Janice Edythe, Ralph Joel and Jeffrey Lee. They owned and operated a custom wheat harvesting business, traveling and working from Texas to the Canadian border each summer until Ralph's death in 1973.
Lawanda married Lester Hostetler of Harper, KS, in 1974 and her family expanded to include 3 step-daughters, Diana Peden, Bonnie Starry and Sheralyn Neff. Lawanda and Lester lived in Harper and owned the Redi-Mix concrete business and were active members of Harper Valley Mennonite Church until Lester's death in 2001.
Lawanda moved to Warr Acres (part of OKC) in 2003. In 2004, she married Alfred Carl Allison, expanding her family further to include step-children Carl Jr. and Christine Minch. She and Al enjoyed traveling and retirement until Al's death in 2006. They were active members of Bethany First Church of the Nazarene.
Lawanda had many interests and a sense of adventure. She will be remembered for the clothes and beautiful quilts she made for her family and her coconut cream pie. She loved going up in small planes and she celebrated her 90th birthday by going sky-diving.
She had a kind and generous heart and loved nothing more than helping someone in need. Above all, she was dedicated to her family and her faith.
Lawanda had the good fortune of a long, healthy life, living independently in her home until she lost a brief battle with cancer.
She was preceded in death by husbands, Ralph, Lester and Al and by daughter, Phyllis (died in infancy), son, Joel and step-daughter, Bonnie. Also brothers, William Eugene (Gene) McClaflin and Elmer Dale McClaflin and sister, Bertha Downing.
She is survived by sister, Alice Allen of Warr Acres; by son, James (Jim) Watson and his wife Ginny of Plano, TX, and their 4 children, Jill, Jamie, Joy and Jim Jr, their spouses and 11 grandchildren; by daughter, Janice Scott of Bethany, OK, and her 2 daughters, Rachel and Rendi, their husbands and 3 grandchildren; by daughter-in-law, Gayna Watson of Apache Junction, AZ; by son Joels 2 daughters, Rhea and Amanda, their husbands and 3 grandchildren; and by son, Jeff Watson and his wife Queta of Dallas, TX, and their 2 sons, Kemper and Casey.
Viewing
Mercer-Adams Funeral Service
Tuesday, April 07, 2020
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
3925 North Asbury Avenue
Bethany, Oklahoma 73008
Private Services
Mercer-Adams Chapel
Wednesday, April 08, 2020
3925 N. Asbury
Bethany, OK 73008