The celebration of this precious life will be held at 2:00 P.M., Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at First United Methodist Church of Stanton with Rev. Daniel Armstrong, pastor, officiating. Interment will follow at Evergreen Cemetery in Stanton.The family will receive friends Monday, December 17, from 6 PM to 7:30 PM at the Gilbreath Funeral Home.Ona Bickley was born September 9, 1916 in Trent, Texas to J.R. and Arilla Nichols. The family moved to West Texas where she went to school and graduated from Courtney.She married Harrison Bickley on December 31, 1938 in the First Methodist Church in Stanton.Ona was a loving and nurturing wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She devoted her life to Christ and used her musical talent playing the organ and piano in her church from the time she was a teenager. She enjoyed playing for her friends and family, especially when they gathered around the piano to sing. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren loved to sing along at Christmas time while she played their favorites.Those who knew her loved her wonderful sense of humor and contagious laugh. She was a great story teller and enjoyed sharing fond memories. Ona was especially blessed by her loving Sunday School Class, and church family and her community.She is survived by two daughters and one son-in-law, Shirley Stone and Marilyn and Bud Glaspie all of Stanton; four grandchildren and their spouses, Kevin and Darci Glaspie and Kelli and Brad Holland all of Stanton, Stacy and Fred Vanderwerf of L'Vive, Ukraine and Marci and Chris Walker of Midland; eight great-grandchildren, one brother, Oran Nichols and wife Juanita of Midland; two brothers-in-law, Bill Clements of Bedford and Jimmy Bickley and wife Emma Lee of Robert Lee; three sisters-in-law, Glen Powell of Bastrop, Louise Graves of McMinnville, Oregon and Lavada Barnhill of Stanton and numerous nieces and nephews.She was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers, Clarence Nichols and Elma "Pop" Nichols, two sisters, Opal Jones and Velma Clements, and her loving husband of sixty seven years.The family would like to give a special thanks to Home Hospice and to Rosie Young for their kind and compassionate care during "MeMa" Ona's last months.The family suggests memorials be made to First United Methodist Church P.O. Box 1193, Stanton, Texas 79782 or to Home Hospice, 901 W. Missouri Ave., Midland, Texas 79701.Arangements are under the direction of Gilbreath Funeral Home. Online condolences may be made at www.npwelch.com.,
