A Celebration of Life will be held for Grace Frymire 87 year old Thomas resident on Saturday, September 25, 2021 in The Bethany Brethren in Christ Church at 2:00 P.M. with Jay Frymire and James Rainwater officiating, under the direction of Lockstone Funeral Home.
Grace was born one of eight children to Amos and Katie (Miller) Bontrager on May 12, 1934, on the family farm southwest of Thomas, Oklahoma, and passed away Friday, September 10, 2021, at home surrounded by her family. Grace attended Jefferson country school for 4 years, then went to Thomas School until the 8th grade when she went to work on the family farm chopping cotton and driving combine. She continued to be an avid reader for the rest of her life.
Grace and her sisters loved to sing, especially in church. She has lists of her favorite songs and hymns. One of her most favorite songs was always It Is Well With My Soul because it led to her salvation at 16 years old.
She married Vernon Frymire, Jr. on April 21, 1953 at Pueblo, Colorado in the minister’s home. They were proud of their service during time of war at mental hospitals in Pueblo, Colorado and Topeka, Kansas. Then in 1954, they moved to a farm near Thomas, where they began their family having 3 sons Nevin Wayne, Timothy Don, and Robert Alan. They joked that every election year Grace would be pregnant. Then, in October of 1970 they received a call from Deaconess Hospital informing them of a baby girl who was up for adoption. They loaded up the whole family and drove to Oklahoma City and came home with Kristi Lynn.
They lived in the country near Thomas until 1989, when they built a home in town where they lived until her passing.
In their early farming years, they owned and operated a dairy with Vernon’s brother, Donald. Then in 1973, they began custom harvesting, which they continued running from Texas to North Dakota and Idaho until 1990. During harvest, Grace did all the crew laundry and provided 3 home cooked meals, including a homemade pie every day and delivered these to the harvest field.
Grace’s faith was very important to her and was always evident as she was an active member of the Bethany Brethren in Christ Church. She was very active with the ladies groups during sewing circle, singing groups, and regional conference meals. She taught Sunday school and Pioneer Girls for many years and was instrumental in planting the seed of the gospel in many young people. She and Vernon shared a love of gospel music, especially the Gaither Vocal Band attending many of their shows and trips.
Grace is survived by her husband of 68 years, Vernon of the home in Thomas; two sons, Tim and his wife Johnette of Thomas, Robert and his wife Annie of Thomas; one daughter Kristi and her husband Calley Spaeth of Thomas; eleven grandchildren, Jay Frymire and wife Brooke, Ashley Walker and husband Brent, Elliott Maldanado, Zac Frymire and wife Jen, Stephanie Perkins and husband Aaron, Jonathan Marlow and wife Megan, Jordan Marlow and wife Nicole, Carley LeMoine and husband Ryan, Cooper Frymire, Cason Frymire, and Carter Frymire; and eleven great-grandchildren. Four sisters, Fannie Stelting Silsvy of Seadaville, Texas; Mary Ann Boileau of Thomas, Amy Bender Moore of Hannibal, Missouri; Ella Powers of Weatherford; and one brother, Frank Bontrager and wife Ruth of Wichita, Kansas. Also Evelyn Frymire Hightower and husband Dennis of Bartlesville, OK and two sons, Kyle and Blake.
Grace was preceded in death by her parents, one son Nevin, a brother Alvin Bontrager, a sister Alice Mae Yoder Switzer; and daughter-in-law, Brenda Frymire.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Bethany Brethren in Christ Church.