Ina Fern Pulliam-Boling

Ina was born September 13, 1926 on a farm in Gatewood, Missouri to Noah and Della Hackworth. She had 2 brothers, Hank, and Donald; 4 sisters, Lena Cypret, Pauline Starling, Reva Martin, and Ruth Schmidt all preceding her in death. Ina married Leonard Ray Pulliam on July 18, 1942, in Chandler, Oklahoma. Over the years they lived in Missouri, California, and eventually settling in Oklahoma in the small town of Carney. Together they had 4 sons, Raymond (deceased as a child at the age of three years old), Gary, Curtis, and Rickey. Ina was a homemaker and caregiver. She was a stay-at-home mom and cared for her father, who was ill with cancer, during the final year of his life until his death. After raising her family, she went to work for Oklahoma State University as housekeeper in one of the men’s dorm on campus. She worked in that capacity for a number of years and then later, after leaving OSU, worked in Shawnee, Oklahoma at St. Gregory’s College. She loved gardening, canning and freezing the vegetables and fruits from her prized garden. Many in the community enjoyed the results of her efforts in this regard because she was an excellent cook and was always ready to “throw a feast together” for anyone - family or friend, who might stop by around meal-time. Ina enjoyed sewing and quilting. She spent many hours creating beautiful, handmade quilts for family members. One of her ultimate goals was to make sure that each of her children, each of her grand children and especially, each of her great grand children had one of her handmade quilts. Most of the quilts featured or were created around each child’s interests. One of her unique quilts was constructed from her mother’s many handkerchiefs. Another was a quilt created from signature squares of many members of the Carney community. Each was signed and stitched and sewn into the quilt top to create a beautiful, personal and unique piece of iconic folk art. February of 1989, husband Ray, the love of her life, passed away. She was devastated by his death and after several months of mourning, sold their home and moved to a retirement community located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Ina remarried in 1993, to Wilford Boling, a life-long friend and cousin of her deceased husband. The remaining years of Ina’s life were spent as a companion and friend to Wilford. Survivors include her husband, Wilford Boling; her sons and spouses Gary and Janet, Curtis and Doris, and Rickey and Teena; grandchildren Heather and Joseph Mendenhall, Tesia and Nathan Roberts, Stephen and Renee, Richard and Kristie, Clint and Heather; great grandchildren Megan, Myla, Mallory, Avery, Tyler, Shyanne, Peyton, Parker, MacKenzie, Taylin, Trinity, and Tyson; and multiple nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 PM, Thursday, March 24, at the Carney Assembly of God Church, with Rev. Freddie Hackworth officiating. Interment will follow at Carney Cemetery. Public visitation will start Wednesday, March 23, 2016, from 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Parks Brothers Funeral Home in Chandler, Oklahoma.