Eldean Hurst Tillery Wing

Eldean Hurst Tillery Wing


Eldean “Mawmaw” Wing left this earthly world to join numerous friends and relatives in eternal life on
October 9, 2020.  Eldean was born on July 8, 1927, in Maud, Oklahoma. She recently celebrated her 93rd birthday. She was one of nine children born to Robert and Faye Hurst.  Her family came from Flippin, Arkansas, to the oil patch in Oklahoma and lived a meager life in the Maud/St. Louis area. 

She married Otis Tillery in 1946 and moved to Shawnee where she continued to live on the family farm after his death. Her home was the main gathering place for endless family celebrations throughout her life.  She worked outside the home as a cashier at Safeway for 22 years.

She married Lester Wing with whom she shared 40 happy years until his death in 2012. They enjoyed being members of Immanuel Baptist Church and traveling together both domestic and abroad, including two trips to the Holy Land. Her happiness revolved around living in the spiritual experience every minute with love, grace, and gratitude. 

One of Eldean’s biggest passions in life was making quilts. Her family was the main recipients of her handmade craft including just this past Christmas her gift of 12 quilts to her 4 children:  Tim (Jill) Tillery, Plano, Texas; Diana (Hank) Marx, Lewisville, Texas; Pat Tillery, Shawnee, Oklahoma; and Tina (Ken) Leone, Shawnee, Oklahoma; and 8 grandchildren:  Patrick (Jennifer) Welch, Lori (Jason) Steinle, Dax (Amber) Leone, Joey Lansing, Angie (Brady) Ayala, Rebecca (Garland) Rowan, Chad (Jessica) Leone, and Sam Tillery (fiancé Amy Raiff).

There was rarely a time in the past 50 years when she didn’t have a quilt started or plans of what to make next. Her latest quilting project was to make 13 baby quilts for each of her great-grandchildren to give to their future first-born child:  Garrett, Abigail, Evan, Josh, Avrey, Tal, Jacob, Irelynn, Payden, Ryan, Cason, Raleigh, and Delta.

She also lovingly made quilts for Lester’s children: Nancy (Earl) Crissman, Leslie (Jimmy) Hopper, and David (Heather) Wing and their families. 

She had a very special bond with her niece, Regena Morton, and the women in her Sunday School class, especially Virginia Coates.

Eldean will be deeply missed as she was loved by so many especially friends and relatives including her four remaining siblings:  James Hurst, Jack Hurst, Margaret French, and Patricia Ramsey.  She will be welcomed to eternity by her sisters:  Lorene Guadagna, Neva Knight, Helen Patton, and Joyce Parker.

Viewing will be from 12:00 to 8:00 pm on Monday, October 12, 2020 at Cooper Funeral Home in Tecumseh where masks will be mandatory at the request of the family. A private graveside service at 2:00 pm, Tuesday, October 13, 2020 for family members at Tecumseh Cemetery with Mark Wright, Associate Pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church, officiating. Please join in the celebration of Eldean’s life through Cooper Funeral Home’s Facebook page for live streaming of the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the building fund at Immanuel Baptist Church in Shawnee.