Sue Southwick

Minnie Sue Southwick was born May 26th,1924 to Arthur Cleveland Walton and Blanche Bradshaw Walton in Haskell, Oklahoma. She was the fifth of eight children. She graduated from Haskell High School and after graduation moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma where she shared an apartment with her two older sisters. She worked for Oklahoma Natural Gas as a cashier where she met the love of her life Billy Lee Southwick. Bill recalls their first meeting as he returned from his military tour in the Pacific. He had been corresponding with a colleague of Sue’s who he intended to take out for coffee. Fortunately for Bill, she wasn’t there that day and he was star struck when he got a load of Sue sitting at the desk. Proudly displaying his full Army service dress, he decided on the spot that Sue could use some coffee and invited her to the “stainless steel diner” across the street. Their first official date was to a local hockey game in Tulsa. It was such a hit that he invited her to three more hockey games before Sue informed him that she didn’t like hockey…she must have really liked him! Sue and Bill were eager to get married, but Bill insisted that he needed to finish college first. In what he describes as their first compromise, they agreed to marry after his junior year. While he worked on his bachelor’s degree she worked on her PHT (Putting Hubby Through). Bill acknowledges any academic achievements were directly attributed to Sue who was typing his papers for him. They married on June 4th, 1948 in Tulsa. They later adopted two children William Clay and Carolyn Sue who they loved dearly. Bill says that Sue was the secret to their many successes with her gregarious persona, infectious laugh, and notorious sense of humor. This is what her entire family cherished about this sweet woman, a blessing to all those that had the privilege of being in her light. A memory from a loving niece captures it well as she recalled Sue entering a room announcing, “Stand up and cheer, Aunt Susie is here!” Sue is preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, JB Walton and Arthur Walton; sisters, Oleta Walton Miller, Ruth Walton Ellis and Martha Walton Hagaman; her son, William Clay Southwick; and daughter, Carolyn Sue Southwick. She is survived by her husband of 74 years, Bill Southwick; their grandson, Joshua Kyle Southwick; and sisters, Mardie Walton Mose and Mary Walton Day. A celebration of Sue’s life will be 2PM, Thursday, November 17, 2022 at St. Paul United Methodist Church with Rev. Emery Mason officiating. Interment will be at Fort Gibson National Cemetery at a later date.

Sue Southwick

May 26, 1924 - November 7, 2022