Wilma Macomb

1924 - 2015

Wilma Macomb
1924-2015
Wilma Macomb, age 91, passed away on Thursday, May 14, 2015 in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Service will be at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 at Forest Lawn Funeral Home Chapel with interment to follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service.
Wilma was born in Sapulpa, Oklahoma on January 4, 1924 to the late John M. Macomb and Rose Dilbeck Macomb.
Wilma took pride in her profession as an executive secretary for the Continental Oil Company (Conoco). In the early 1960s, she was one of the few Certified Professional Secretaries in the business world. She studied at the Oklahoma University Night School for two years and passed the rigorous two-day examination. During her 43 years with Conoco, she worked with some of the top executives. At the time of her retirement, she became an active member of CHARA, an organization designed to help Conoco retirees stay connected to each other through social activities and educational programs. In addition, she maintained a close relationship with a group of co-workers and traveling companions, the "Lunch Bunch," that continues to support each other and celebrate life events.
While still in her 20s, Wilma offered a place in her home to her recently widowed mother, Rose. This arrangement continued for 17 years. During that time, as her mother's health declined, Wilma gradually took on the role of family matriarch. She became the person to ask for advice, the person to turn to in crisis. She added to the quality of the lives of her six nieces and one nephew with trips to the zoo, professional ball games, museums, art galleries and the theatre. She tried to pass on her love of sewing; her family learned enough to appreciate the skill that went into the couture suits she made for her professional wardrobe. Wilma maintained her sense of style and elegant demeanor until the end of her life.
She loved to read, she also loved to travel. One of her first trips was on a banana boat to Cuba and Guatemala. She wanted to see where Ernest Hemingway lived. She found the house but he wasn't home. Years later, she talked a travel companion into going to a bullfight. She made several trips to Europe over the years and the friends who joined her had many adventures to recount. On her last trip, which was to Greece, she packed her folding cane next to her bathing suit.
When her older sister, Aliene, was widowed, Wilma once again opened her home. The sisters were able to spend 10 years together. In 2009, Wilma moved to the East Coast to live with her grand-niece, Jamie Chamberlin, and her family, and had a whole new set of adventures. She spent her final years in sunny Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her family would like to thank all the wonderful people there who assisted with her care and brought her joy.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Rex Macomb, two sisters, Aliene Macomb Bell and Carmen Macomb Ray, two nieces, Roberta Macomb Graves and Judith Macomb Gillogly, and longtime friend Carl Wieder.
Survivors include her nephew, Don Bell, and her nieces, Sonja Bell Halsey, Linda Ray Toups, Alberta Macomb Pingel, and Lynda Macomb Hutcheson. She is also survived by several grand-nieces and nephews.