Nola Mae Burba

Nola Mae Norwood Burba was born on a farm about seven miles southeast of Cleveland, Oklahoma, the only child of Earl Leonard and Ida Mae (Sneed) Norwood. . All four of her grandparents lived nearby and were a very important part of her wonderful childhood. She attended a one-room country school named Grandview for seven years. Nola's uncle was a Sunday School teacher and first introduced Nola to the man, C. L. Burba, she was to spend her life with at a Sunday School wiener roast on the Norwood farm. The couple eventually began dating when they were attending Cleveland High School . After high school graduation with the Class of 1954; Nola accepted employment as a secretary for Johnson Oil Company while C. L. attended Oklahoma A&M. The couple were married at the First Baptist Church in Cleveland on June 20, 1954. C. L. and Nola had two daughters, Karen Lynn and Amanda Mae. Church was always an important part of Nola's family as a child but she actually accepted Jesus Christ as her Personal Savior and was saved at the age of twenty-one at a revival in a tent where a mission church was being established in Cleveland. After moving to Tulsa in 1957, Nola and C. L. joined the Eastwood Baptist Church in 1958. Nola began teaching Sunday School immediately as did C. L. They continued in their involvement with the children's Sunday School at Eastwood Baptist for forty-three wonderful years of happy experiences. After C. L. retired from American Airines, the couple spent many wonderful times together traveling. A trip to Disneyland in California to celebrate birthdays was the usual and was for many years which later included the grandchildren with total visits numbering twenty-three. In 2005, C. L. and Nola were offered jobs at Disneyland as senior greeters. They decided they were too senior to try it at that time in their life. On one special trip in 2003, they went to Pasadena and helped with the contruction of a float for the New Year's Rose Parade with six family members working side by side for ten straight hours. They assisted in the positioning of many thousand yellow roses in water vials for the float. After all this strenuous and enjoyable work, they spent the next three hours celebrating New Year's Eve at Disneyland. Nola's hobbies include collecting souvenir spoons and working with her photo albums. At last count she had nearly 360 spoons in her collection. Her favortie pasttime, however, was spending time with her family and friends and reflecting upon the Goodness of Godís Love and Amazing Grace. She lived her life as a wonderful example of a Christian lady and always reminded those around her of her favoirte scirpture, Hebrews 13:8, î 8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Nola went to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on Thursday, December 20, 2012 at the Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa at the age of seventy-six. She is survived by her husband, of fifty-eight years, C. L. Burba of the home; two daughters and their husbands, Amy and Clayton Haggard of Bixby, Oklahoma and Karen and Dennis Smith of Sherwood, Arkansas; three granddaughters, Elizabeth Bullington, Rachael Smith and Jessica Haggard; one grandson, Jonathan Haggard; grandson-in-law, Jason Bullington; great-grandson, Fletcher Bullington; numerous other relative and friends including her church family at Eastwood Baptist Church. . She was preceded in death by parents, Earl Leonard and Ida Mae Norwood. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 am Saturday, December 22, 2012 at Eastwood Baptist Church in Tulsa with Pastor Gordon Small officiating. Burial will be at 1:00 pm, at the Dixie-Bear Creek Cemetery in Cleveland, Oklahoma. Serving as pallbearers will be Bob Haggard, Jonathan Haggard, Jason Bullington, Claud Lenard, Pat Hutchens, and Wayne Ward. Friends may share a memory with the family at the funeral home or online at www.chapman-black.com