Ella Comingdeer

Beloved Mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother, Great-Great Grandmother, Sister, and Aunt. She was the dearest of matriarchs, a great friend, and exemplified for many a quiet, faithful spirit. As one of her granddaughters wrote recently, "God bless you, Grandma, for you truly are a virtuous woman, and your children (and grandchildren) do rise up and call you blessed! For your price is far above rubies! THANK YOU for the lesson I learned just by watching your life....love you...." Ella departed this life on October 25, 2007, at the age of 92. The family, however, celebrates both her life and her home going, for Ella's faith and confidence in eternal life in Christ was strong and steadfast. For many years she was a member of the Drumright Assembly of God church; and at the time of her death was a member of the Northside United Pentecostal Church in Ft. Smith, AR. She was a student of the Bible and a woman of prayer, and always found and attended a house of worship wherever she resided. She taught in Drumright Sunday School and Vacation Bible School programs for a number of years. She also participated regularly in the activities of the Women's Missionary Council. Born on January 15, 1915 in Koshkonong, Missouri, Ella was the oldest of six children born to Everett and Eva Ballew Lingle. At an early age, she moved with her family to Siloam Springs, Arkansas. She also lived with her family in a number of rural communities in eastern Oklahoma including Chewey where she completed her eighth grade examinations. She moved in with her grandparents in Siloam Springs to complete one year of high school at John Brown University. In the 1980's she went through a local educational program in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and received a General Education Diploma. In 1938 Ella met and married Woodrow Carroll of Drumright, Oklahoma. The couple made Drumright their home and six children were born to them over the course of the next number of years: four sons and two daughters. While Woody kept livestock on their farm northeast of Drumright and worked in the oilfield business, Ella managed the household, did the family laundry on a wringer-style washing machine with line drying, and maintained a vegetable garden each year. She enlisted the help of her children as they were able. She hand-made clothing for the children as needed. She was a faithful and loving caregiver to all her children, each of which feels they were their mother's favorite. Ella leaves a host of friends, nieces and nephews, and loved ones. Her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will miss her comfort and cheer. She was preceded in death by her parents, two sisters, Willie Erickson and Lucille Kelly Cramer, and two brothers, Buck and Jimmy Lingle. She is survived by all of her children, Bob Carroll of Drumright, OK; Phyllis Rice of Perry, OK; Donna Garrett of Ft. Smith, AR; Jim Carroll of Goodlettsville, TN; Jerry Carroll of Pittsburg, TX; and Billy Carroll of Drumright, OK. Also she is survived by a sister, Nina Quick of West Siloam , Oklahoma. Her blood descendants at the time of her death totaled fifty-four, including a recently arrived first great-great-grandson. Also revered by those who had married into the family, her daughters-in-law, sons-in-law, and grandchildren by marriage, she leaves the legacy of a long life of faithful example, the memory of a non-judgmental spirit, the demonstration of an ability to communicate true devotion in a simple word, touch, or smile, and the witness to us all that, through Christ, the end of our earthly life begins the greatest adventure of all. Memorial service is scheduled for Monday, October 29, 2007 at Wasson Funeral Home, Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Interment will be at Bell Cemetery near Watts, Oklahoma. Visitation will be Sunday, October 28, 2007 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Wasson Funeral Home.

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Ella Comingdeer

January 15, 1915 - October 25, 2007