Christian Burial within the Liturgy of the Word for Glenda Lee Walding, 86, formerly a longtime resident of Broken Arrow, will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in El Reno, Oklahoma at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, April 30, 2021 with Father Lance Warren officiating.
Glenda Lee (Jones) Walding was born May 30, 1934 in Shawnee, Oklahoma. She died Saturday, April 24, 2021 in Oklahoma City.
Glenda met and married R. M. “Wally” Walding and they had 45 years together until his death.
She and Wally settled in Broken Arrow making it their home. Once her two sons were in grade school, Glenda returned to school and earned her Master’s degree in Education.
She was a teacher for 30 years in Broken Arrow, and was awarded Broken Arrow’s Teacher of the Year in 1973. She also was a swimming instructor for over 35 years and loved to teach swimming. The Broken Arrow community remembers and had recognized her for her many years of service. Following are some of her words that exemplify her thoughts on teaching and life:
“The first person who gave me confidence in myself was a teacher, and what she gave me made the difference in the way my life went. I decided I wanted do for other youngsters what that one teacher did for me. A teacher only encourages; the student DOES. And I want to encourage those children to stand on their own two feet, to have respect and pride in themselves. My satisfaction comes when I see an unhappy child begin to smile. The teacher’s relationship to the student is the most important thing in the classroom. We are teaching people, not machines, and thus the essential qualities for a teacher to have are sincerity and honesty. I care less if my students can add or subtract or conjugate French verbs, but that they are kind and compassionate to each other.”
Survivors include her sons and daughters-in-law Andy and Patti Walding of Edmond, Keith and Gale Walding of Merriam, Kansas; grandchildren and their families Alexandra and Tyler Cushing and daughter Elizabeth of Oklahoma City, Meredith Hall of Oklahoma City, Jason and Shannon Churchill and their children, Sam, Morgan and Miles of Bee Cave, Texas and James Churchill and son Cash Wally of Glendale, Arizona.
The family would like to thank the staff of St. Katharine Drexel Retirement Center in El Reno for their excellent care given to Glenda these past four years.
Interment will be in Park Grove Cemetery in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma under the direction of Ferguson Funeral Home.