EDNA MAE BEACH was born on November 19, 1905, to Julia Ann Carr and John William Beach. She was born in Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio, and was the fourth of seven children.
Edna Mae Beach married Leonard Earl Strain, son of Frances Lee "Fanny" Davidson and Walter Andrew Strain, on May 3, 1930, in Sapulpa, Creek County, Oklahoma.
Edna Mae Beach died in Sapulpa, Creek County, Oklahoma, on March 4, 1996, at Pleasant Manor Nursing Home after a long illness. She is buried in South Heights Cemetery, Sapulpa. She was a member of First Baptist Church, Sapulpa.
Child of Edna Mae Beach and Leonard Earl Strain:
1. Bobby Lee Strain, who married Mary Susan Mayo. Their child is Timothy Hilton Strain.
EDNA MAE BEACH was born on November 19, 1905, in Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio. Her older siblings were Marie, Pearl (who died as an infant), and Opal. Brothers George and Marion, and little sister, Grace, were born after her.
Edna moved with her family from Ohio to Sapulpa, Creek County, Oklahoma, between 1910 and 1914. Her father, John William Beach, was an Oil Rig Builder, and Sapulpa was a "Boom Town" during that period of time.
Edna attended the Sapulpa Schools and graduated from high school in 1926-1927. On May 27, 1926, she began her first job as a salesgirl at F. W. Woolworth's store, located on East Dewey.
In 1926, Edna's Christmas bonus was $5.00. In 1927, it rose to $10.00.
Edna met Leonard Earl Strain while sking with a friend at a local rink in Sapulpa. They dated for a year or so before marrying in 1930.
Their first home was on South Muskogee Street in Sapulpa at about 716 where their only child, Bobby Lee, was born in July of 1932. Later they rented a little house on Bryan Street, and then another on Cleveland Street, both in Sapulpa.
On December 22, 1935, Edna Mae's father, John William, passed away. Then, not two years later, on August 20, 1937, her mother, Julia Ann Carr, was killed in an automobile accident while visiting family back in Ohio. After she lost both her parents, Edna and her husband and little Bobby moved into the family home at 717 South Muskogee Street. They lived there until 1958 when they bought their home at 104 West Davis, Sapulpa.
Edna was a dedicated homemaker and took pride in keeping her family happy and healthy. She was an accomplished seamstress, and won many awards for her handiwork. She loved flower gardening, and was a member of several of the local flower-growers clubs. She took particular joy in her roses and iris varieties. Springtime at the Strain home was ablaze with color from Edna's gardens. Edna also canned the food from her garden and won blue ribbons yearly for her efforts from both the Sapulpa and Tulsa fairs.
Edna was a devoted Christian and was a member of the First Baptist Church in Sapulpa for many years. Her son, Bobby, also was a member there. They were baptized the same Sunday, professing their faith in the Living Christ.
Edna and Leonard spend many happy hours working in the flower and vegetable gardens, doing small improvements on their home, and traveling together. When their son, Bobby, was in the Army stationed in El Paso, Texas, they made several trips together to see him and enjoyed visiting relatives along the way. It was a hard shock to Edna when her husband passed away at home of a heart attack on Sunday, March 30, 1963. Leonard had suffered a heart attack a few years earlier, and had been in questionable health since that time, but no one expected he would die as suddenly as he did at the age of 57.
Edna was always very close to her sisters and brothers, many of whom lived in the Sapulpa area. Marie and Grace, her oldest and youngest sisters, lived only a few blocks from Edna and they spent much time together. Her brother, George, also lived in Sapulpa, and she was able to spend time with him, also. Edna had many, many friends, all of whom provided comfort, support, and happy times in her life.
After her husband's death, Edna threw herself into her various clubs, including the Senior Citizens, the flowers and gardening clubs, and the Sapulpa Home Demonstration Club, and of course, her church activities. She began doing handicrafts during her many quiet hours and was chosen to display and sell her crafts at the huge annual War Eagle Crafts Fair held each fall in Rogers, Arkansas. All year long she added to her inventory of crocheted items, homemade candles, knniting and machine sewing. She and several of her friends loaded all of their goods into cars and headed to Arkansas, set up their booths and spend the three-day weekend selling what they'd made and meeting the shoppers who came from all over the country to look and buy. The trip to War Eagle each year was probably the highlight of her life after she lost her husband.
After Edna had established her presence at the War Eagle Crafts Fair, her son Bobby began helping her craft items and made the yearly trek to Arkansas with her. It was such a special time for Edna and Bobby to wake early on that certain October morning, load up the car and head East from Sapulpa into Arkansas. They always enjoyed stopping for breakfast at Locust Grove, Oklahoma, and then, after a leisurely meal, headed on into Rogers, Arkansas. One year heavy rains almost flooded the whole event out. The rain was non-stop and the tents that housed all of the crafters and their wares were ankle deep in water and mud. Cars, motor homes, and travel trailers that were stuck in the gooey mud had to be pulled out with bulldozers and tractors. But they all returned home, soggy and damp, with smiles on their faces, looking forward to the next year!
Edna kept her grandson, Timmy, supplied with dolls, ceramic figurines, and hand-crafted gifts. Some of his favorite toys and dolls were made by his Grandma Strain. She made many holiday decorations, which seemd to be her favorite things to make, and shared htem with her family as well. She enjoyed the fad of tube painting, and she made many beautiful pillowslips, dresser scarves, and Christmas decorations which are still cherished and used each year by her loved ones.
Edna spent each Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with her son and his family, who lived in Jenks. Her stay was always looked forward to. Little Timmy watched out the window expectantly for his Daddy to drive up with Grandma Strain. He knew she would be bringing homemake candy and cookies, along with big hugs and kisses and good times. After the presents were opened on Christmas morning, she returned to Sapulpa to prepare her portion of the big Christmas dinner that she shared with her family in Sapulpa. Tradition was very important to Edna, and she moved heaven and earth to participate in all family functions, even when she really didn't feel like it.
Edna's eyesight began to fail in about 1989, due to glaucoma, and the things she loved to do became very difficult for her to accomplish. Even with the aid of self-threading needles and bright, magnifying lamps, crafting was almost out of the question. She had to give up her trips to War Eagle in 1989, one year short of what would have been her "25th Anniversary" as a crafter there. And slowly but surely she had to sacrifice many of the things that had made her later years fulfilling. In 1990, Edna suffered a fall and a serious illness, and after trying to keep nurses in the home with her, finally the decision had to be made to place her in Pleasant Manor Nursing Home, located on Taft Street west of Main in Sapulpa.
Edna seemed to adjust as well as could be expected to her new environment. She was a "people person" and enjoyed the fact that many of her long-time friends were also residents of Pleasant Manor. Of course, her family also visited frequently, as well as her Sunday School class and her pastor. She took part in all of the activities at the home, as her energy and health would allow. But, in about 1994, Edna suffered a massive stroke, which robbed her of her ability to speak and kept her bedfast. She passed away at Pleasant Manor Nursing home on March 4, 1996.
Edna was buried in South Heights Cemetery, Sapulpa, Oklahoma, next to her husband, Leonard Earl. Her life here on this earth was finished, and she made her last move to be with her Lord and Savior and to spend all eternity.
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