Rae Wilson departed this life on November 23, 2011, in Ventura, after a rapid decline in her health. As she had wished, she died in her home. Her passing was peaceful and her daughter, Cheryl, was at her side. She was 90 years old.
Born Minnie Rae Lewis on January 3, 1921 in Madisonville, Tennessee, she was the first of three children born to Walter Earley Lewis and Sally Emeline Lewis nee Millsap. Minnie Rae often used her middle name, Rae. When Rae was six years old, the family moved to the Bardsdale-Fillmore area and, later, to Santa Paula. She had a talent for music, playing the piano in church and teaching her sister to play. Rae graduated from Fillmore High School with the class of 1944. She took classes at Ventura College and worked in banking, payroll, and secretarial work.
Rae worked as a secretary to the geologists at the Union Oil office in Santa Paula in the heyday of oil exploration in Ventura County. During this time, she met Gayford "Gay" Wilson and they soon married. Rae and Gay enjoyed entertaining guests and hosted many gatherings such as bridge club. They were active in the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Paula.
Summer vacations for the Wilson family frequently involved camping and water-skiing trips throughout California and Nevada. Gay and Rae visited Hawaii and Europe and traveled across the US in a motorhome. They moved to Ventura in 1985. Gay passed away in 2000. Rae enjoyed gardening, flower arranging, and playing golf with her many friends at the Saticoy Country Club. She was active in Loyal Friends, Ebell, and P.E.O. Her highest priority was always her family. We will all miss her.
Rae is preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Boyce, and his wife, Maxine. She is survived by her sister, Gloria Cooper (Bryan), daughter, Cheryl Wilson, son, Gary (Cindy), and grandchildren, Kyle Tripoli, Tyler and Nicole Wilson, and numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, and cousins.
A memorial and life celebration will be held on January 7, 2012, at 1:00 PM at the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Paula, 121 Davis Street, Santa Paula CA 93060. A reception in the fellowship hall will follow immediately after. In lieu of flowers, donations in Rae's memory can be made to Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice (1996 Eastman Avenue, Suite 101, Ventura, CA 93003). Rae's family wishes to extend a special thanks to Rae's nurse, Janet, and caregivers Constance and Beth. They were kind, patient, and comforting.