Annie Arlene Oliver Whorton

Annie Arlene Oliver WhortonAnnie Arlene Oliver Whorton, 85, of Apache Junction, passed away Feb. 2.She was the sixth of seven children of Ed and Rhoda Oliver, born in Republican, Ark., May 28, 1921.She was the one who fell into the fireplace and burned her hand, was bitten by a copperhead snake, had diphtheria, and consequently, helped her mother with the home chores most of the time rather than working in the family cotton fields, cotton gin and sawmill, although she did that, too.She was 13 when her mother died and she stayed home to take care of her father for a time after graduating from high school. She worked in an airplane factory in Wichita, Kan., during World War II, then earned her teaching degree and taught first grade in several small towns in Arkansas. She married Elmer Whorton in 1948, whose children, Frieda and Don, she always loved very much.The Whortons moved to Nashville, Tenn. where daughter, Pam, was born.Mrs. Whorton worked in department stores in Nashville and later taught in Knoxville.In 1959, she went to New Mexico, where she loved teaching mostly Navajo and Zuni children. She retuned to finish her degree at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee in 1963, and then taught again in New Mexico until moving to Apache Junction in 1968. She taught second grade here until having heart surgery in 1984, forcing her to retire. She soon began volunteering in the schools in order to stay active and be with the children she loved so much.Of seven Oliver children, Seth, Vonda, and Winifred preceded their sister in death. Frances, Freda and Helen survive her as well as daughters, Pam and Frieda; son-in-law, Bud; son, Don; grandson, Ricky; great granddaughter Magen; nephew, Robert, nieces, Maxie, Marguerite, Brenda, Janet, Cheryl and Karin; and a number of great nieces and nephews.Her great loves were her family and her school children. She also enjoyed traveling, reading and working for the local education association to improve conditions for her students and fellow teachers. In 1980, she gained a whole new group of beloved sisters when she joined the Beta Sigma Phi sorority.She received Jesus as her Savior at the age of 18 and loved singing gospel hymns, reading her Bible and worshipping at the Baptist churches she joined in each new location. She planned to live to be 200 years old, but she always knew where she would go after that.She died peacefully in her sleep. Her daughter, Pam, and dear friend, JoJo Graham, were with her at the time.Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery handled arrangements.