Thelma Lucile Slover, age 87, of Flora, Illinois, passed away Tuesday, October 1, 2013.  Born July 17, 1926 to Rex and Zora Kitley, Thelma survived in good humor the Great Depression and World War II.  Although she graduated from Roosevelt High in St. Louis, she considered her friends in the Flora High Class of 1944 to be her true graduating class.

     While waiting for husband-to-be John Slover to return from the war, she engaged in her own war effort at McQuay Norris, supervising an assembly line of 13 “girls” building nose cones for bombs.  Like Rosie the Riveter, when the war was over, so was her job.  Jobs for women were scarce, but she soon found employment with the American Red Cross.  Thelma married her own personal war hero in 1946.

     In later years, she was the girl Friday to the joint real estate and insurance offices of Bob Garrison and Lyman Bottorff, where, in addition to those considerable duties, she also kept the City’s books and operated the Western Union telegraph.  She later became an officer of the Flora Savings and Loan Association, from which she eventually retired.

     Thelma never shied from trying something new.  In school, it was basketball and skating; later, it was dance classes, ice skating, archery, horseback riding, water skiing, and even downhill skiing.  She once considered, but drew the line at, skydiving and bungee jumping.

     Nothing put the light in Thelma’s eyes more than being around her family, especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  She loved to hear their stories and share their joys.

     She will be sadly missed by all who survive her:  husband John, son Bruce and daughter-in-law Cathy, grandchildren Dawn Crabtree, Rob and John Slover, and great-grandchildren Molly and Taylor Crabtree and Sophia Slover, sister Joanne Bertram, and all her extended family.

     A memorial service for Thelma Slover will be held 2 p.m. Friday, October 4, 2013 at Frank & Bright Funeral Home in Flora.  Visitation will be held from 1-2 p.m. on Friday at the funeral home.  Memorials are suggested to the Clay County Cancer Support Group and will be accepted at the funeral home.