Obituary of Nelda Faye Witt

Nelda Faye Roberts Witt was born to Norman Leroy Roberts and Frances Louisa Randolph Roberts on October 22, 1936 in a house north of Hooker, Oklahoma. This house was not far from where her future husband, Jim Witt, was born and raised. The attending physician was too inebriated to properly sign her birth certificate. Her birth certificate was shrouded in mystery about whether her middle name was Faye or Fayetta, after her mother’s sister. The original certificate burned in a courthouse fire, and her new one was issued as Faye. Nelda was the youngest of five children: three brothers, Dilmon (Dee), Raymond (Ray), Dale and sister, Wanda. The Roberts family moved to town and opened Roberts Grocery and ran it while her two middle brothers served in WW2. Her father passed away when she was eleven in 1948. Her mother continued to run the store, and Nelda helped. Nelda loved school, church, and her friendships. She returned to as many high school reunions as she could and maintained life-long friendship with her classmates. Her best friend and classmate, Arthena Hoobler Witt, also became her sister-in-law and nearest neighbor. She was active in music and was an accomplished singer. She was also very busy in high school finding a husband. Although she was only allowed to double date, she and Jim married on June 28, 1953 in Perryton, Texas, because they were too young at 16 and 17 to marry in Oklahoma. They graduated from Hooker High School in 1954 and their son, James Lee Witt (Jick), was born in Liberal, Kansas on November 4, 1954. Jim and Nelda and Jick moved from Hooker (“a location, not an occupation”) to their farm north of Flagler during a dirt storm in 1955. Nelda and Baby Jick rode with her sister Wanda and couldn’t see Jim in the pickup ahead of them because of the blowing dirt, got lost and ran out of gas, an auspicious beginning to their new life. The house was dirty and filled with mice. Nelda and Wanda spent days cleaning it. Needless to say, Nelda did not want Wanda to leave to go back home, leaving her alone at 19 with a baby and a husband in a new place, miles from anyone she knew. Nelda moved to her new home with a Betty Crocker cookbook. She knew nothing about cooking, but diligently tackled learning how from Betty. Her family and friends remember her as an amazing cook, mastering the delicate art of gravy, meatloaf, cornbread, pies and chocolate cakes. She was jealous that Jick liked Arthena’s pancakes better than hers and was chagrined when Arthena revealed she made hers with Bisquick. The farm grew, Jick grew, and Nelda was instrumental in starting the meeting of the Flagler Church of Christ, which also grew. Nelda continued to enjoy singing, involvement at church and school, selling Fashion Two-Twenty makeup, and traveling. She enjoyed trips with family to Hawaii, Mexico, Argentina and throughout the U.S. Jick graduated high school in 1973 and married Rose Schiferl Witt Saffer on November 22, 1974. Jick and Rose had three kids, especially for her, Nelda thought: Jessica Lynn, William Lee, and Hannah Francis. After Nelda’s mother, Louisa, passed away in 1976, Nelda invested her inheritance in Jick’s dream of opening a Napa with his cousin, John Witt, in 1979. Jick passed away on April 22, 1982 at the age of 27, leaving a very young family. Much of Nelda’s life was focused on helping her grandkids grow. Nelda learned to read from her Grandmother Randolph before she went to school. She was a life-long reader and read for hours to her own grandkids. Her grandkids remember her “candy drawer,” a faithful supply of gum or mints at church, taking them swimming in town after summer dinners, allowing the use of knitting needles as chopsticks, getting very stern and ineffective spankings with tiny slippers, outgrowing her in second grade, and that she was the world’s slowest skier. Nelda had a creative flare for art and music. She played the piano, loved movies for their soundtracks and leading men, enjoyed fashion, and was an accomplished China painter. She was well-spoken and classy, but didn’t miss a trick and could give as good as she got with the Roberts’ characteristic sense of humor. She could appear delicate due to her charm and diminutive size, but Nelda shouldered the pain of losing her only son at a young age, was a breast cancer survivor, suffered a debilitating accident and spine injury, and, soon after, broke her ankle. She lost her husband, Jim, on February 10, 2008. After his death, she was alone for the first time in her life. Nelda continued to show bravery by traveling to Wales on a four-generation trip in 2010 where she stayed in a hotel on Roberts Road. She found joy and amusement in her ten, soon to be eleven, great-grandchildren, attending their plays, concerts, and games. She enjoyed visits from Dallas and Rose over “tobacco” (actually coffee) ice cream. She traveled to Oregon to spend Christmas with Brian and Jessie Pannell, and Jude, Merrick and Haddie, where she saw Merrick perform in Frozen. She enjoyed pizza and burgers with Hannah and Kendal Rueb, and Cooper, Bex and Cambria. Grandma was so excited to know another girl was on the way! Daily life was made easier by Bill and Mindy Witt; having Lewis, Owen, Ava, and Mia, as “neighbors” was always fun. She could track the kids coming and going as they roared through the yard. Nelda was blessed to have several wonderful friends who took care of her and allowed her to remain at home. Our thanks to Jill Ernst, her companion for almost five years, Ina Hill, Allison Hager, Sue Perkins, Glenda Kinkel, her beloved niece, Lora Charles, and granddaughter, Mindy Witt. Nelda passed away peacefully in the home she moved into in 1955 on Tuesday, August 24, 2021. She leaves us with a legacy of humor, faithfulness, helping, and growing.