Gretta passed away Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016. She was born Oct. 21, 1941, in San Francisco, to Walter and Kathleen Tompkins and was the oldest of three girls.
From a young age, she was known to be an avid reader and that interest continued throughout her entire life.
She married her first husband, Melvin Wilcox, at a young age and together they worked on raising their six children while living in San Francisco and later moving to Concord, Calif. For most of her life, her focus was on raising her children and grandchildren, whom she loved to brag about. Her other love was family history, researching her ancestors and learning about their lives.
After her first marriage ended, she was fortunate enough to find and marry her second husband, George "Poppy" Hayward. They lived in Concord for several years and then moved to Lewiston, seeking a better place to raise the two children who still lived at home.
Some of her other hobbies included collecting salt and pepper shakers, anything with a chicken theme and unicorn figurines. Gretta and George spent many hours taking care of grandchildren, loved traveling together, and took the trip of a lifetime to England to visit George's homeland and continued her love of genealogy. Gretta was an active member of her church, serving in various teaching positions, working in the Cub Scout program and singing in the choir.
Gretta was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, George; son Walter Wilcox; daughter Gretta "Betie" Tompkins; granddaughter Shannon; and grandson Mason.
She is survived by her sisters, Judy Richardson of Pearland, Texas, and Mary Lillard of Tucson, Ariz.; her daughters, Kathe Robins of Boise and Susie Jeppson (Jeff) of Lewiston; her sons, Joe Wilcox of Clarkston and Bill Wilcox (Casey) of Clarkston; 15 grandsons and two granddaughters; and 13 great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held to celebrate her life at 11 a.m. Friday at the Lewiston Stake Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, on the corner of Ninth Street and Preston Avenue.
Vassar-Rawls Funeral Home has been assisting the family.
Service Information
- Date & Time
- Friday, October 21, 11:00 AM
- Location
-
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
838 Preston Avenue
Lewiston, Idaho 83501
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