Vera Evelyn Ford

Vera Evelyn Ford (Oakes), 98, was born February 24, 1926 in Bernice, Louisiana. She fell asleep in the Lord on April 4, 2024.

Raised on a small family farm, she had many good childhood memories-sitting in the peach tree eating fresh peaches, hunting in the woods with her dog Betsy, and helping her father at his blacksmith shop in town.

At the age of 17, she moved to southern California with her sister. At one point, she worked as a riveter on the B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft; a job of which she was so proud.

But then she found the career that would become her life’s work. Due to the shortage of registered nurses during WWII, Kern General Hospital initiated a program to train nurses aides in many of the duties of the registered nurses. Mother embraced this opportunity enthusiastically; reading, studying, and working very hard. 

During this time, her roommate introduced her to her brother, Henry (our dad) a returning WWII veteran. Just a few months later they were married. He was the love of her life for 62 years.

Together they raised three children. They worked tirelessly to ensure their children were afforded all the opportunities, including higher education, that they themselves had not had. They taught us about the Lord Jesus Christ and set our feet on the right path, for which we are and shall be, eternally grateful.

Mother was, above all else, a “people person”. She had a deep, genuine love for all people. She had a selfless love and dedication to her husband, her children, and her patients.

In retirement in Washington state, our parents found so much to do. They raised and rode their beloved Arabian horses, kept bees, studied painting, and so much more. They also grew an enormous garden and shared the produce with neighbors and the local mission. 

In 1998, they moved to Idaho.

Mother is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Henry, and her thirteen siblings. She is survived by her three children: Larry, Barbara, and Bonnie.; two grandsons: John and Mathew; one granddaughter, Japhia; one great-granddaughter, Gigi; and numerous nieces and nephews.

So, rest sweet Mother, until the Lord and Savior returns and takes you and Dad to your real home, where at the right hand of God, there are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 16-11. 

We love you 5 and 7.

The family wishes to thank Dr. Clifford Tenley, MD, for the compassionate and dedicated care he gave our mother for so many years.

Thank you to Robert Haley, more than a handyman, a trusted and faithful friend to our mother.

And thank you to the fine nurses and aides of Ancora Hospice; and aides of Angels Among Us Homecare.

No services are planned.