Nola Edna (Haddock) Bronkar (1920 - 2011)

Born 21 Aug 1920 in Oklahoma, United States

Died 28 Aug 2011 at age 91 in Whittier, Los Angeles, California, United States

Biography

Nola Edna Haddock was born on the 21 Aug 1920 in Oklahoma.^[1]

Nola married Gladden A. Bronkar in 1942.

Children of Nola and Gladden (deceased):

1. Rita Sue Bronkar 1957-2011

Nola passed away on the 28 Aug 2011 in Whittier, Los Angeles, California.^[1]

Obituary

She started writing the story of her childhood sometime in the last 10 years. While it remains unfinished, she recounts a particular story that gives us some insight into the little girl that matured into the wonderful woman we knew. I'm quoting:

But back to school... It was a mile south and a mile west but when we walked we went catty cornered through the field. I believe it was mostly pasture. Our neighbors, the Dulabahn family, had lots of cattle and this was grazing land. One of the girls was named Ella Mae. There was a big give away with a cereal company to send in so many box tops and get a signature ring. Ella did this and wore the ring to school, of course. I was intrigued. It was a beautiful scripted "E" on it and I begged her to let me wear it. After all, my name was Edna. It was a little bit big and I don't know if I was supposed to wear it home but I did and, yes, it slipped off my finger. I was so scared to tell Ella Mae. I'm sure she wasn't thrilled but she had a good mom, a former teacher, who must have said something like, You can buy another ring but friends are hard to come by."

This is only the beginning of the story. Weeks later, perhaps after rain and snow and dirt storms, we were walking across the pasture again when I saw something shiny on the ground. I walked by but then suddenly wondered what that was. I retraced my few steps and unbelievably, it was Ella's ring. I wonder what had happened in the interim. Had the ground hogs taken under cover for the winter and brought it out in the spring? We'll never know, but what an exciting day that was when I took the ring back to Ella.

This was written on October 10, 1998. It's been a while since I've written in this book. I'm sure things have happened that would be of interest but today something happened that just really overwhelmed me. I had four places to go today. I can't even remember two of them, but they did require an RSVP. The two important ones were to go to the District Woman's Club fundraiser and the second one was the annual meeting of the California Rights for the disabled. I weighed these two very carefully. Since our daughter Rita had cerebral palsy, I felt that the needs of family should come first. Well, here's the scoop. I called over to where my daughter lives to inquire more about the time of the event...and guess what? She had gone to the LA Zoo today. That lady...she's 41 now. She taught me so much. It's a perfect day to go to the LA Zoo, and you know what? I'm so pleased to be healthy and not attending anything! I think I'll get a glass of wine and finish my book! Life goes on, whether we are always everywhere or not. And do we sometime think we are more important than we really are? I think, "Yes!"

In addition to being a mom, she spent many years of her life teaching. She started as a young graduate in Oklahoma and continued in various positions after she and the family moved to California. And she was a teacher even when she was not in the classroom. I know I learned from her, especially as it relates to keeping an active mind, even in the golden years of life. Up until recently, she was an avid worker of crossword puzzles. And I am convinced that helped her to stay sharp, even after suffering a couple of strokes.

And she had a great sense of humor

Nora would tell her kids "Now I want to make sure you kids shed some tears at my funeral. And if you don't feel that you can, then I want you to bring some onions and peel them."

Nola Edna Haddock was born on August 21, 1920 in the little town of Hooker in the panhandle of Oklahoma, to Blanche Mae and Taylor Erastus Haddock. She was the sixth of eight children. She married Gladden Andrew Bronkar on October 4, 1942. She passed on August 28, 2011.

Gladden and Nola had the following known children 1. Gerald 2. Mildred 3. Carole Ann 4. Nolden 5. Paul 6. Rita

Other family members Brother Kenneth

She was preceded in death by her husband and her brothers Harold and James; her sisters Berniece, Vera, Elsie and Lenore.

Sources

• Residence 2008

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/131851805/rita-sue-bronkar : accessed 15 December 2021), memorial page for Rita Sue Bronkar (1 Jun 1957–15 Oct 2011), Find a Grave Memorial ID 131851805, citing Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier, Los Angeles County, California, USA ; Maintained by Burt (contributor 46867609)

Acknowledgements

• WikiTree profile created through the import of Thomas Sheffield Descendants.ged on Dec 21, 2011 by Michael Sheffield