Ollie Marie Wheatcraft Stratton, age 94, of Forest City, NC, died Friday, August 2, 2024, at Hospice House of the Carolina Foothills.

A native of West Virginia, Ollie was the daughter of the late Leonard and Emma Litton, and Floda Litton, who was her stepmother. In addition to her parents, Ollie was preceded in death by her first husband, who she had her five children with, Hansel Wheatcraft, her second husband, John Stratton, her siblings, Ina Lee, Luster Brady, Evelyn Mae, Monicia "Nicki", and Harold, one son, Dale Wheatcraft, and grandchildren, Aaron Wheatcraft, and Matthew Morris.

Ollie is survived by her children, Robert Wheatcraft Sr. (Darlena), June Morris (late Roger), Grace Gibson, and John Wheatcraft (Andrea), thirteen grandchildren, twenty great-grandchildren, and seven great-great-grandchildren.

The family will receive friends from 11:00 AM to 12:45 PM, Tuesday, August 6, 2024, at Holly Springs Baptist Church. The funeral service will be at Holly Springs Baptist Church at 1:00 PM, Tuesday, August 6, 2024, with Reverend Scott Moneyham officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. McMahan's Funeral Home & Crematory is in charge of arrangements.

Ollie's Life Story

Ollie Marie Litton was born February 3rd, 1930, to Leonard Preston Litton and Emma Miller Litton, in Charleston WV. Her sister Evelyn was age 2 and was so happy to welcome her new sister home. A year later, Emma and Leonard welcomed a new baby girl named Ina Lee. Soon Emma was expectantly awaiting her 4th child when she was diagnosed with TB. Tragically in 1934,  Ollie and her sisters lost their mother Emma, and a few weeks later, their newborn baby brother, Brady Luster Litton to tuberculosis. Within 6 months Ina Lee age 3, followed Brady in death. Leaving just Evelyn and Ollie with their father Leonard.

In 1936 Leonard met Floda Harper and married her in May. Ollie and Evelyn now had a wonderful lady to help her father raise them. She was very much a part of Ollie's and Evelyn's lives until her death.

Leonard went to work at the Nehi bottling company and was one of the first drivers to be  issued a delivery truck. He drove until he developed epilepsy. This happened in his thirties and was quite unusual. It was determined his epilepsy was possibly due to a blow on the head he received playing baseball. Leonard always listened to baseball games on the radio or watched him on TV and was a huge fan. Until the day he died he always cheered for the Cincinnati reds.

After developing epilepsy, he could no longer drive so he bought the shoe shop from his uncle Jason who had become allergic to leather. This turned out to go well because in 1938 the war broke out. Shoes were rationed and you could only purchase two pairs of shoes per year. Leonard always had shoes to repair.

During that time, they moved into the shoe shop and the girls grew up in the back of the store. Ollie and Evelyn helped their father with the shoes shop, while Floda worked. Ollie also helped care for her father when he had an epileptic seizure. The depression was tough, but these girls found ways to enjoy their time. They roller skated in the basement and played double Dutch jump rope. Ollie also won the county spelling bee. Later when the war was over the shoe shop added a grocery store. Then a new home was built for the family to grow up in and they moved out of the shoe shop.

Ollie grew into an extraordinarily strong and determined young woman. At the age of 16 Ollie struck out on her own. She moved out found employment and moved into the home of Floda's parents. At one time she even worked in a cookie factory. Ollie was adventurous and moved to Ohio with her Aunt Alice , Leonard's sister. She lived and worked there briefly before returning to West Virginia.

In 1947 Ollie met her husband Hansel Wheatcraft and married him, Evelyn also married. Then there was a lovely surprise that Floda would have a child. In January of 1948 she had Monicia  "Nikki" Litton. Later that year both girls gave birth to sons. Ollie and Hansel welcomed their first-born son Dale into their family in September 1948. Hansel was always self-employed in many different types of home remodeling. Ollie's father gave her a piece of land close to him and Floda and Hansel went to work building their first home. Robert joined the family in 1949. Ollie went to work for Kroger's in their meat department.

Ollie made a decision to follow Christ January 11, 1940, at age 9.   In 1949, at age 19, after a few years of marriage, Hansel came in and suggested they attend the revival service at the church next door. Hansel was saved that week and Ollie recommitted her life to Christ. She said that she was especially close to Pawpaw Harper who was Floda's father. She went to visit him one day because she knew he was a good man but did not know God. Despite the fact that he did not like people speaking to him about Jesus, she decided and felt led that she should go talk to him. That day he listened to her intently. As she left he asked her when they were being baptized and she said Easter Sunday. He said he would be there. Pawpaw Harper was sick that Sunday and was not able to attend. He passed away shortly after. She has always felt in her heart he was coming to their baptism service because he planned to announce his commitment to Christ and be baptized. Ollie said she would have the answer to this question when she gets to heaven.

Shortly after they were baptized, and Hansel announced his call to preach. After their commitment to Christ, all the children in the home heard their parents pray nightly for them and call out their names. This is a nightly habit that Ollie followed every night until her death, calling out her children, and all her grandchildren's names to the Lord.  They passionately believed that the foundation of their family should be based on Christian values. Ollie had a strong faith and instilled these values in her home and in her life all of her days. She was a true Proverbs 31 woman. Anyone who ever met Ollie knew she loved the Lord. Hansel continued to preach until the time of his death.

June was welcomed into the family in December 1951. It was a difficult birth and Ollie was advised to have no more children. Ollie left her job at Kroger's because they moved to Sissonville,  West Virginia. Ollie also discovered that she was going to have another child and in January 1963 she gave birth to Grace with no problems. Then five years later in April 1968 John was born. Their family was complete.

During the Vietnam war, their son Dale was drafted into the army. Within 6 months Ollie and Hansel received a telegram. While driving a tank, Dale drove over a landmine. He had been severely injured. Dale lost his leg but recovered from those injuries after many months in the hospital. People who did not know him well, never knew he had an artificial leg. The entire family was grateful and blessed that Dale returned home.

Dale and Robert eventually got married and started families of their own. The family moved to Jackson County West Virginia and remained there, living next door to Dale and his three children. June and Grace met their future husbands and moved out on their own. In February 1982 Hansel passed away quite suddenly, leaving Ollie to raise John on her own.

Ollie was employed as a cook. During those years she only worked at three different restaurants. People would seek out her place of her place of employment and the shift she worked just to eat her delicious cooking. She was loyal to her employers and many others sought to hire her away from them, offering her more money but she refused. She liked her employers and she remained with them until they retired. Cooking was a job she thoroughly enjoyed.

John grew up and got married and Ollie continued to work at her favorite job. In 1994 she met and married her second husband John Stratton in July. John had a farm in Medina Ohio, and she moved to Ohio with him. John and Ollie enjoyed traveling during their marriage and even had some cows from time to time.

In 1996 Ollie's lost her first-born son, Dale, to cancer. Her husband John, passed away in February 2008. Both of Ollie's husbands passed away close to her birthday but that never stopped her from enjoying her birthdays. Ollie was a special lady who drew her strength from God. She lived life and enjoyed it despite any tragedy that came her way. Ollie's strong faith helped her to teach her family to rely on God and to accept every challenge, hardship and even death, with dignity and grace.

Ollie remained in Ohio where she attended church regularly and had many friends that she went out to dinner with, attended community functions and gospel singings. She enjoyed coming to visit family in NC during the winter months. Frequently visiting the homes of her grandchildren and her children. After returning home to Ohio from one of these visits in 2012, Ollie began to have serious issues with her heart. She was admitted to Cleveland clinic where she received a pig valve and triple bypass surgery. Ollie at age 82 had a wonderful recovery and did very well. Ollie was an extraordinarily strong and determined woman.

In September 2014 Ollie made the decision to move to North Carolina with her family. She began to attend Holly springs Baptist Church and made friends with lots of new people. Family events were common in her home and there was nowhere this lady went that people did not remember her as a kind and Godly woman.

Ollie has kept the faith over 84 years. She left behind a large legacy of love and godliness to her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren and to all whoever met her. She will always be remembered as the Godly matriarch of her family. Ollie not only raised her own children, but she also played a large part in raising her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was an encourager, always whispering words of encouragement into her children and grandchildren's ear and anyone else that she chose to hug, and she hugged a lot. She loved her family and friends fiercely. Ollie was respected and loved by all.

The only question that remains with her family, after her passing is which one is the favorite? The answer is she made each and every one of them feel like they were. That is unconditional love.

Written by Grace Gibson, with love and direction from her mother, at her request.