Thelma Lea Caplinger

Mrs. Thelma Lee Caplinger, age 96, resident of Grapevine, Texas, passed from this life on Saturday, August 3, 2019 in Grapevine, Texas. She is survived by a sister, six children, seven grandchildren, and eleven great grandchildren. A long-time resident of De Queen, she will be buried beside her husband, Thomas Virgle Caplinger.
She was born in Apperson, Oklahoma, on July 29th 1923, to Pete and Zona Carter. Her father was an early “wildcatter” in the Oklahoma oil boom. Her early life was spent in Northeast Oklahoma, living in Shidler, Copan, and Bartlesville. She and her siblings endured dust storms, blizzards, droughts, floods, and lack of medical care while attending school where possible.
When the oil boom dried up, her family moved to McCurtain County where her father tried farming. He proved a better oilman than farmer. The family was near starvation several times. Education was more “miss” than “hit”. Thelma attended high school in Hayworth, OK before getting married to the love of her life on April 21, 1939 in Mena, Arkansas.
A member of the “Greatest Generation”, Thelma cared for her two young sons while her husband served in the US Navy from 1944-1946. After World War II, the family relocated to Southwest Arkansas, living in Vandervoort and the communities of Mt. Pleasant, Chapel Hill and Lake before moving into De Queen.
Thelma was a member of the First Baptist Church of De Queen. Some of her fondest memories were shared moments with her Sunday School Class. After the death of her husband, she lived in Hot Springs Village, before relocating to Bedford then Grapevine, TX.
A visitation will be held from 4:010 to 6:00 P.M. on Tuesday, August 6, 2019 at Lucas Funeral Home in Hurst, Texas. Funeral Services for Mrs. Thelma Caplinger will be held at 2:00 PM, Thursday, August 8, 2019 in Chandler Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Mark Cloninger officiating. Burial will follow in the Chapel Hill Cemetery, under the direction of Chandler Hill Cemetery, under the direction of Chandler Funeral Home, De Queen. The family will receive friends from 1:00 PM until service time, Thursday at the funeral home. You may send an online sympathy message at www.chandlerfuneral.com
Hers was a life well lived, through tough times and good times, but her greatest joy was being a wife and mother. During the last years of her life, she longed to return to De Queen where memories were fresh and landscape a reminder of her sixty-plus years in Arkansas.