Arcola Marie Glosson

Arcola Marie Thompson Glosson, went to be with her Lord May 12,2023, at Rolling Hills Health and Rehab in Wichita, Kansas, at the age of 85 years, 5 months, and 21 days. She was born at home on November 21, 1937 in rural Hagler, Arkansas, to the late Gilbert Lyn Thompson and Beulah May Simpson Thompson.

Her father was a farm laborer, working in rice fields, and her mother was a homemaker. Her dad moved the family frequently in order to find work in the rice fields. They changed schools whenever they moved, but they spent the longest time in DeWitt public schools, approximately 6 years. The family lived in Twist, Arkansas during her high school years, and she graduated from nearby Earl, Arkansas, high school.

She was raised a strict Methodist. A memory she was fond of sharing was that someone had given her a pack of playing cards. Her parents did not allow playing cards, so she played with them secretly. One time when her mother came into the room, she quickly stashed the cards in a hole in the floor. The hole was open to the outdoors, and when the wind came up, it blew them all over the yard. Her mother made the comment, “I wonder where all them playin’ cards came from?” Arcola played innocent, and she never told her mom where the playing cards had come from. Another time, she had been given the job of washing dishes. She got tired after a while and hid the rest of the dirty dishes in the oven. When her mother discovered what she had done, she had to finish the dishwashing job, and she got a whipping. Whippings were carried out with a fresh willow branch cut from the willow tree in the yard.

She and her father shared a sense of humor, and they loved to laugh. Her brother James had a laugh with her, though, one day when they were playing on a flatbed truck with sideboards. They were not supposed to be playing on the flatbed, and when James saw the owner coming, he took off running. Arcola was surprised by owner, who started the truck. She came up shouting, was thrown over the cab of the truck and landed on the hood. In later years, she never let James forget the incident.

After graduating high school, she moved with her parents to Benton, Arkansas, where her brother James and sister in-law, Vera lived. She lived with them for a while, and she attended Summit Church of God. She got a job at Owasso Furniture Factory, where Vera worked. The memory of how she met her future husband, Walter ‘Hugh’ Glosson is unclear. They may have been introduced through a mutual friend of sister-in-law, Vera from Owasso Furniture Factory, or they may have met at church, but we know Arcola thought Hugh was quite handsome in his military uniform, and they had a brief courtship. Hugh said later that Arcola was attracted to him because she liked his car. They married September 14, 1957, in Bauxite, Arkansas, in the living room of the parsonage, with Pastor John Best and his wife Gladys as their witnesses, and a few family members in attendance.

As an Air Force family, Hugh, Arcola, and their family were stationed in Jacksonville, Arkansas, Wichita Falls, Texas, Tucson, Arizona, Grand Forks, North Dakota, and back to Jacksonville, Arkansas during Hugh’s years of military service. Hugh served in the missile group during his years in the Air Force. Whenever he was out of the country on a tour of duty, Arcola mailed tape recordings of the boys opening presents on Christmas morning or talking to their dad. Hugh sent recorded messages back to the family.

Arcola was a homemaker, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, children’s church teacher, women’s Bible study teacher, and intercessory prayer leader throughout her long life.

She enjoyed participating in women’s ministry at church and spending time with family and friends. She moved to Wichita, Kansas, after Hugh’s death to be near Walt, Lisa, and her grandchildren. She quickly made friends at the apartments where she lived, due to her outgoing personality, and she gave several ladies a ride to church at Douglas Avenue Assembly of God on Sunday mornings.

She is survived by two sons, Walter Hugh Jr. and Lisa Glosson of Wichita, Kansas, and Douglas Ray and Michelle Glosson of Sykesville, Maryland, brother, James Ray Thompson of Malvern, Arkansas, sisters in-law, Dorothy Floyd of San Antonio, Texas, Mary and Warren Phipps of Chama, New Mexico, brothers in-law George Glosson of Rock Island, Oklahoma, Lonnie Jr. and Nelda Glosson of Waco, Texas, granddaughter, Sarah and Chason Linder, of Wichita, Kansas, and grandson Wyatt Glosson, of Wichita, Kansas.

A graveside memorial service will be at 11:00 a.m. Friday, May 19, 2023 at Arkansas State Veteran’s Cemetery, 1501 W. Maryland, North Little Rock, AR 72120. Visitation will be 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at Broadway Mortuary, 1147 S. Broadway, Wichita, Kansas and 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Thursday, May 18, at Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home, 1504 N. JP Wright Loop Road, Jacksonville, Arkansas.

Memorial gifts may be given to American Bible Society, P. O. Box 96812, Washington, D.C. 20090-6812, or americanbible.org.
To sign an online guestbook, visit www.mooresjacksonvillefuneralhome.com or for local friends in the Wichita, KS area, www.cozine.com.