Ponton, Florence Nadine

Florence Nadine Ponton - age: 84
(May 29, 1932 to April 17, 2017 )
Resident of Ukiah, California

Obituary:
On Monday April 17, 2017 Mom/ Grandma Nadine (as she was known by everyone) went home to be with the Lord. She went peacefully at home and was surrounded by her family. She would have been 85 on her birthday on May 29th.

Nadine was born May 29, 1932 in Chalk, Texas to Charles and Etta Parr. She was the youngest of 14 children: 11 girls and 3 boys. She grew up in Paducah, Texas until she was 15 when her father, brother and she went out to Bakersfield, Ca. While there she met her husband, John Henry Ponton on May 24, 1948 picking cotton in Shafter, California. They married four days later on May 28, 1948 a day before her 16th birthday in Las Vegas, Nevada. After being married she spent the next three years in Waterford, California with her in-laws Pete and Opal DeBattisti while John was serving in the Korean War. She was a faithful Army wife for 18 years, moving and settling into various stations with him.

In 1952 while they were in El Paso, Texas they started their family when their first son Johnny (Corky) was born. Then in 1953 they moved to Vashon Island, Washington. Michael was born in 1953 and Daniel in 1954. After being stationed there for three years, they moved back to El Paso, Texas. After a short time there, her beloved John was sent on a remote assignment to Tule, Greenland. Nadine and the kids moved to Paducah, Texas to be around her family. While there, Michael went home to be with the Lord. After John returned home, the family once again relocated to El Paso, Texas and lived there until he retired in 1966. During this time the family grew to 5. In 1959 David was born and in 1962 Sharon was born.

Upon retirement, the family moved to Bakersfield, California until 1976 when they moved to Ukiah, California where they spent their remaining years together. In this time the family grew again as Loretta Engman was "adopted" into the family. She became the oldest child and close friend of the whole family.

Her greatest pleasure was her family and friends. She loved her many adventures with her husband John and her sister and brother-in-law Wilma and Chester Brown. They made several trips together with the longest being a cross country road trip to New York City, Washington DC, and Nashville and visiting family in Texas. Her and her daughter Sharon also took her grandkids on several adventures throughout the years and she spoke of all of these fondly. She had a passion for scrapbooking and she made numerous albums of these adventures as well as albums she gave out as gifts. She also enjoyed baking cookies and her frosted sugar cookies became the staple of nearly every birthday and holiday celebration, both of family and friends.

She is survived by her 4 children Johnny and Donna, Daniel and Bibiana, David and Linda, and Sharon Ponton, as well as her sister Wilma Brown and brother Paul Parr. She is also survived by 15 Grandchildren and 26 Great-Grandchildren as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her husband John, her son Michael, her grandson Jerry Dean (JD) Ponton as well as her parents and 11 of her siblings.