Wilda Price

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- Wilda B. Blaylock Price, 78, of St. Charles died Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017.

Beloved daughter of the late Paul and Mary Blaylock; devoted mother of Rhonda Price and Charles "Steven" (Judy) Price; cherished grandmother of Kyle, Christian and Jaycie; loving aunt of Mark (Cheryl) Howard, Kim (Pat) Noteboom, Jo Howard-Wright, Pam (Keith) Koonce, Sandy Cuzzort, Brenda (Stuart) Perigo and Chuck (Vanessa) Price; and dear great-aunt of Josh and Graham Noteboom, Erin and Ellen Wright and Maura and Matthew Howard.

She was preceded in death by her two sisters, Sandy Howard and Marion Hays.

Wilda Blaylock Price was born Feb. 7, 1938, in Dunklin County, the southernmost county in the Missouri Bootheel. She had childhood memories of her family gathering around the radio to listen to the news of World War II, and recalled she and other students in those days were excused from school to pick cotton during harvest time.

Her voice retained a Southern lilt, and her laugh, like her life, soared above the crowd in service to others, first, as a registered nurse and later for 35 years in the recovery community.

Her motto might have been: comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable. One friend said, "In the same breath, she had the ability to welcome you and also make sure you behaved." A family member said she had a way with red hair.

After graduating from Clarkton High School in 1956, as salutatorian, she attended Murray State College, graduating in 1956 and becoming a registered nurse. After a career in nursing, she worked for 19 years as a legal assistant for Citicorp.

Her family was her foundation and blessing. She often related memories of raising her son and daughter in Cape Girardeau: taking her son, Steve, to baseball tournaments and bicycle competitions and her daughter, Rhonda, to Girl Scouts and softball games. And in later years, she loved to share the accomplishments of her nephews and nieces.

In 1983, Wilda was a founding committee member of the Fall Classic Conference in St. Louis, which has served as a beacon of recovery for thousands. She was one of three incorporators of its conversion to a not-for-profit corporation and served as conference chairwoman twice.

Wilda never complained about the aging process and seemingly took the advice of Dylan Thomas and did not go gently into that good night. A fervent fan, she relished attending St. Louis Cardinals baseball games with Rhonda. She followed Mizzou basketball and football, often wearing her favorite gold Tiger hoodie on game days. She also loved watching ice skating and gymnastics. She and Rhonda attended "Stars on Ice" every time it came to town.

Even the best of lives suffer setbacks and come to an end. And when Wilda's time came, she was surround by family and close friends. Now, she is happy, joyous and free, and in the company of relatives and friends who have passed on before her.

Memorial donations may be made to Central Services of AA (St. Louis Central Service Office), 14 Sunnen Drive, St. Louis, MO 63143; telephone (314) 647-3677; or to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, OK 73123; telephone (800) 227-2345 or online at www.cancer.org/donate.

Baue Funeral and Memorial Center in St. Charles is in charge of arrangements.