Ida “Murline” Wylie, 84, of Bennington, Okla., passed away on July 15, 2017, at home, following a lengthy illness.

She was born Nov. 18, 1932, in Durant, Okla. to Valliant and Opal Wren Brewer, who preceded her in death.

She was a wife, mother, adoptive parent, licensed foster parent (in Oklahoma and Washington), CASA worker, member of the Oklahoma Foster Parent Association, and a retired pilot. In her earlier years, she also owned and operated two day care centers in Texas and Washington. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Bennington.

Her early education was in Durant, Okla. She later took courses at Aviation Ground School (obtaining her pilot’s license) and Grays Harbor College (Accounting and Early Childhood Education courses).

Murline loved people, but her specialty was in caring for children. The family’s first remembrance of her taking in children in need was in 1955. She would take in any child who needed help. She took in foster children before there was even a name for ‘Foster Parenting.”

She and her husband, Jerry, won numerous awards for their work with foster children and she was instrumental in getting a law passed to protect children from incarcerated parents.

Murline talked often of missing her days of flying with Jerry (also a pilot) in their Cessna airplane. They loved to fly together.

Also proceeded in death by: husband: Jerry F. Wylie (married Aug. 25, 1953, in Freeport, Texas) and sister: Bobbie Brewer Mitchell.

Surviving are: brothers: Jerrell and David Roy; sister: Daisy Armstrong; children: I. Sue Walker, Lowell V. Wylie and wife, Rhonda, Billy F. Wylie (her favorite) and wife, Corinne, Catherine J. Cooper, Larry Wylie and wife, Lisa, Wayne Wylie and wife, Casi, Tanya Grounds, Rebecca Haislip and husband, David, Michael Wylie, and Megan Wylie (Murline always said she had 4 homegrown children and 6 adopted children; she was very proud of this); grandchildren: Scott, Randal, Tyrus, Micheal, Jerry, Clayton, Krista, Elizabeth, Suzanne, Jordan, Sydney, Kristin, Kervin, Opal, Joseph, Marissa, Miranda, Mason; 14 great-grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews and Wylie, Crites and Mitchell families.

Funeral services will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday, July 19, at the First Baptist Church in Bennington. Pastor Jay Perry will officiate. Interment will follow in Highland Cemetery in Durant with Lowell Wylie, Billy Wylie, Larry Wylie, Wayne Wylie and David Haislip. The family will receive friends at the Funeral Home on Tuesday evening from 5-8 p.m. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.brownsfuneralservice.com.

Arrangements are under the direction of Brown’s Durant Funeral and Cremation Service.