MCCOLLUM, Viola Mable (Vi)

Wickenburg Sun, Wickenburg, AZ April 30, 2008, p. A12 Mrs. Viola Mable McCollum “Vi,” age 98, passed away April 27 in Auburn, Calif. Viola was born Sept. 8, 1909 in Jefferson, Mo., to Ulysses Grant Crow and Nettie Baxter Crow. Vi moved to California as a young woman and began business college. She soon became a dental assistant where she met husband Pharo Phelps. They had three children. After Pharo’s death, Viola worked as a bar and restaurant manager, studied to get her brokers license and began selling real estate. She met Mac McCollum and they soon married. They enjoyed extensive traveling and moved to Wickenburg, Ariz., in 1976 to settle down. She was a longtime resident of the Country Club Park in Wickenburg. Viola was preceded in death by her husband Robert N. McCollum on April 6, 1987 and son Raymond Phelps in 2006. She is survived by twin daughters Nancy Ruth Kidder of Auburn, Calif., and Norma Jean Spears of Bishop, Calif.; grandchildren Misty and Melissa Phelps both of Long Beach, Calif.; Tami Brown of Sierra City, Calif.; Christopher Watson of Auburn, Calif.; Sherri Lee of Bishop, Calif.; and seven great-grandchildren. Five foot two, eyes of blue, with a spirit that was 10 feet tall. She often offered the advice “Turn the page,” and it is with heavy hearts that we do. Graveside services at the Wickenburg Municipal cemetery are pending. For more information call Wickenburg Funeral Home at 684-2081. Arrangements are under the direction of Wickenburg Funeral Home & Crematory.