Wilma Blackmon Joiner Sukert

Wilma (Willie) Blackmon Joiner Sukert, 92, passed away peacefully on the evening of May 25, 2021, in Scottsdale, Ariz., with her two daughters, Sandy Jeansonne and Pam Fox, by her side. Born to Benjamin D. Blackmon and Minnie Keel Blackmon on July 11, 1928 in Leesville, La., Willie was one of eight children in a blended household of four older half-siblings; Howard Blackmon, Joy Meads, Coy Stevison and James Stevison, and the siblings her parents’ marriage produced; Alice Babineaux, Willie, Darlene Muirhead Roberts and Ben Blackmon.

She is preceded in death by her parents, all of her older siblings and her first husband, Charles Roy Joiner, father of her daughters. In addition to her dear girls, Willie is survived by younger siblings, Ben and Darlene; sons-in-law, Jerry Jeansonne and Jim May; grandchildren, Tim Jeansonne and Teri Jeansonne Macias; great-grandchildren, Nico Macias and Gabi Macias, and ex-husband, Haven Sukert who remained her friend until her last day.

Daddy and Mother Blackmon raised Willie and the rest of their brood in the depression era and war years, sending sons to fight for freedom and dressing their girls in flour sack dresses. Her older rabble-rouser brothers used to play tricks on young Willie, like putting a lump of coal in her Christmas stocking (she never forgot), but they also doted on their little sister. Closest in age to her sister Alice, Willie and she grew up the best of friends. A lifetime fan of country music, she shared a mutual love of country dancing with her baby brother, Ben. Meanwhile, she and Darlene had a decade’s long discussion about who had the prettier feet. Willie’s first husband, Chuck Joiner, an Air Force man, made her a military wife. His career took them from Texas, to New Mexico, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Germany, Guam and Wyoming. Willie had a gift for making each posting feel like home for Chuck and the girls and made great friends along the way who knew her as a scratch bowler, an enthusiastic hostess and devoted mother.

Willie’s own career path was spent in management, first of bowling alleys and later, apartment complexes in Houston, Texas. In her retirement, she spent several years making fine table linens for corporate aircraft, custom baby blankets as her extended family grew generationally, and eventually volunteered her accounting services to the Arizona Holistic Chamber of Commerce. She was a well-loved mentor in each of her careers, regarded for her great attention to detail.

In recent years, Willie split her time between Fountain Hills, where she lived with Pam, Jim and their cat, Snoopy, and Chattanooga, Tenn., where she lived with Sandy, Jerry and their Maltese pups, Toby and Jojo. She spent her days cuddling fur babies, reading novels and newspapers and solving crosswords. She enjoyed playing dominoes with friends and watching “The Voice” (she had a big crush on Blake Shelton) and could sit for hours admiring birds, chipmunks and yard bunnies from a comfy chair on the patio. She loved her family and Jesus above all, but friends, dogs, sweet potato fries, chocolate and a glass of Chardonnay were also the stuff of joy for her.

In addition to the aforementioned family, Willie had lots of nieces and nephews who will miss her quick wit and bright spirit, along with her spontaneous and unfiltered commentary. She will be remembered for her beauty, her easy laugh, her willingness to forgive, and her big, loving, and ever curious heart.

Visitation: Memorial Funeral Home of Vidor – 1750 Hwy 12, Vidor, TX, Wednesday, June 9, 2021 – 5 p.m./family, 6 p.m./public.

Funeral Service: Memorial Funeral Home of Vidor

Thursday, June 10, 2021 – 2 p.m. Burial immediately following service at Rest Lawn Memorial Park – 2725 N. Main St, Vidor, TX.

Reception to follow at the home of Ben Blackmon, where we will celebrate her life with Cajun food, sweet potato fries, chocolate cake and raised glasses of Chardonnay.

There will be a celebration of her life at the home of her daughter, Pam Fox, in Fountain Hills, AZ, at a future date.