Florence Rebecca Gillespie Thorp Harding
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FORT WORTH — Florence Rebecca Gillespie Thorp Harding, 88, passed away Monday, Oct. 6, 2014, in Fort Worth.
Visitation: 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, 2014, at Wiley Funeral Home. There will be a private family graveside service at 2:00 p.m. Friday at Friendship Cemetery in Hood County.
Memorials: In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Florence was born Jan. 22, 1926, in Austin, Texas, to John Peyton Gillespie and Florence Warren Gillespie, a farming family. She was the youngest and only daughter, of five children. Shortly after Rebecca’s birth her parents moved the family to Odem, Texas where Becky grew up during the Great Depression and World War II. She graduated as Salutatorian of Odem High School, class of 1944. She then went on to attend A & I College in Kingville, graduating in 1947 with a BS degree in Biology and Chemistry. During this period, she had “The time of her life”. She absolutely loved the big band music and dancing. She had many wonderful memories during her college years.
Upon graduation from college she worked at Scott and White in Temple for a year as a Med Tech. It was during this time that she met James Thorp. She married him on Oct. 16, 1948 and they moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado where their first child, Rebecca Garlan, was born. They then moved back to Texas and began a restaurant business in the Fort Worth area. They had another daughter, Diana Gay, and a son, Jim, before James passed away in 1971. Rebecca then re-established a career as a med tech before retiring in 1979.
Rebecca married Patches Harding in 1979 and moved to Winnsboro, Texas. She lived there until Patches death in 1987. She then moved back to Fort Worth where she remained until her death. Throughout her years, Becky was a staunch supporter of the Republican Party, a devoted Tom Landry fan, an avid gardener, a Docent at the Fort Worth Zoo, and an adult reading teacher. She loved animals and ice cream nearly as much as she dearly loved her family.
Becky was preceded in death by her mother, Florence Warren Gillespie; father, John P. Gillespie; brothers, Earl,”Bud”, Elmer and Charles; and a son, Jim Thorp.
Survivors: Daughters, Rebecca Garlan Thorp Wrinkle of Fort Worth, Diana Gay Thorp Verseckes and husband, Michael, of Wills Point, Daughter-in-Law Zan Thorp of Aledo; grandchildren, Becky Gibbins and Jim Thorp III, Steve, Ben and Nick Verseckes, Rob and Brian Wrinkle and Tracy Wrinkle Boyer, Joey Durkin; and 11 great grandchildren.
Wiley Funeral Home
Granbury, 817-573-3000
