Avis Claudine Dickerson Patterson Bendure

A more troubled beginning to life could not have happened to Avis.  A small town tragedy shaped her future and those of her descendants for years to come.

Avis was the only daughter of Sarah Helen Patterson and Claude Dickerson, born on May 5, 1914, in Oark, Arkansas.  Claude and Sarah had a troubled early years of marriage, and shortly after Avis' birth, Sarah returned to live at home with her father, Charles Harding Patterson, who was a local doctor.  Her mother was Polly Ann Wharton, C.H.'s second wife and her only child.  Charles didn't trust Claude...he fixed the small house on his property that Sarah lived in and attempted to make sure that Claude couldn't enter.  Folks around the community said that Claude went to Oklahoma for a while, but he returned in hopes of taking Sarah and Avis with him.  Sarah taught school in Oark and was on her way home one afternoon (Avis was with her grandparents) when she encountered Claude about a mile from her home.  Claude shot her (she died immediately) then turned the gun on himself.  He lived for a few hours then died.  There is an account of the incident in the book "Thomas Patterson and his Descendants" by Newberry.

The murder caused much dissent between the Patterson's and the Dickerson's. CH refused to have Claude buried at the same cemetary as Sarah and has "murdered" written on her tombstone. Avis was adopted by her grandparents and had little contact with the Dickerson family for the rest of her life.  CH Patterson moved his family to what is now Oklahoma, going to Davenport and eventually settling in Chouteau. Several Patterson's also moved from Arkansas to Oklahoma after this incident.

Avis attended school in Chouteau and often helped her grandfather with medical related things.  While her grandfather was not a licensed doctor in Oklahoma, townfolk who learned of his previous experience brought family members to CH for treatment. 

Avis met and later married Ray Bendure on December 3, 1929.  From this union 11 children were born with two dying as infants.  A listing of these children are under the blog entry for Ray Bendure.
Due to Ray's job, Avis was able to travel all around the United States.  When Ray retired, they built a new home on the same land that Avis had been raised on in Chouteau. 

After Ray's death, Avis continued to live at that home until she got to the point where she couldn't take care of herself.  Her family then moved her into the Baptist Home in Owasso where she lived until her death on September 15, 2008.  Avis suffered from some memory loss in her later years, however, she could always recall her early childhood memories.