Willa Faye Jones Harter

Willa Faye Jones Harter, 84, died at 4:30 p.m., July 31, 2011.

She was born in Verden, Okla., on May 18, 1927, to William Owen Jones and Mary Alma Klutz. Mary died giving birth to Faye, leaving William to raise their daughter, her two older sisters and a brother alone.

While working in the cotton fields, William would leave the children with a trusted next-door neighbor. When Faye was 14 months old, William came home from work and her siblings asked, “Where’s Faye?” expecting that he had taken baby Faye to work with him, as he sometimes did, since there was no one home next door.

So started the 80-plus year search for a very quiet girl named Willa Faye Jones. Mr. and Mrs. Posey, the next-door neighbors who kidnapped her, took Faye to Quincy, Calif. All the years she lived with them, they always told Faye that she was abandoned by her own family and that the Poseys had adopted her. Being so young, she didn’t question the story.

Faye met Louis Edward Harter in Gallop, N.M., after World War II. She took a dare from her girlfriend and went on a blind date. When they met, Louis knew he wanted the pretty, blue-eyed girl for his wife. Faye was smitten by Louis’ charm and knew that this man was for her. Two months later, on Oct. 31, 1948, they married.

In 1956, they moved to Alaska to find work. Louis was a heavy equipment operator by then and worked building roads in the fledging territory. Faye, a professional phone operator, found work with AT&T. They had five children — Doug, Mary Ann, Charlie, Carolyn and Belva. Doug has six children, Mary Ann has two, Carolyn has three and Belva has three boys. Charlie, who is unmarried and does not have any children, was charged with taking care of his mother until her passing. Surviving are five children, 16 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren, many friends and her two cats.

A celebration of life is planned Sunday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Willow at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial donations be made at Wells Fargo Acct No. 5790771504, routing number 1252005.

Arrangements are with Legacy Kehl’s Palmer Chapel.