ZETTA ESTER ABNEY-SIZEMORE
(JUNE 17, 1907 - MAY 30, 1990)  

ZETTA ESTER ABNEY-SIZEMORE was born June 17, 1907 in Garvin County, Oklahoma.  She first married Tom Buff on October 23, 1923.  She was 16 when she and Tom slipped off and got married against the wishes of Zetta's father.  According to Ruth, Zetta's younger sister, Tom turned out to be an abusive husband and beat Zetta on several occasions, treated her like a child and on at least one occasion, locked her in a closet.  Although Tom and Zetta had two children, Zetta miscarried a third child after one such beating by Tom Buff.  After another beating by Tom Buff, Zetta took their two children and went to her parents home.  Tom followed and insisted that Zetta return home.  Zetta's father ordered Tom off the place.  Tom refused to leave.  As he was ordering Tom off the property a second time, J.W. Abney spotted a piece of clothing that had fallen from the clothes line.  As  J.W. was ordering Tom to leave for the third time, J.W., was coming down off the porch to pick up the clothing.  There was an axe embedded in a stump in the yard by the clothes line.  As J.W. was coming off the porch, Tom didn't see the clothing on the ground, but did spot the axe and concluded that J.W. was headed for the axe to enforce his demand that Tom leave.  Tom turned tail and ran.  He never returned nor protested when J.W. assisted Zetta in getting a divorce.  Zetta married James Nathan Sizemore on December 12, 1931 in Coleman, Oklahoma.  Zetta died in Stratford, Oklahoma on May 30, 1990 of old age.  She spent the last several years of her life in the Stratford Nursing Home.  Her services were held in the Pickard Funeral Home Chapel in Stratford.  They were officiated by her nephew, Jesse Spurlock.