System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!Lois Campbell
Lois Campbell, 75, died Saturday in Oklahoma City. Services are set for 10 a.m. Wednesday at First Christian Church in Shawnee.
Bill Matthews, Phil Thompson and Glenn C. Peck will officiate. Burial will follow at Tecumseh Cemetery.
Campbell was born June 18, l921 to Tom and Ruth (Dunbar)Tibbs in Shawnee.
She was reared in Shawnee and graduated from Shawnee High School.
She married Hugh Campbell in Tecumseh on Aug. 16, 1947. Following her marriage, she lived in Texas for 10 years. She then lived in Wewoka for 30 years and had resided in Tecumseh since l986.
She was a junior draftsman with the Texas Company and a homemaker.
Campbell was a member of the Christian Women’s Fellowship with the First Christian Church of Wewoka. She was also active in the Holiday Ramblers, Inc. She was a former secretary-treasurer with the Buffalo Ramblers Chapter #286.
She was preceded in death by her parents; three sisters, Loretta Davidson, Evelyn Davidson and Patsy Riggin; and two brothers, Early Tibbs and Jack Tibbs.
Survivors include her husband of the home, one daughter, Cheryl Muirhead of Shawnee; one son, Keith Campbell of Wewoka, and three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
(6/17/97)
Bernice Alford
Bernice Noble Alford, 87, died Friday. Funeral services are set for April 9 at 11 a.m. at the Evangelistic Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. Her son, Dr. T. J. Roberts will officiate. Burial will follow at Wewoka Westwood Cemetery under the direction of Rolfe Funeral Home.
Alford was born May 15, l909 to Martha Jackson and William Noble in Seminole County.
She married George Alford in Seminole County.
She is preceded in death by her first husband, her parents, two daughters, six brothers and four sisters.
She is survived by her husband George Alford of the home, five sons, T. J. Roberts of Oklahoma City, Edward L. Alford of Wewoka, Ellis Alford of Norwalk, Calif., Wesley Alford of Inglewood, Calif., and Willie Alford of Cerritors, Calif.
She is survived by two daughters, Birdie Davis of Midwest City and Merdine Black of Houston, Texas; two sisters, Mentoria Hood of Seminole and Katherine Walker of Chicago; 25 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren and 18 great-great-grandchildren.
(4/1/97)
Inez Lee Allen
ADA - Funeral services for Inez Lee Allen, 106, are scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday at Criswell Funeral Home Chapel. Rev. Sherman Ivy and Rev. Vernal West will officiate.
Interment will follow at Rosedale Cemetery, Ada, under the direction of Criswell Funeral Home.
Allen died Monday in her home in Ada.
She was born April 10, 1890 in Geneva, Ky. to Henry Moit and Rosa Clay Moit. As a child she came from Kentucky to a place in the Indian Territory near Pickett.
She attended Center rural schools.
On Sept. 20, 1945, she married Felix Bernard Allen in Yuma, Ariz. He preceded her in death on June 1, 1972.
She was a homemaker and worked in the early days at Ada Steam Laundry. She was a member of the Free Will Baptist Church.
Survivors include one daughter, Ruby Stephens, Ada and one son, Garland Bundy, Seminole, ten grandchildren, 21 great-grand-children, and numerous great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by two daughters and two sons.
Pallbearers will be Billy Bundy, Mark Bundy, Joe Frank Land, Don Stephens, Dean Stephens and Phillip Stephens.
Honorary pallbearers will be Bennie Stephens, Charles Bundy, Michael Stephens and Mark Hanna.
4/22/97
Ina Arbaugh
Ina Arbaugh, 89, died Sunday in Seminole. Services are set for 2 p.m. Wednesday at Cooper Funeral Chapel in Tecumseh. George Bone will officiate. Burial will be in Resthaven Memorial Park under the direction of Cooper Funeral Home.
"Heartbreak Hotel" Songwriter Dies at 82
Internationally known Oklahoma songwriter died Wednesday at the age of 82.
Oklahoma’s Mae Boren Axton, who wrote Elvis Presley’s first big hit "Heartbreak Hotel," died at her home in Hendersonville, Tenn.
She was widely known in Oklahoma.
She came to Oklahoma as a child in a covered wagon. The daughter of M. L. and Nannie Boren, she was the only daughter in a family of eight brothers.
Her brothers included the late Dr. James B. Boren, early day president of Southwestern Oklahoma University at Weatherford and the last U.S. Congressman, Lyle H. Boren.
Axton was an active partner with her son Hoyt Axton, well known musician and television personality in the creation of the Jeremiah record label.
She has an impact on Oklahoma politics as the author of her nephew David Boren’s Broom Brigade Campaign them song "Let’s Clean Up Oklahoma" during his successful 1974 campaign for Governor.
Services for Axton will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Hendersonville Church of Christ, under the direction of Phillips and Robinson Funeral Home of Hendersonville.
She was high school English teacher in Oklahoma at Wewoka, Ada, Broken Bow and Velma-Alma. She later taught in Jacksonville, Fla. before becoming one of the nation’s most successful songwriters.
Over four decades, she wrote more than 50 songs that were recorded by major record companies.
She was a mentor to many young musicians.
She was described by Boren, now President of the University of Oklahoma, as a "pied piper of young people who helped countless numbers of aspiring musicians to believe in themselves."
"Some of them went on to become stars and others did not, but all of them were better off for having known her," he said.
Among the scores of musicians and entertainers who have named her as a mentor are Elvis Presley, Dennis Weaver, Willie Nelson, Mel Tillis, Reba McEntire, Kris Kristofferson, and many others. She often acted as their agent at no cost to get them started.
While still a school teacher in Jacksonville, she first met Elvis Presley and helped convince him to pursue a recording career by writing "Heartbreak Hotel" for him.
In addition to her career in music and education, Mae Boren Axton was a tireless worker for charities including the March of Dimes and the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
She has received almost every major award from the music and entertainment industry including the World Recognition Award of the International Songwriter’s Association. She received seven major awards from Broadcast Musicians International and was selected as one of the 50 greatest women songwriters by the National Songwriters Hall of Fame.
She was preceded in death by her husband, John Axton, a math teacher and a high school football coach, and by her son John, who was an outstanding southeastern Oklahoma attorney and civic leader.
She is survived by her son, entertainer and musician Hoyt Axton, seven grandchildren and one great grandchild.
4-10-97
Martha Barnes
CROMWELL - Graveside services Martha Lucille Barnes, 64, of Cromwell, were held at 2 p.m. today at Schoolton Cemetery. Rev. Frank Young will officiate.
Burial will follow under the direction of Schumaker Funeral Home.
Barnes died Saturday at her home.
She was born on May 15, 1932, in Okemah to Clarence and Dona (Ellis) Rowan. She married Bobby Gene Barnes on Sept. 8, 1953.
Barnes was of the Baptist faith and had resided in Seminole and Okfuskee Counties most of her life.
She was preceded in death by father; sisters, Beulah Piearcy and Lula Fay Ross.
Barnes is survived by her husband of the home; mother of Lamont, Calif.; sons, Slifford Barnes of Okemah and Donald Barnes of Grove; daughter Susan Mead of Okemah; brother, Orval Moore of Lamont, Calif.; sisters, Dovie Rowan and Wima Rush, both of Lamont, Calif.; and 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
4/15/97
Lee Blackwood
Lee L. Blackwood, 95, died on Tuesday at Seminole Municipal Hospital.
Funeral services are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday at Pickard Funeral Home Chapel in Konawa.
Ed Bray will officiate. Burial will take place at Vamoosa Cemetery.
Blackwood was born June 24, 1901 at Muddy Fork, Ark., to Andrew Jackson Blackwood and Sarah Virginia Aylor Blackwood.
He had lived in Konawa since 1917. He married Willie Smith in Konawa on Nov. 22, l927.
He was a member of Friendship Baptist Church. He retired after 40 years of employment as an equipment operator for Seminole Company.
Blackwood is survived by his wife of the home, one son, Joe Andy Blackwood of Sasakwa; two daughters, Lois Huff of Sasakwa and Evalyn L. Maxwell of Konawa.
He is also survived by two brothers, Andrew Blackwood and G. C. Blackwood, both of Konawa; two sisters, Estell Sutton of Seminole and Ora Harmon of Moore; 14 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
Blackwood was preceded in death by his parents, one son, Virgil L. Blackwood in l984; and two grandsons.
Blackwood’s grandsons will be pallbearers.
4/15/97
Tonya Braboy
Heavenly angels rejoiced on Sunday afternoon when an angel from earth ascended to meet them.
Dr. Kelvin Moseley will officiate at services scheduled for May 21, at 10:30 a.m. in the First Baptist Church of Seminole. Arrangements were made thru Swearingen Funeral Home of Seminole.
Tonya was born on September 14, 1956 in Shawnee, Oklahoma to Casey W. and Rhea (Anderson) Pickens.
After graduation from Shawnee High School, Tonya earned an Associates degree from Seminole Junior College and attended Oklahoma Baptist University. She was a hairdresser in Grand Prairie, Texas, Seminole and Shawnee.
It was a blind date that introduced Tonya to Keith. Six months later they were married on June 26, 1982. It was a marriage arranged for them by God. Each spouse had qualities the other spouse learned from allowing the union to grow.
They grieved together as Sarah Nicole was taken to Heaven before they could know her; also Tonya's parents made the journey to Heaven. But their hearts soared as Katie Elizabeth arrived to accept all of their love and return it tenfold. During these years Tonya was a Sunday School teacher and choir member at First Baptist Church of Seminole.
Keith and Katie will always love their wife and mom.
Tonya's other family members include her precious brother Bill and Donna Allen of Sallisaw and sisters Sandra Nichols of Jonestown, Texas and Nancy Johnson of Round Rock, Texas.
Uncle Charles and Aunt Mary McEntire, of Shawnee, showed Tonya unconditional love that she cherished; Uncle Frank and Aunt Auda Anderson, of Earlsboro, urged her to always keep her eye on the Lord.
A smile always appeared as she thought of her times with her special cousins Vicky O'Donnell of Duncan and Paula Dennis of Bowlegs, and even though the ages were close Steve Allen, Cindy Rogers and Lisa Choate of Sallisaw and Shane Allen of Tahlequah were the apples of their "Aunt Tonya's" eyes. Other cousins, nieces and nephews, not mentioned by name, know that there was a special place in Tonya's heart for each of you.
Casket bearers are David Cobb, Gary Adams, Robert Foxx, Terry Howard, David Horton and Ron Henderson.
5/20/97
Montez Braswell
Funeral services for Montez T. Braswell, 79, are scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday at Baggerley Greenlawn Funeral Home in Oklahoma City.
Braswell died Tuesday in Bethany.
She was born Sept. 3, 1917 in Phillipsburg, Mo., to Ennis Earl and Ivonne Taggard.
She was raised in Seminole and graduated from Seminole High School.
She had lived in Oklahoma City since 1953.
Survivors include two daughters, Diane Frazier of Bethany and Lee Jernigan of Tucson, Ariz.; one brother, Phil Taggard of Oklahoma City, seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Heartland Healthcare Center, Bethany, Okla., or the Alzheimer’s Association, 4900 N. Portland, Suite 116, Oklahoma City, Okla. 73112.
June 11, 1997
