System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!Ellis Aldridge
Ellis Delbert Aldridge was born on Jan. 13, 1915 to Jobe and Ollie (Cartwright) Aldridge in Clebourne County, Ark. He passed away on Aug. 19, 2001 in Seminole. Ellis was preceded in death by his parents; son, Gilbert Aldridge; a grandson, Keith Aldridge and two brothers, Vernard and Tom Aldridge. Ellis attended schools in Nuyaka, Cromwell, Mt. View and Varnum. He graduated from Mt. View High School at the age of 16. In order to continue playing basketball, he enrolled and received a second high school diploma from Varnum High School. He was awarded an athletic scholarship to East Central State College but instead accepted a job with Sinclair Oil Company in order to play on their baseball team. He was also an amateur boxer with the Golden Gloves. He met and married Carmaleta Payne in Seminole. Their union lasted over 62 years. They had five sons. They moved to the Wolf area when their boys were young and he began working in the oilfield in and around Seminole County where he worked for 35 years before retiring from Mapco Production Company. Ellis continued to play basketball and baseball on independent teams. He also was a member of a bowling league, bringing home several trophies. His hobbies included fishing, hunting and raising cattle, but his greatest delight was going fishing and camping with his children and their families at Lake Texoma. He was always involved in the children’s school activities. He especially loved attending sports events that his sons and grandchildren participated in. He was their greatest booster. After Ellis’s son Gray started coaching basketball, he drove many miles to cheer his teams on. He also served on the Wolf School Board for 10 years and was an assistant Boy Scout leader. Ellis was an outstanding and loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He delighted his beloved grandchildren with his wit and humorous stories. His many friends and relatives were amazed at his great sense of humor and infinite wisdom. He set a wonderful example for his children and their families. Ellis is survived by his loving wife, Carmaleta; four sons, Delbert Aldridge of Seminole, Toby Aldridge of Seminole, Gary Aldridge of Cushing and Jay Aldridge of Seminole; two daughters-in-law, Barbara and Carol Aldridge; 10 grandchildren, Donna Giles, Debbie Lucas and husband Danny, Mike Aldridge, Toni Wittmann, Vicki Peters, Jimmy Aldridge and wife Anita, Sheri Roberts and husband Kyle, Julie Head and husband Jeremy, Traci Aldridge and Kerry Aldridge; 13 great-grandchildren, Derek and Cady Lucas, Kylee Aldridge, Cody and Joseph Wittmann, Jordon and Bronson Peters, Keith Aldridge, Rocky Aldridge, Braden Roberts, Delaney Head, Amber Aldridge and Tristan Aldridge; a sister and brother-in-law, Ena and Bob Birdsong; four nieces and three nephews. Ellis will be remembered for his family leadership, his fun-loving personality and his unselfish, giving heart. He will be greatly missed and never forgotten. His family would like to thank “his wonderful girls” at Pioneer Nursing Home, all those at Seminole Estates, his physician and longtime friend, Dr. Brendan O’Keefe, Dr. Feuerborn, Heather McPherson, Dr. Tony Haddad, the Seminole Medical Center Staff and the wonderful ladies from the Hospice Center who made his transition to another life more comfortable. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2001 at 10 a.m. at Swearingen Funeral Home Chapel. Rev. Cal Hunter and Rev. David Karges will officiate. Interment will follow at Wolf Cemetery. Casket bearers are Zane Bowman, Jim Ryder, Darrell Adams Dick Ledbetter, Cliff Ruminer and Stan Kiker. Services are under the direction of Swearingen Funeral Home.
Linda Gay Van Tassel
Sasakwa Graduate Dies in Car Crash
A Sasakwa alum died Thursday night in an automobile accident involving a school bus. Linda Gay Van Tassel, 40, of Asher died at the scene. The accident occurred when Van Tassel was apparently driving northbound in the southbound lanes of U.S. 377, when her Geo Metro struck a Wayne School bus head-on. Funeral services for Van Tassel are scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday at the Sasakwa High School gymnasium. Wesley Martin will officiate the service. Van Tassel was born on Aug. 19, 1960 in Ada to Wanda and Bob Biggs. She was a registered LPN for Pioneer Nursing Home in Shawnee. Van Tassel is preceded in death by her sister Glenda Fay in Sept. 1960. She is survived by two sons, Jessie James Robert Van Tassel and Joshua Andrew Van Tassel; and her companion Johnny Lewis, all of the home; her parents; two sisters, Terri Anne and Paula Thomas, both of Oklahoma City. Pallbearers are Randy Sanders, Robert Griffith, Mike Winters, Eddie Watkins, Tommy Lewis, and Charlie Hill. Honorary pallbearers are Larry Simmons, Darrell Roberts, and Donnie Sneed.
Jack Butler
Funeral services for Seminole native Jack Butler are scheduled for 2 p.m. today at Gaskill-Owens Funeral Chapel. Rev. Mark Miller will officiate. Burial will follow at Little Cemetery under the direction of Gaskill-Owens Funeral Home. Butler died Thursday at Shawnee Regional Hospital. He was born Sept. 16, 1936 in Seminole to Earl and Mandy Butler. He attended Seminole Schools and joined the U.S. Army in 1952. During his military service, he was stationed in Japan and fought in the Korean War. He was an Airborne Ranger with the 101st Airborne Division and was with the military police as a CID. Before he was honorably discharged in 1956, he had reached the rank of sergeant. Butler was active in the Coalition against Capital Punishment and the Committee Against Prisoner Exploitation. After his military career, he was a truck driver and diesel mechanic. He married Lois McKee Dec. 8, 1956 in Woodland, Calif. The couple lived in Shawnee since in 1976. Butler was preceded in death by his parents and one brother, David Lee Butler. Survivors include his wife, Lois, of the home; two daughters, Jacolyn Marie and Cynthia Butler, both of Shawnee; one son, Ricky Butler, Shawnee; one brother, J.D. Butler, Prague; three sisters, Noma Vest, Prague, Georgia McKee, Coeur d’Alene, Id., and Leona Cardin, Benson, Ariz.; 10 grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the Jack Butler Cancer Fund, First National Bank, 130 E. MacArthur, Shawnee, OK, 74804.
Carrie Huse
Graveside services for the wife of a former Wewoka resident, Carrie Huse were held Friday at 1 p.m. at Oakwood Cemetery, Wewoka, under the direction of Hanner Funeral Service, Atlanta, Texas. Rev. Henry Bell officiated the service. Huse died Wednesday, Aug. 15 in Atlanta, Texas at the age of 97. She was born on Aug. 19, 1903 in Williamson County, Texas. Huse is preceded in death by her husband, Dan A. Huse; and one daughter, Danna L. Huse. She is survived by two nieces, Eva Mae Patterson, Atlanta, Texas and Helen Harvey, Conroe, Texas; one nephew, Ed Stacy, La Jolla, Calif.; and one sister-inlaw, Fanny Miller, Vivian, La.
Charles Cass
Graveside services for Maud resident Charles Bennett Cass are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Monday at Resthaven Memorial Gardens in Seminole under the direction of Knight Funeral Home, Maud. Rev. Gene Teel will officiate the service. Cass died Thursday, Aug. 16, 2001 at Shawnee Regional Hospital at the age of 81. He was born to Charles Thomas Cass and Florence (Bennett) Cass on May 9, 1920 in Springfield, Ill. Cass married Bette Lowe on June 9, 1952 in Tulsa. He moved to Maud in 1952, and worked for OG&E until his retirement in 1982 after 30 years of service. Cass was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving with the Fourth infantry in Europe during World War II. He was a member of the St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Maud. Cass is preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Betty, of the home; one son, Ben Cass, Maud; and one sister, Mary Rebman, Irving, Texas.
Marjory Howard
Funeral services for Seminole resident Marjory Howard are scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Little River Mission in Seminole. Revs. Larry Harrison and Danny Faulkner will officiate. Wake services were scheduled for this evening at Little River Mission. Burial will follow at the Howard family cemetery at Little River under the direction of Swearingen Funeral Home. Howard died Wednesday at Norman Regional Hospital at the age of 50. She was born Oct. 14, 1950, in Seminole to Redmond and Kizzie Wolf. She married Jim Howard in Seminole on Feb. 14, 1994. Howard worked in housekeeping at Seminole Medical Center. She was a member of Little River Mission in Seminole. She was preceded in death by her mother; one brother, Eric Wolf; and one son, Scott Grisso. Howard is survived by one son, Jerrid Grisso, Tulsa; one daughter, Stacy Myers, Tulsa; one grandchild; three sisters, Charlotte Wolf, Arlington, Texas, Karen Wolf, Oklahoma City, and Misselda Wolf, Wewoka; and four brothers, Curtis and Jonathan Wolf, both of Seminole, Redmond Wolf, Tecumseh, and Roger Wolf, San Mareno, Calif. Casket bearers will be Larry England, Rex Haley, Aaron Wolf, Dale Harrison, Jesse Harrison and Jacob Harrison. Honorary bearers will be Jerry Clower, Maurice Spencer, and Henry English.
John Knowles
Funeral services for Maud resident John Millard Knowles are scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday at the Church of Christ in Maud. Rev. Frank Brewer will officiate. Burial will follow at Cummings Cemetery under the direction of Knight Funeral Home. Knowles died Thursday at the V.A. Medical Center in Oklahoma City at the age of 77. He was born June 1, 1924 in Maud to Phillip and Anna Knowles. He was an aircraft mechanic at Tinker Air Force Base and also worked for Parkhill of Tulsa as a mechanic and cross-country truck driver. In 1984 Knowles started a small engine repair business at his home in Maud. He was a member of the Maud Church of Christ. He was a motorcycle enthusiast and was a member of the Christian Motorcycle Association since 1974. Knowles also enjoyed fishing. He was preceded in death by his parents, and one sister, Loretta Wright in 1954. He is survived by three sisters, Ollie Roper, Tecumseh, Alma Hopper, Pink, and Martha Myers, Seminole.
Grace Harris
Grace Alene Harris, a Sasakwa resident, passed away Thursday, Aug. 16, 2001 at Carl Albert in Ada at the age of 81. She was born Dec. 1, 1919 in Sperry to John Davis and Lilly Chisholm. Grace moved to Sasakwa at the age of three years old. She married Thomas William Harris of Sasakwa on Nov. 9, 1937. She was reared in the Sasakwa area and educated at Cully School. Grace attended Spring Baptist Church in Sasakwa for numerous years. Her parents, husband, and one grandchild precede her in death. Grace is survived by eight children; Tommy Dale and Judy Harris of Sasakwa, Arnetta and Sammy Harjo of Sasakwa, Sue and Edward Giles of Holdenville, Larry and Joyce Harris of Holdenville, Nancy and David Conley of Wewoka, Charles and Theresa Harris of Holdenville, David Harris of Holdenville, Roy Dean and Gina Harris of Wewoka; 19 grandchildren; 29 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild and one great-great-granddaughter due in September. Other survivors include one sister, Virginia Norman of Lonegrove; and many nieces, nephews, family and friends. Funeral services are scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 18, 2001 at Spring Baptist Church in Sasakwa. Rev. Ed George will officiate the services. Pallbearers include Dale Harris, Jay Harjo, David Conley Jr., Thomas Giles, Roy Dean Harris Jr., David Harris Jr., Cody Harris, Dustin Harris, Randy Jackson, and James Levi Harris. Honorary pallbearers will be great-grandsons. Interment will be at Vamoosa Cemetery under the direction of Stout Funeral Home in Wewoka.
Frankie Redfoot
Frankie Margaret Flinchum Smith Redfoot died Saturday, August 11, 2001 with her daughter by her side at Walnut Place Nursing Home in Dallas, Texas. Frankie was born July 23, 1914 in Tuskahoma and was a life-long resident and active citizen of Oklahoma. Frankie was fiercely proud of her Indian heritage and membership in the Choctaw nation. Her great grandparents, Turner B. Turnbull, Sr. and Jerico P. Turnbull walked the Trail of Tears in 1833.
Frankie graduated from Varnum High School in Seminole where she was valedictorian of her class in 1933. She met and married Burly Richard Smith while working and attending college in Ada. They had two children and lived in Shawnee when Burley died in 1943 while working for Stanolind Pipe Line (later known as BP Amoco). After a short business course, Frankie also went to work for Stanolind to support herself and her two young children. She transferred to Tulsa in 1944 where she raised her children. She married Don McGarr Redfoot, a fellow employee of Stanoiind in 1952. Always together, they enjoyed golf, bowling, hunting and fishing. After retirement in 1969, they traveled to many foreign lands returning to build a home on Grand Lake. In Frankie's retirement years, she directed her energy into her community. She was a member of the Delaware County Historical Society, the Grove Chapter of Women of the Moose and served on the boards of the Audubon Society, Red Cross and Delaware County Republican Women's Club as president. A staunch Republican, Frankie drove the dusty back roads of her county to register voters. She was active on all levels of Republican Women organizations, as State committeewoman and a 2nd Congressional District Director. She was a charter member of the Oklahoma First Ladies and honored by the OFRW and NFRW at a special Oklahoma Tribute to Women at the state capitol. Frankie made a point to keep up friendships and often spoke of her pipeline friends with much affection. Those who were fortunate enough to know her will remember Frankie as intelligent, determined, generous, loving and a wonderful gourmet cook who loved to entertain. She was always delighted to spend time in her gardens or to sit on her front porch watching the many birds, deer and red foxes that shared the hillside. She loved time spent with her children and grandchildren and gave them beautiful memories of summers at the lake, vacations spent camping and hiking in the mountains and holidays shared. Frankie's husband Don preceded her in death. Her father and mother, William Washington Flinchum and Nora Adelaide (Delia) Leathers Flinchum, two brothers Lawson Flinchum and James Flinchum, and her sister, Julia Flinchum Wagner, also preceded Frankie in death. She is survived by two sisters, June and Wetsel and Mazie Gourley, all of Tijeras, N.M.. She is also survived by her son, Richard Carrol Smith, Chevy Chase, Md.; her daughter, Susan Smith Sample, and Dallas; two grandsons; a granddaughter; and a great-granddaughter. Also surviving Frankie are stepson, Larry Don Redfoot, and his two daughters and grandchildren. A memorial celebrating Frankie's life will be held in Grove, at the Grace Presbyterian Church on Saturday, September 15, 2001 at 10 a.m. Frankie and Don will be interred together at Resthaven Cemetery in Shawnee. Memorials honoring Frankie may be made to Grace Presbyterian Church, PO Box 450705, Grove, OK; Vista Hospice Care Foundation, 1 140 Empire Central, suite 235, Dallas, TX 75247 or to the charity of your choice.
Ann Wanner
Ann Wanner, 89, a long time Seminole resident, died on Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2001. Most recently, she resided at Seminole Estates Nursing Center. Ann was born in Almyra, Ark., to George and Jesse (Kestner) Clifton on March 6, 1912. She moved with her family to Seminole at the age of two years. She married Ernest A. Wanner, of Seminole, on May 25, 1925. Ann was a member of the First United Methodist Church, United Methodist Women, Wesley Group and Wedding Ring Class. She was a long time member of the Order of the Eastern Star and received her 50-year pin in January 1995. Ann retired in 1989 after 35 years as an employee of Herrin’s Ready-to-Wear. A sister, Irene Franks, from Sulphur, a brother, Fred Clifton, from Roff, and both parents preceded her in death. She is survived by her husband, Ernest, a resident of Seminole Estates Nursing Center; one son, Stephen, who lives in Huntersville, N.C. with his wife, Judy; and a number of nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held Saturday, Aug. 18, 2001 at 1 p.m. at the historic Strothers Chapel located at Maple Grove Cemetery with Rev. David Karges officiating. Interment will follow at Maple Grove Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Swearingen Funeral Home.
