System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!Bessie Turpen
Graveside services for former Seminole resident Bessie Mae (Settlemire) Turpen are scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday at Butler Cemetery in Lane with Arvel Hall officiating and under the direction of Brown’s Funeral service.
Turpen, 98, a Durant area resident, died Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2005 at the Medical Center of Southeastern Oklahoma. She was born Aug. 5, 1906 at Moody to Marion McKenzie and Annie (Johnson) Settlemire.
She married Ransom Solamon Turpen in Lane and was a housewife and homemaker. Her church affiliation is that of Baptist.
Her parents; husband; two sons, Edward and Chester Lee Turpen; and two grandchildren, Debra Kay Smith and Archie Eugene Brewer all preceded her in death.
Surviving her are four children, Mildred Meaders of Stuart, Willie Mae Wheeler of Cameron, Texas, Jo Ann Smith of Seminole and Julia Pratt of Athens, Texas; 10 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; and numerous great-great grandchildren.
In addition are her sister Lula Sharp of Holdenville and two brothers, Louis Settlemire of Caddo and Sam Settlemire of Atoka.
Casket bearers for the service will be Doyle Smith, Wayne Pratt, Dale Smith, Tony Smith, Travis Pratt and Dorman Cannaday.
Hazel Vandeveer
Funeral services for the grandmother of Seminole resident, Brad Conley, are scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at Calvin High School Auditorium.
Rev. Larry Chesser and Rev. James Caudill are scheduled to officiate at the service. Interment is to follow services at Calvin Cemetery under the direction of Hudson-Phillips Funeral Home.
Hazel Marie Roper Vandeveer, 87, died Thursday, March 31, 2005 in Holdenville. She was born April 22, 1917 in Lamar to Perry Albert Roper and Mary Exer Cates Roper.
She was raised in Lamar and married Homer McCoy in 1935. Following his death in 1940 she married William Clyde Vandeveer on March 29, 1947.
The couple lived in Holdenville until 1950 when they moved to Calvin, where she remained until her death.
Her husband, William Vandeveer; one son, Ronald Doy McCoy; two sisters, Willie Flynn and Laura Crawford and one brother, Jim Roper, also preceded her in death.
Surviving her are six children, Don McCoy of McLoud, Norma McCoy Treat of Odessa, Texas, Billye, Clyde Lee Vandeveer, Jean Wilbanks and John Brogdon, all of Calvin; 13 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.
Pallbearers for the service will be John Brogdon, Bryan Conley, Chris Conley, Rex Conley, Gregory Palmer, Michael McCoy, Joe McCoy and James Treat.
Honorary bearers are Brad Vandeveer, Joey Treat, Tonya Houser and Sheila Treat.
Jackie Denise Veach
Graveside service for longtime Seminole County resident Jackie Denise Veach is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at Wolf Cemetery. Rev. Roy Robertson is set to officiate.
Interment will follow under the direction of Swearingen Funeral Home.
Veach died Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2005, at her home. She was 38.
She was born August 1, 1966, in Stroud to Guy Russell Pierce and Charlette (Smith).
Later, she married Starland Lloyd Veach in Wewoka.
Veach worked as a retail clerk at Dollar General Store in Konawa.
She was a member of the Assembly of God.
Her mother, Charlette (Smith) and two children preceded her in death.
She is survived by her parents, Guy and Melinda Pierce of St. Louis; husband, Starland Lloyd Veach of the home; two sons, Eldon Lane and Dalton Russell Veach of the home; one daughter, Sharlet D’Nae Benson of the home; two sisters, Dawnita Cloud and Darlene Anderson , both of Seminole; two brothers, Curtis Leonard of Seminole and Greg Pierce of Maud and grandmother, Norma Anderson of Bowlegs.
Sherry Kay Vicars
Funeral services for the sister of Seminole resident Russell Vicars, Sherry Kay Vicars of Dallas, Texas, are scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday at Laurel Oaks Funeral Home of Dallas.
Sherry was born Sept. 7, 1943 in Oklahoma City and died Sunday, April 10, 2005 following a long battle with cancer.
She was the fourth child of A.J. and Bernice Vicars and grew up in a small community in southeast Dallas, known as Pleasant Grove.
As a 1962 graduate of W. W. Samuel High School, she went on to attend and graduate East Texas State University with a degree in education and art.
After graduation, Sherry spent several years teaching in Sweetwater, a small west Texas town 30 miles from Abilene.
This position did not fulfill her lifelong desire for the field of art and after three years she moved back to Dallas to join Tracy-Locke Ad Agency and worked for several years as an illustrator.
Still, the yearning to aspire to her art background lead her to Kansas City where she worked for an ad agency whose client, Hallmark cards, became her exclusive client.
Tiring of timetables and tasks, Sherry returned to Dallas to open her own company and become a highly sought after illustrator.
However, the same situation arose with deadlines, more deadlines, sales and waiting for payment. The business as usual drove this artist to the canvas.
She shut down her company and pursued her ambition to paint. Sherry would spend the rest of her life painting.
She would be commissioned to paint walls, turning a child’s room in to a fantasy world. Many of her creations would evolve from her dreams, which she turned in to images on walls, as well as canvas.
Being a true artist with a Bohemian lifestyle, Sherry would move to California in which she spent 20 years doing what an artist does – ART.
Sherry never married but she did build strong meaningful relationships with her friends. She would live, cook and aid anyone who would ask.
She was a great friend to all who shared her life and above all, she performed her art.
Sherry is survived by her brother Joe and wife Roy Ann from The Woodlands, Texas and her brother Russell and his wife Betty residing in Seminole.
Her cousin, Violet Sloan of Rockwall, Texas, who wants the world to know that Sherry was a great cook, who surely was derived from her creative talents as an artist, also survives her.
Sherry’s timeless friends, Jimianne John, Esther and John Kibby, Pat Sanchez, her second cousin Leonard Sloan and his wife Jane, will all miss her magnificent presence.
Laurel Oaks Funeral Home is located at South 635 and 12649 Lake June in Dallas.
The family suggests that memorial donations made be made to the charity of choice.
Dennis D. Voelker
Funeral services for longtime Seminole resident Dennis D. Voelker are scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Swearingen Funeral Home Chapel.
Interment is take place at Roselawn Memorial Gardens in Saginaw, Mich.
Voelker, 57, died Friday, March 4, 2005 at Seminole Medical Center. He was born Aug. 2, 1947 in Saginaw to Harold W. and Charlotte (James) Voelker.
He has been employed by the City of Seminole Water Department for over 20 years.
Voelker was a veteran of the United States Marine Corp. serving in the Vietnam Conflict and was honorably discharged.
His parents and one brother, Richard Voelker preceded him in death.
Surviving him is his daughter Tiffany Acre of Oklahoma City; former wife, Nita Douthit of Seminole; sister Connie Pluto of Saginaw; brother Randy Voelker of Saginaw and three grandchildren.
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Charles A. Votaw
Funeral services for lifelong Maud resident Charles A. "Chuck" Votaw are scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday at First Baptist Church, Maud.
Rev. Larry Harrison is to officiate with Rev. Herschel Davis to assist.
Interment is to follow with military honors at Cummings Cemetery under the direction of Knight-Swearingen Funeral Home.
Votaw passed away Monday, Dec. 19, 2005 at Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City at the age of 47. He was born Jan. 24, 1958 in Seminole to Essie Nixon "Jr" Votaw and Loretta Nellie (McGirt).
He attended Pleasant Grove School and graduated in 1977.
Chuck married Brenda Marie Peavler on Nov. 19, 1998 in Shawnee and he was a self-employed mechanic.
Votaw was a sergeant in the National Guard for six years and a commander in the Seminole Nation Honor Guard. He was a member of Rewalke Band and of the Seminole Tribe.
His father, Jr. Votaw (1994) and his nephew, Christopher Allen Votaw (1995) preceded him in death.
He is survived by his wife, Brenda Marie (Peavler) Votaw of the home; his mother, Loretta Votaw of Seminole; his mother-in-law and stepfather-in-law, Coretta and Gene Cole of Maud; father-in-law and stepmother-in-law, Jerry and Alice Peavler of Maud and two sons, Shane Travels and his companion Amy Blankenship and Brandon Travels and his companion Carrie Calvert, all of Maud.
In addition, he has three brothers and sister-in-law, Curtis Votaw and Cecil Votaw, both of Seminole and James and Brenda Votaw of Maud; two sisters and brother-in-law, Ramona and Ronald Johnson of Seminole and Carol Votaw of Wewoka; half sister, Katherine McGirt of Shawnee; two step-grandchildren, Makayla Turner of Seminole and Nevaeh Travels of Maud and a host of other family and friends surviving him.
Casket bearers for the services will be Chad Votaw, Greg Votaw, Al Curley, Ronald Johnson, Chris Campbell, Rex Hailey and Blake Votaw.
Honorary bearers will be Charlie Williams, Raymond Harjo and the Seminole Nation Honor Guard.
Laurie Walchusky
Memorial service for Wolf resident Laurie Lynn Walchusky were held at 10:30 a.m. today at Swearingen Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Carl Whitfield officiating.
Walchusky, 43, died unexpectedly along with her son, Brandon Thompson, March 3, 2005.
She was born June 21, 1961 in Utica, N.Y. to Peter D. and Jeanne Reynolds Walchusky. Laurie was raised in Utica, N.Y. and entered the United States Army in 1980.
Later she went on to college in Oklahoma receiving her degree in accounting.
She worked as an office manager at national tax Service in Ada.
Her parents, grandparents, two aunts and two uncles preceded her in death.
Surviving her are daughter, Megan Thompson; sons, Gary Alan Jr. and Christopher Thompson; sister Phyllis of Fresno, Calif.; brothers, Peter Walchusky of Utica, N.Y. and John Walchusky of New York Mills, N.Y. and George Walchusky of Utica, N.Y. and James Walchusky, Oneida, N.Y. and one grandson.
Floyd Walker
Graveside funeral services for Arthur Floyd Walker are scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at Little Cemetery under the direction of Vondel L. Smith and Son Mortuary in Oklahoma City.
Walker died Thursday, Nov. 17, 2005, at the age of 94.
He was born Nov. 3, 1911, in Darnell, Ark., to Arthur Columbus and Effie (Long) Walker.
He worked as a machinist and welder for H&H Supply Company.
He was baptized in 1970 as a Jehovah’s Witness.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Pauline.
He is survived by his wife, Florence Walker; two brothers, Ray and Robert Walker; three sisters, Reba Hendryx, Ruby Hook and Vera Gold-Anderson.
