System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!Lorene Beattie
Graveside services for former Seminole resident Lorene C. (Criswell) Beattie, are scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, July 14, 2007 at Oakwood Cemetery in Wewoka.
Father Basil M. Keenan, O.S.B. will officiate.
Services are under the direction of Swearingen Funeral Home.
Beattie passed away on Thursday, July 12, 2007 in Tulsa at the age of 91.
She was born to Arthur A. Criswell and Ola (Chastain) Criswell in Wewoka on March 15, 1916.
She married Fred C. Beattie in Wewoka. He preceded her in death in 1992.
Beattie attended the University of Oklahoma and was of the Catholic faith.
She lived in Seminole County for 30 years before moving to Oklahoma City and later to Tulsa.
She is preceded in death by her parents; one brother, Raymond Criswell; and one sister, Annell Gregg.
Beattie is survived by two nephews, Lawrence J. Gregg, M.D. of Tulsa and Dan Criswell, M.D. of Lawton; and one niece, Sally Criswell Guldenschue.
The family has requested that memorial donations be made to the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, P.O. Box 164, Seminole Okla. 74818-0164.
Bonnie Beckett
Funeral services for former longtime Seminole resident Bonnie Evalee Beckett are scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday at highway Baptist Church with Rev. Carl Whitfield officiating.
Interment is to follow at Little Cemetery under the direction of Swearingen Funeral Home, Seminole.
Beckett, 87, died Monday, July 30, 2007 in Cleveland, Okla. She was born on Jan. 11, 1920in Gabriel, Ark., to Richard Austin and Tennessee Evalee (Bohanan) Austin.
On Sept. 15, 1942 she married Youkle Beckett in Okemah and worked at Pat’s Café as a waitress for 20 years and at Doyle’s Quick Stop for five years.
She was a member of the Highway Baptist Church for 54 years.
Her parents; husband (Oct. 27, 1990); one daughter, Phyllis Hoffman (1977); one sister; and three brothers, preceded her in death.
Surviving is one son, Jim Beckett of Hominy, Okla.; one sister, Nellie Smith of Tulsa; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Corey Beckwith
Funeral services for former Seminole student Corey J. Beckwith are scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday at the K.L. Sharp Funeral Home, Cincinnatus, N.Y. with Fred M.S. Downs officiating.
Interment will follow at Taylor Rural Cemetery, Taylor, N.Y.
Beckwith, 35 of Taylor, N.Y., went to be with the Lord Saturday, Jan. 13, 2007 at his home. He was born June 1, 1971 in Cortland, N.Y. to Alan and Karol Smith Beckwith.
He attended grade school in Seminole and was a 1990 graduate of Cincinnatus Central School in Cincinnatus.
Beckwith was employed as a superintendent and a heavy equipment operator for Procon Construction Company in Vestal, N.Y.
He was a member of the Ideal Street Baptist Church in Seminole, McGraw Sportsman’s Club (McGraw, N.Y.) and the Sons of the American Legion post #973 (South Otselic, N.Y.).
Corey truly enjoyed the outdoors and spent much of his free time hunting, fishing and trap shooting. He would often spend time helping his friends or lending a hand to several local farmers.
A loving husband, father, son and brother, he will be dearly missed by his family and friends.
Surviving is his wife, Paula; children, Arielle Emily, Cody James and Tyler Robert Beckwith; mother, Karol Hart of Plano, Texas.
He also leaves behind his father, Alan (Linda) Beckwith of Willet, N.Y.; sisters, Dana (Charles) Holley of Seminole and Lindsey Beckwith of Willet, N.Y.; a brother, Raymond (Tracy) Smith of Willet; paternal grandmother, Veronica Beckwith of Taylor; maternal grandmother, Laura Smith of Cortland; several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins; and his canine companion, "Bud".
Those wishing to remember Corey are asked to consider the McGraw Sportsman’s Club, P.O. Box 805, McGraw, N.Y. 13101, or the Emergency Squad, c/o Elaine Oros, 5771 McFarland Road, Cincinnatus, N.Y. 13040.
Marcy Belew
Funeral services and interment for former Seminole resident Marcy (Marcelene) Hill Belew were held on Monday at Seaside Funeral Home Chapel in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Marcy, beloved mother and grandmother, went to be with the Lord on Friday, Aug. 3, 2007. Marcy was born to Walter and Laura Lorena Hill in Bristow, Okla., and was raised in Seminole.
She attended Oklahoma College for Women in Chickasha, Okla., studying piano and organ. Marcy received numerous national piano competition honors.
Marcy was Secretary of the Year 1984 of the Coastal Bend Chapter of Professional Secretaries International.
An excellent executive assistant, Marcy worked over the years for Prescon Construction, Stevenson & Stevenson, Whataburger, KIII-TV, and Driscoll Foundation Children’s Hospital, where she was named January 1991 Employee of the Month.
Marcy remained an avid bridge player and always enjoyed getting a foursome together and substituting in numerous bridge groups whenever possible.
She used her musical gifts to play for the Agape Class of First United Methodist Church, and retirement and nursing homes during the Holidays.
Marcy was married for 54 years to the late George B. Belew. Her parents, and two brothers, Herbert and Chalmer Hill, also preceded her in death.
Marcy is survived by her daughter, Georgia Lynn Porcher of Leander, Texas; grandchildren: Marcy Porcher of Leander, Texas; Jimmy Thompson of Deer Park, Texas and Christopher Porcher of Corpus Christi, Texas; two great-grandsons, Tyler and Matthew; and nieces, Bobbi Kretschmar, Cleveland, Texas and Kay Hare, Boston, Massachusetts.
She is greatly missed by family and friends.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Driscoll Foundation Children’s Hospital or one’s preferred charity.
Edward Bender
Funeral services for Holdenville native Edward Lee Bender were held today at Immanuel Baptist in Norman with Bro. Bryce Scott officiating.
Services are under the direction of Havenbrook Funeral Home in Norman. Following services Ed will be moved to Shawnee Tribal grounds, where he will be laid to rest at daybreak Thursday morning.
Mr. Bender, 57, passed away Monday, June 25, 2007 in Norman. He was born on Oct. 15, 1949 in Holdenville to Lotman and Mary L. Bean Bender.
He was a longtime resident of Norman and the Little Axe area. He attended Norman High School and graduated in 1967.
Edward was a retired Vietnam Veteran Marine since 1993.
His mother; his father; mother-in-law, Lucille Longhorn, preceded him in death.
Surviving is his wife, Judy Longhorn Bender of the home; son, Jason Bender; daughters, Leah Bates, Lisa Botone and Leal Bender; brothers, Coleman Bender and Jonas Bender; sisters, Sherri Prevost and Cindy Scott and six grandchildren.
David Bennett
A memorial service for David Alan Bennett, formerly of Wewoka, has been scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at the Penn. Avenue Redemption United Methodist Church, 1320 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Oklahoma City, where he was a member.
David Alan Bennett was born in Seminole on Sept. 2, 1954 to Denver Adrian Bennett and Helen Claye Bennett.
Denver was in the ice business and Helen worked for the state Watershed Department, so David learned about serving dying causes from an early age.
The Bennetts resided in Wewoka until David graduated from high school.
On Friday, April 6, 2007, David returned to the VA Hospital for what he believed would be nothing more than routine tests.
The results were not what David hoped for, and he was kept for further evaluation. His health continued to both improve and deteriorate over the next two weeks.
Though he put up a valiant fight, David ultimately lost his long struggle when his liver finally failed him. On Monday, April 23, 2007, sometime after 11:15 a.m., David went to be with Our Lord.
His loving wife Donna was by his side the entire time and was with him when he passed away. He was 52 years young.
In the course of his lifetime, David touched so many people in so many ways and that proof was seen in the many visitors that trailed in and out of the ICU in his final days.
Throughout David’s extended hospital stay, he never lost his sense of humor and he entertained his visitors with his wisecracks and managed to make people smile even in this difficult time.
During his early schooling, David took piano lessons and showed somewhat of a flair for music. His most significant influences in music and in life during the formative years were his organ instructor, Stephenia Lobaugh; band director, Chelsea C. Cook; and countless rock, blues, and jazz bands.
The latter were not always the best of influences, and David, being in touch with the Zeitgeist of the sixties and seventies, unfortunately incorporated chemical experimentation into his repertoire, forming habits that hampered him for decades.
David attended Central State College in Edmond, majoring in music and psychology, and---well, being a musician in college in the early seventies was something of a major in itself!
Four years after matriculating, and clueless as to what to do with himself, David joined the Regular Army, where one is told what to do, and served in the 1st Armored Division in Germany.
An unusual accident left him a ten-percent disabled veteran, and David received all his medical treatment from the Veteran’s Administration Hospital.
The habits David discovered in college and reinforced in the military soon came back to haunt him, and David wound up a ward of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections for a short stretch.
This experience seemed to straighten David out, and he finished a B.S. in accounting from Central State University. He then began roughly a decade and a half working in the accounting field.
During that time he completed his MBA, graduating with honors near the top of his class. In addition to his accounting career, David worked steadily as a church organist as well as playing for countless weddings, funerals, and social events requiring cheesy dinner music.
Middle age started out unkind for David as he relapsed into substance abuse, went to federal prison (the "Club Fed" as he affectionately called it), and was diagnosed with late-phase liver disease.
During this time, David finally let the love of Christ touch his life, and became a true believer.
His medical condition improved remarkably, and upon release, David returned to Oklahoma to work for the Criminal Justice and Mercy Ministries (CJAMM) of the United Methodist Church, serving as the first site manager for the Exodus House in Tulsa for two years before returning to Oklahoma City to work for CJAMM’s Redemption Church ministries as administrator and church musician, then as a grant writer.
During this time, David had not only the benefit of having God in his life, but was blessed with so many valuable mentors, including the Rev. Dr. Dale Tremper, Director of Skyline Urban Ministries (405-236-5212), the Rev. Dr. Virginia Grey, Volunteer Coordinator of Criminal Justice and Mercy Ministries of Tulsa (405-530-2014), and the Rev. Tony Zahn, Director of The Education and Employment Ministries (405-235-5671).
David asks that, in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to any or all of these ministries. Please call the phone numbers listed for instructions on where to mail your contributions.
In 2003, the stars aligned and David finally found his other half, the love of his life, Donna Gail Thompson.
On Aug. 13, 2005, Donna and David were wedded at Penn Avenue Redemption United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City. They lived in wedded bliss for the remainder of David’s life, and they both believe that they will live happily ever after together in their greater glory.
During their first year of marriage, the affectionate couple purchased a house in Oklahoma City before an unexpected interruption occurred.
Donna knew that the vows included the words "in sickness and in health", but did not expect the "sickness" part to rear its ugly head so soon.
David’s liver failed in July of 2006, and he received a liver transplant at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, Tenn., under the auspices of the VA umbrella of care.
The first year was a struggle, but thanks to Donna’s constant loving care, David’s health finally rebounded and life returned to some semblance of normal.
David was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Denver James Bennett, who was a Baptist minister who always accepted churches in Wyoming and Colorado, places far from the Southern Baptist Convention headquarters.
He is survived by his wife, Donna, in their home in Oklahoma City, and three stepdaughters, Amber and Wendy, from a previous marriage, and Lauren, Donna’s daughter.
He will be missed tremendously by all those who knew him. May God Bless David Alan Bennett and all those who love and miss him dearly.
David Bennett composed the following poem:
Life has rhythm
Life has a beat
Life is music
Life has feet
- so dance!
Ed. Note: David Bennett wrote most of the obituary before his passing, and it was his wish for it to be published, "as is".
