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John Babinchak
John Babinchak, 89, of Meeker died Friday, May 27, at a local nursing home.
He was born Dec. 15, 1915, in Whiting, Ind., to Michael and Anna (Sandrey) Babinchak.
After graduating from Whiting High School, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He later worked as a blacksmith for Union Carbide, where he served and president and chairman of the union.
He is survived by one son and daughter-in-law, John C. and LaVerne Babinchak of Meeker; two grandchildren and spouses, Jason and Janelle Babinchak of Carpio, N.D., and Andrew Babinchak of Grand Forks, N.D.; one half sister, Anne Hrapcak of Hammond, Ind., and three nephews, Michael Roque, Johnny Roque and Alan Lewandowski.
Service will be 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Chapel of Walker Funeral Service with the Rev. Lewis Walters officiating. Burial will be at Sunny Side Cemetery, Meeker.
Misty Dawn Howell
Misty Dawn Howell, 22, died Friday, May 27, in Oklahoma City.
She was born June 9, 1982, in Shawnee to Paul Howell and Lisa Martinez.
She attended South Rock Creek School and Shawnee High School; she graduated with honors in 2000. She attended City College and studied paralegal work; she graduated in 2003.
She is survived by her mother, Lisa Martinez and her husband, Joe, of Shawnee; her father, Paul Howell of Macomb; two children, Breanne Howell and Gage Graham of the home; one brother, Ricky Howell and his wife, Amy, of Tecumseh; sisters, Chantel Howell of Macomb, Paula and Christina Howell of Norman; grandparents, Burney and Wilma White of Shawnee, Paul Howell of Macomb and Nell McCalip of Pearson; and numerous other relatives.
Service will be 2 p.m. Wednesday at Resthaven Funeral Chapel with the Rev. John Keeling officiating. Burial will follow at Resthaven Memorial Park.
Herman Joshua Jack Jr.
Herman was born July 19, 1924, to Herman Joshua Jack and Mary Olive (Palm) Jack.
Herman Jr. was born in Wichita Falls, after the Jacks settled in that city. He attended school there. When Herman was 10 years old, his mother died. His father retired from Magnolia Oil Company and they went to Burlingame, Kan., to live with his grandmother, Lavina (Gouglar) Jack.
He attended Burlingame High School until he entered the U.S. Army in September 1943. He served during the war in the 170th Combat Engineers. He received the Bronze Star in the Leyte invasion.
Participating in the initial Okinawa landings -- going in with the first wave on April 1, 1945 -- he was honored with a Bronze Star with Arrowhead. He was very proud of the Victory World War II medal, Pacific Campaign Ribbon, Philippine Defense Ribbon and Good Conduct medal.
He served in Korea, making the initial landing at Einchon. Herman was discharged Feb. 14, 1946.
He attended the 50th anniversary of his Army Combat Units Company "B" reunion and continued to correspond with his Army wartime buddies.
He said his wartime experiences "brought him to a solid foundation of faith in Jesus Christ." He made his profession of faith and was baptized at Calvary Baptist Church in Shawnee in April 1946, by the Rev. L.W. Griffith. He married Bonnie Garrett on July 5, 1946, at Calvary Baptist Church. Griffith presided over the ceremony. Herman attended Oklahoma Baptist University, enrolled in civil engineering and served one year in the U.S. Army Reserves.
Herman was active in the Masonic Fraternal Bodies for many years. He served as Worshipful Master of his Composite 107 Lodge in 1971. A member of the York Rite Bodies, he received the Knights of the York Rite Cross of Honor. He was a member of the McCallister Consistory and served the Order of the Eastern Star as Past Patron and Grand Representative.
He was a member of Immanuel Baptist Church for many years.
He belonged to the Veterans of Foreign Wars and was a lifetime member of Post 1317 in Shawnee; he also was a member of the American Legion Post 16. He also enjoyed his membership in the Tecumseh OES Chapter 30 and Murrow Chapter 464 of the Order of the Eastern Star.
Herman retired after 30 years of service at Tinker Air Force Base in the Civil Engineering Division. He became active in the Retired Federal Employees Shawnee Chapter 593 and served two years as president.
He loved planning RV trips, camping and boating. He and Bonnie traveled all over the United States and several countries. He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Cecil E. Jack; and sister, Ruth Bell.
He is survived by his wife, Bonnie; son, Michael Steven of the home; grandchildren, Brandon Joshua, Lindsay Ann and Stuart William Jack of Norman; sister, Helen Seibel of Shawnee; brother-in-law, Jerry Garrett of Shawnee; nieces, Reba Sue Pipes and husband J.L. of Lubbock, Texas; Mary Lou Scophf and husband W.L. of Fort Worth, Texas; nephew, Gregory Ray Garrett of Oklahoma City; several cousins and many friends.
Service will be 3 p.m. Monday at the chapel of Walker Funeral Service with the Rev. Sam Hendry officiating. Burial will follow at Resthaven Memorial Park.
Memorials may be made to Immanuel Baptist Church building fund, 1101 E. Main, Shawnee, 74801.
Paul Warner Pruitt
Longtime Lincoln County resident Paul Warner Pruitt departed this life Saturday, May 21, in Prague. He was 63 years old.
He was born April 18, 1942, in Meeker, the son of Warner Noah Pruitt and Loretha (Hignite) Pruitt. He had been a resident of the Lincoln County area most of his life. He had recently moved from Chandler to Paden.
He married the former Trudy Salley on Feb. 26, 1993, in Bentonville, Ark.
He was a master carpenter and had been a member of the Carpenters Union for more than 26 years. He spent the last several years being self-employed as a carpenter and building erector.
He attended Forrest Baptist Church.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one grandson.
He is survived by his wife, Trudy Pruitt of the home; daughters and sons-in-law, Jeanne Ann and Carl Guinn of Prague, Candyce Lynn and Hershel Green of Shawnee, Danielle Lois and Richard Nokes of Edmond; sisters and brothers-in-law, Warnetha and Jimmy Simek and Georgia Mae and Dewey Stowers, all of Sparks; one brother, Reggie Wayne Pruitt of Paden; stepdaughter and son-in-law, Jessica and Gary Jackson of Stroud; stepson, Bobby Geary of Chandler; six grandchildren; three stepgrandchildren.
Service will be 10 a.m. Tuesday at Johnson Church of God in Shawnee with the Rev. Charles Higgins officiating. Interment
will follow at Johnson Cemetery.
Arrangements are under the direction of Parks Brother Funeral Service of Prague.
Harry Joseph Riether
Harry Joseph Riether of Shawnee died Friday, May 20, at a local hospital. He was 69 years old.
He was born Oct. 9, 1935, in Pittsburg, Pa., to Harry and Helen (Ingram) Riether.
He earned a bachelor of science degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburg. He worked as an electrical engineer at Westinghouse Air Brake, Union Switch and Signal and TDGI in Shawnee.
He served in the U.S. Air Force as a navigator.
Riether was a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church.
He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Gail of the home; three sons and two daughters-in-law, Roger and Kelly Riether of Sterrett, Ala., Greg Riether of Tulsa, David and Ella Jones of East Pittsburg, Pa.; one sister, Dianne Garlick of Juniper, Fla.; and seven grandchildren.
Service will be 10 a.m. Monday at Redeemer Lutheran Church with the Rev. Lewis Walters officiating. Burial will be 10 a.m. Tuesday at Fairview Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to Redeemer Lutheran Church, 39307 W. MacArthur, Shawnee.
Arrangements are under the direction of Walker Funeral Service.
Aubrey Mercer
Shawnee resident Aubrey Mercer died Thursday, May 19, at a local nursing home. He was 89 years old.
He was born June 17, 1915, in Roff, the son of A.G. Mercer and Maude (Eldred) Mercer. He graduated from Stratford High School and attended East Central University in Ada.
Mercer served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He landed at Normandy, where his job was distributing ammunition.
He was married to Veda Freeman, who preceded him in death. He later reunited with and married his high school sweetheart, Estella McGalliard.
He worked as a house builder and later retired as a plumbing inspector from the city of El Centro, Calif.
He was a member of Central Church of Christ in Shawnee.
He is survived by three sons and two daughters-in-law, Les McGalliard and wife Sue of Abilene, Texas, Tom McGalliard of Antlers, and Tim McGalliard and wife Janice of Shawnee; eight grandchildren and spouses, Jana Cook and husband Doug of Edmond, Michael McGalliard and wife Jennifer of Amarillo, Texas, Tad McGalliard of Shawnee, Kenton McGalliard of Shawnee, Darcy Sessions of California, Misty Bynan of Wyoming, Tracy Berry of California and Christine Craig of Michigan; 10 great-grandchildren; one brother, Joe Mercer of Fort Worth, Texas; three sisters, Alma Mullinax of Altus, Wilma Madden and husband Bill of Odessa, Texas, and Mae Hallmark of Floresville, Texas; one son-in-law, Fred Sessions and wife Bobbie of San Diego, Calif.; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He also was preceded in death by his wife, Estella; his parents; one daughter, Deenie Sessions; and seven brothers and sisters.
Service will be 10 a.m. Tuesday at Central Church of Christ. Burial will follow at Arlington Memory Garden in Oklahoma City.
Arrangements are under the direction of Gaskill Funeral Chapel.
H.J. Cooper
H.J. Cooper, 86, of Tulare, California, died Saturday, May 28, 2005 in Visalia, California. Funeral services will be held today at Miller's Tulare Funeral Home in Tulare. Burial will follow at Tulare District Cemetery.
He was born May 30, 1918 in Tecumseh to Jim and Cordelia Cooper. He attended Tecumseh schools and was a 1938 graduate of Tecumseh High School. He worked in the family furniture and undertaking business in Tecumseh. He was a partner with his brother in the business until moving to Tulare, California in 1951, where he and his wife, Betty, established Cooper Home Furnishings on South K Street. He was a founding member of the South K Improvement Association. He was also a member of the Tecumseh Alumni Association and attended Tulare United Methodist Church.
Known by all for his stories and good humor, H.J. enjoyed traveling and visiting, but most of all was devoted to his garden, proudly sharing his fruit and vegetables. He will be dearly missed and joyously remembered by his family and friends.
In 1993, he was preceded in death by his wife of 49 years, Betty Cooper. He was also preceded in death by his parents; and two brothers, Virgil and Lynn Cooper.
He is survived by two sons, Marc Cooper and his wife, Toni, of San Rafael, California and Kim Cooper of Fresno, California; one niece, Linda Kaye Dunlap and family of Edmond; and three nephews, Jim Cooper and family of Tecumseh, B.J. Cooper and family of Oklahoma City, and Phil Cooper and family of Austin, Texas.
Lois Elizabeth Haynes
Stroud resident Lois Elizabeth Haynes, 89, died Saturday, May 28, in Stroud.
Service will be 2 p.m. today at First Christian Church in Stroud with the Rev John Sowers officiating. Burial will be in the Stroud Cemetery under the direction of Parks Brothers Funeral Service in Stroud.
Virginia Boggs
Virginia Hudspeth Boggs born January 13, 1917 in Carroll County, AR, daughter of William Ross and Amo (Usrey) Hudspeth. Moved to Oklahoma at the edge of five with her parents, and lived in OK for the remainder of her life. She graduated from Antlers High School. She married Hobart Boggs March 13, 1939. They moved from Wilburton to Shawnee in 1948. She has been a member of Immanuel Baptist Church since 1956. She was precinct official for the Pott. County election board.
Virginia came from a musical family. Her mother and grandfather Usrey played many musical instruments, and she played the piano. She shared her love of music with her husband and children. She enjoyed playing gospel music, but the favorite song of her children was the Black Hawk waltz. She played it many times for them, even into their adult years. She remained a gentle and caring soul amid a house full of lively children. She loved playing cards and checkers with her grandchildren; warning them before each game that she didn't like to lose. She referred to her grandchildren as the "love of her life".
Virginia enjoyed traveling, church activities and family. She and her sisters enjoyed each other's company, and had many happy times together. her door was always open for family, and she hosted numerous family gatherings over the years. Her coconut pie and divinity were always on the request list. She enjoyed having coffee with a very special group of ladies over the years.
Throughout her life, she was heard to say, "You have to accept what life hands you and make the best of it". She leaves a legacy of love, support, and compassion. She was a wonderful Mother, adored grandmother, devoted Baptist and a loyal Democrat. She touched many lives in her 88 years, and will be greatly missed by all who loved her.
Preceded in death by her husband, one son, Jimmy, two grandsons Bobby Hill and Hughie Hill, two brothers and one sister. She is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Janice and Dannye Mckaig; two sons and their wives, Ronald and Cathy Boggs and Butch and Cindi Boggs; one stepdaughter, Betty Hill; three stepsons, Tom Boggs, Pat Boggs, and Dick Boggs; her beloved grandchildren and great grandchildren, one sister and brother-in-law, Carmenia and Jeff Chaffin.
Services for Virginia will be held at the chapel of Walker Funeral Service, Wednesday, June 1, 2005 at 2 p.m. Burial will follow at Fairview Cemetery. Dr. Larry Adams will officiate, assisted by Rev. Sam Hendry.
