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Harold Wesley Rainwater
TAHLEQUAH -- Services for Harold Wesley Rainwater, 74, will be held at 2 p.m., Tuesday, March 23, 2004, at the Hart Funeral Home Chapel, with Pastor Jim Dearborn officiating. Internment will follow at the Tahlequah City Cemetery under the direction of Hart Funeral Home of Tahlequah.
Serving as pallbearers will be Dan Overman, Butch Ogden, Jerry Knight, David Dotson, Joe Dotson and Gary Rainwater. Serving as honorary pallbearers will be the Adair County Retired Teachers.
Harold Wesley Rainwater was born Sept. 10, 1929, in Tahlequah, to Newell and Nina (Holden) Rainwater. One year later the family moved to Westville, where he grew up and graduated from high school in 1947. Harold attended Connors State College in Warner, and then graduated from Oklahoma A&M College in Stillwater. He later received a master's degree in education from Northeastern State University at Tahlequah.
Harold served his country during the Korean War as a cryptographer in the U.S. Army stationed in Japan. After he returned home, he completed his education, and began his teaching career, which continued for the next 30 years.
In 1955, Harold married Margaret Dotson. He and Margaret were parents of three children: Beverly Ann, Paul Wesley and Brian Harold. The family lived on a farm near Stilwell for 32 years. Harold raised Hereford cattle and baled hay to feed them while teaching in nearby schools at Baron, Zion, Peavine, Maryetta and Stilwell.
After he retired from teaching and the children had left home, Harold and Margaret moved to a small cabin near a spring in the woods near Tahlequah. He renovated the cabin, making it a home they both loved. Near the cabin was an old log house built near the time of the Civil War. Harold enjoyed working on this old house, preventing its further decay and making it look somewhat like it must have looked over 100 years ago.
Harold was a good, decent man who valued civic responsibility, and found pleasure in helping others. He believed in Jesus as his personal savior, and watched in anticipation of his return. He would do anything to help his family, once building a trailer and a large dog pen from scratch in the snow to transport his son's dog 700 miles - all to save the dog's life. He was always building and remodeling houses with his family as the glad beneficiaries. He enjoyed building fences, clearing land, working hard, meeting challenges, greeting friends, and telling jokes. He loved sports, especially watching NCAA basketball games.
Harold's dad; mom; twin brother, Gerald; and Gerald's wife, Loretta; were all deceased at the time of his death.
He is survived by his family who love him dearly: wife Margaret, of the home near Tahlequah; daughter, Beverly Sturgis and husband, Kerry, of Albuquerque, N.M.; son, Paul, of Tahlequah; and son, Brian and his partner Brenda, of Albuquerque, N.M.; his only grandchild, Wesley Dean Rainwater, son of Brian and Brenda of Albuquerque, N.M.; sisters, Helen Haney and husband Stanley of Tulsa, and Nadean Tays and husband, Herb of Austin, Texas; several nieces and nephews, other relatives, and many friends.
Those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider Habitat For Humanity, P.O. Box 1876, Tahlequah, Okla., 74464-1876.
Hart Funeral Home, 1506 N. Grand, 456-8823.
Vinson "Gene" Gentry
VIAN -- Services for Vinson "Gene" Gentry, 84, of Tahlequah, will be held at 2 p.m., Wednesday, March 24, 2004, at Vian Freewill Baptist Church, with Rev. Gilbert Pixley officiating. Interment
will follow in the Garden of Memories Cemetery at Vian under the direction of Agent Funeral Home of Sallisaw. Pallbearers will be Gentry's grandsons and great-grandsons.
Vinson Gentry was born Sept. 18, 1919, to Miles H. "Chock" and Nora J. McFadden Gentry, in Alma, Ark., and he died Sunday, March 21, 2004, in Tahlequah. He was a farmer and retired from the maintenance department of the Oklahoma State Department of Transportation. He married Ethel Ida Scantlon of Watts on June 10, 1939. She preceded him in death on July 18, 1988.
Vinson is survived by his companion Rosie Morrison and her family of Tahlequah; one daughter, Brenda Smith of Vian; two sons, Rusty Gentry of Jay and Sandy Gentry of Wister; 14 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and 5 great, great-grandchildren; one sister, Fern Baer of Sacramento, Calif.; several nieces, nephews and cousins; and other relatives and friends.
Agent Funeral Home, P.O. Box 566, Sallisaw, Okla., 74955.
Clinton Coward
TAHLEQUAH -- Graveside services for Clinton Coward will be held at 2 p.m., Wednesday, March 24, 2004, at Double Springs Cemetery, with Wilson Forest officiating. Services are under the direction of Reed-Culver Funeral Home of Tahlequah.
Pallbearers are Clinton "Butch" Coward Gary Coward, Eric Coward, Jimmy Davis, Randy Blair and Jason Spencer. Honorary pallbearers include Jason Blair, Brian Strong and Billy Blair.
Clinton Coward was born Sept. 5, 1928, in Winslow, Ark., to Henry and Pearly Mae (Lyons) Coward. He passed from this life on Saturday, March 20, 2004, in Tulsa, at the age of 75 years.
Clinton retired from the maintenance department of the Corp of Engineers after 20 years. He was a member of the Church of Christ and a member of Disabled American Veterans. He served his country during the Korean War in the United States Army Air Corp and Navy.
Clinton enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening and treasure hunting.
Clinton was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Pearly Mae; four brothers, Lonzo, James, Alce and Cecil; and three sisters, Elva, Doris and Ethel.
He is survived by his wife Joan (Crossno) Coward of the home; three sons, Clinton Coward, Gary Coward and Eric Coward all of Tahlequah; two daughters, Denise Blair of Tahlequah and Teresa Spencer of Coweta; a brother, Robert C. Coward of Ardmore; a sister Juanita Abbott of California; 16 grandchildren, one great grandchild and numerous nieces and nephews.
Reed-Culver Funeral Home, 117 W. Delaware, 456-2551.
Della Sisco
TULSA -- Visitation for the family of Della Catherenia Denwalt Sharp Sisco, 83, of Tulsa, will be held from 6-8 p.m., Wednesday, March 24, 2004, at Moore's Southlawn Chapel, 9350 E. 51st St., in Tulsa. Services will be held at 1:30 p.m., Thursday, March 25, 2004, at the Park Plaza Church of Christ in Tulsa. Interment will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery, also in Tulsa.
Della Catherenia Denwalt Sharp Sisco was born March 20, 1921, in Orlando, and passed away Monday, March 22, 2004, in Tulsa. Della was a member of the Park Plaza Church of Christ in Tulsa.
Della was preceded in death by her parents, Casper Fredrick Denwalt and Della Mae Sheff Denwalt; husbands, Dover Orean Sharp Sr. and Clarence Sisco; brothers, Lewis Denwalt and Casper Denwalt Sr.; sisters, Ethel Vaughn, Etta Squire, Emma Riggs, Eva Hayes and Dorine Squire Jensen; daughter, Anna Marie Jones; and an infant grandson.
She is survived by a son, Dover "Don" Sharp and wife Barbara of Alabama; two daughters, Sharon Bigler and husband Jack of Kansas, and Mary Stackpoole and husband Tom of Michigan; grandchildren, Nancy Watson, Lynnette Watson Jones, Catherenia Million, David Jones, Richard Jones, Glenn Jones, Anita Jones, Bobbie Jo Jones, Deborah Bigler, Joseph Sharp, Dwayne Sharp, Donna Criswell, Michael Sharp, David Bigler, Thomas Stackpoole and Robyn Stackpoole; 27 great-grandchildren and four great, great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, friends may contribute to Park Plaza Church of Christ in Tulsa.
Moore's Southlawn Chapel, 9350 E. 51st St., Tulsa, Okla., 74145.
Florence Lash Owens
TAHLEQUAH -- Services for Florence Lash Owens, 95, of Proctor, will be held at 10 a.m., Friday, May 14, 2004, at the First United Methodist Church, with Rev. John Price officiating. Interment will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery in Tulsa under the direction of Hart Funeral Home.
A longtime family friend, Woodrow Skaggs, wil serve as an honorary pallbearer.
Florence Lash Owens, one of three children, was born to Ralph L. and Mary (Huxley) Dunkle on Dec. 24, 1908, in Washington County, Pa., and passed from this life on May 9, 2004, in Tahlequah.
Florence married Robert Fred Owens on Nov. 12, 1933, in Tulsa, and they were married for 55 years before his passing in 1989. Together, they had two daughters, Beverly Ann and Mary Jane. Florence enjoyed listening to good music. She loved to work in her flower gardens, as well as cooking.
Florence is preceded in death by both of her parents, and her husband Robert Fredrick Owens.
She is survived by two daughters, Beverly Ann Littlefield and husband Earl, of Cleveland, and Mary Jane Guffey of Proctor; two sisters, Selena Kriete and Adda Mary Wainwright, both of Tulsa; five grandchildren, Mark Littlefield of Tulsa, Rusty Littlefield of Tulsa, Jane Ann Guffey of Norman, Judy L. Magnusson of Oklahoma City, and Lisa Weaver of Watts; eight great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild, as well as many other family, friends and loved ones.
Hart Funeral Home, 1506 N. Grand, 456-8823.
